NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Thieves stole pricey and necessary exhaust fans from a North Miami Beach steakhouse overnight, Tuesday.
Bovinos Steakhouse was empty, closed and losing money, Tuesday, because the exhaust fans in the hoods of their two ovens were stolen. The hoods are essential for proper exhaust in restaurants, helping to prevent fires.
Surveillance video shows a van pulling up to the steakhouse and a one man getting out of the driver’s side.
Bovinos owner Cecelia Teixeira said she watched him and two others in the act. “Going upstairs, pick up all the motors and everything, go down with the motors, put them inside the van and leaving. We see everything,” she said. “I feel very bad.”
Teixeira found out about the theft when she got to work Tuesday morning. The chef opened the oven to start cooking and realized something was wrong.
“Something was wrong in the fire suppressant system that start flashing, and we thought it was an electrical problem, and then we went to check was everything OK with the energy, and then when we went upstairs to see if the hood was OK, and when we went upstairs … they stole everything,” Teixeira said. “The hood is the heart of the restaurant because the hood is the thing that makes the kitchen work. Without the hood, we can’t operate nothing here.”
The restaurant, located on Northeast 163rd Street, near 34th Avenue, had two hoods in the kitchen and barbecue. Both were stolen.
Despite the setback, Teixeira was able to reopen Bovinos on Wednesday. “Thank God that we are open. We are working fine,” said Teixeira. “We prepared everything fresh today, and we wait to see the customers back because, yesterday, there was a bunch of people at the door, and I was trying to explain it.”
The cost of shutting down for a day and replacing the hoods will cost the restaurant about $15,000. “I want my equipment back. I just want to open the restaurant. I want my equipment back,” Teixeira said.
If you have any information on this burglary, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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