Go out to eat in Oakland tonight!
CBS5 reports that the Oakland Police have finally made an arrest in the restaurant takeovers:
A 16-year-old San Francisco boy has been arrested in connection with at least one of a recent series of takeover-style robberies of Oakland restaurants, CBS 5 has learned from sources close to the investigation.
The boy, whom one source said confessed his involvement in one of the holdups to police, was already on probation for an armed robbery in Vallejo.
At least two other suspects — including a 15-year-old boy — have been identified and arrest warrants were issued. They were being sought by police, sources said.
15? 16?
Seriously, many of our local restaurants are really suffering right now. Whether or not it’s rational to be afraid to go out to eat in Oakland, people seem to be lately. The restaurant industry isn’t an easy one even in the best of times, so please, support your neighborood entrepreneurs and eat out sometime this week.
UPDATE: It turns out the boy was from West Oakland, not SF.
And bring some friends with you!
Pick up an OAKBOOK (www.novometro.com) to learn about the array of dining spots waiting to feed you in Oakland.
Ghazal Indian Cuisine opened yesterday at 2nd & Broadway, where Bluesville used to be. MoNO opened a few weeks ago at 4th & Alice where Cuckoo’s Nest used to be. Both are yummy! But older restaurants also need some love right now - probably restaurants that were robbed such as Milano need help the most. Go! Support them!
Ichiro Sushi on 15th St.
I lived in Japan for 8 years. This is my favorite sushi joint in the east bay.
The new bistro in the blue tile building across from the Fox theater.
I forget the name, but not the fish and chips.
Lake Merritt Taco Truck:
Get what I call the “scared gringo platter” 4 tacos: Cabeza Buche Tripo and Lengua. Delicious!
And I know E’ville is evil but I love the townhouse on Doyle St.
Thursday is a great day to go out, also, with many restaurants donating a portion of their receipts to AIDS-related charities. Here is the list of participating restaurants. I’ll be at B Restaurant, at 9th and Washington!
Max is of course referring to Flora, who probably don’t need much help but do make an excellent Whiskey Fizz.
Joanna, that’s a great idea!
Is there a list of all the places that have been robbed? Lets all go to at least one of them this weekend! Fight crime with gluttony!
Hey all - OTAEZ in the Fruitvale. The place is fastastic! Otaez gets robbed all the time but they do not report the attacks for fear of getting bad press.
The food is the best. Support our local restaurants.
Restaurants that were robbed in the recent spat of takeover robberies are:
Milano - 3424 Grand Ave.
Red Boy Pizza - 1500 Leimert (near Park)
Rainbow Cafe - 725 International Blvd
Cybelle’s Pizza - 6468 Moraga Ave.
Pho 84 - 354 17th St.
Happy Garden - 4112 MacArthur Blvd
Cafe Clem - 2703 Seventh St., Berkeley
Restaurant Furenzu - 3986 Adeline St., Emeryville
But Ryan C is correct - support any locally owned restaurant. Many local restaurants have suffered with the economy. I’m sure that just like Otaez, many have been robbed throughout the last year.
What’s that saying… oh yeah, think globally, shop locally. Cheers!
What exactly is a “takeover” robbery? How is it different from a non-takeover robbery?
I did go out last night. Huarache Azteca. On the 3800 block of International Blvd. Right next to Otaez. No takeover robberies. Good food only.
JHR, I get the sense that a takeover robbery involves the use of weapons, and a simple robbery does not. But I am not in “law enforcer” and I do not play one on tv.
Why do people always stress local stores, I bet Tina over at Mickey Dees would be just as happy to have a customer as Jenny at “Name of Local Joint Here.” If no one is eating at Mickey Dees, good old Tina may soon be out of a job.
I’m betting “takeover” means they don’t just get the register, but take over the restaurant and get everybody’s valuables and wallets too. Like mine. The one that says “bad motherfucker” on it.
A robbery involves a gun. A burglary does not. A takeover robbery means that they came in and took over all of the restaurant and got money from customers along with stealing from the restaurant itself.
The difference between robbery and burglary is whether people are involved, not whether a weapon is. A person who breaks into a home, business or locked car to steal is committing burglary. A person who steals from another person directly by force (like a purse snatch) or fear (threats or by using a weapon) is committing a robbery.
dto510 beat me to the recommendation to eat out Thursday for Dining Out for Life.
I always try some new-to-me restaurant then. Last year it was La Taza de Cafe on Grand Avenue. Yum! We went back and took friends.
I understand that Fenton’s Creamery is donating 25% of the Sundae of the Month all month.
You might want to update the info you have here about the robberies, which is old and inaccurate. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_9024566
Done, Angela, although the only thing I was able to find in your story that contradicted CBS5’s report was that the boy was from West Oakland, not SF.