Columbus neighborhood bars hit by thieves
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A beloved bar in the Historic Harrison West neighborhood of Columbus had money stolen and windows smashed, which can be fixed. However, the thieves got away with something priceless.
Zeno’s was hit twice in 24 hours. One of the items stolen made the workers feel like they were punched in the gut.
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The vandals used a hammer to break the glass and get inside both times.
“When the alarm went off and they scrambled, they grabbed two bottles of liquor off the back bar, one that happened to be a memorial bottle to our bartender, Katie, who passed away in a car accident years ago,” Zeno’s owner Quinn Allen said.
That bottle was sentimental to everyone who worked and visited Zeno’s over the years.
“It was priceless,” Allen said. “It was given to us as part of the charity auction we were doing to help raise money after Katie passed. Katie Fox, she’s been a fixture at this bar forever and she still lives on to this day. Everybody who comes here still knows who she is. Her personality just rang so bright.”
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While they realize they’ll probably never see that bottle again, that wasn’t the only thing stolen. The first night, in addition to the alcohol, thieves got away with employee tips. The second bottle of alcohol stolen didn’t make it far — Allen found it broken down the street.
“Then the second morning after we were all digesting all that, they came back again and made a quick in and out and ripped our ATM out of the floor and made off with that,” Allen said.
The thieves did trip the alarm, but they were in and out in minutes. Allen said watching the security footage is the worst part.
“You’re angry, you’re upset, but in the grand scheme of things, it could have been much worse,” he said. “We’re happy that it wasn’t. Now all we can do is put our best foot forward and think about what we can do to take action to prevent these things from happening to other people.”
About 10 minutes away, another bar — the Quarry Co. Bar and Grille — was also broken into. Zeno’s has co-ownership of Quarry Co. It happened around the same time Zeno’s was hit for a second time.
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“It’s definitely unnerving,” Allen said. “I mean when you see that it’s happening at a frequent rate and the pain and stuff that we’re enduring, people are also feeling on the same fronts.”
While Allen said this isn’t the first time Zeno’s has been hit and he doesn’t think it’ll be the last, he has advice for other small businesses that may be wondering if they’re next.
“You never know what night it’s going to hit, never get too comfortable and just make sure you’re going through your procedures to tighten up so that you can avoid things like that,” he said.
Zeno’s is still open for business and is preparing for it 40th annual St. Patrick’s Day party.
Anyone with information regarding the break-ins is asked to contact Columbus Police at 614-645-4545.
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