The family behind a beloved North London Italian restaurant say two decades of relentless break-ins have shown them both “the best and the worst” of their neighbours
A family-run Italian restaurant in Queen’s Park has lost at least £35,000 to a relentless string of break-ins spanning two decades. Opportunistic thieves have targeted Ida 20 times, with the most recent culprit swiping expensive construction materials and builders’ tools during a renovation.
Livio Reichendcach, whose parents Avi and Simonetta Wenkert run the buzzy Kilburn Lane spot, says the overnight burglary has tainted what should be an exciting new chapter. “We were really looking forward to showing off what we’ve been up to for the last four weeks,” he told MyLondon. “The restaurant was done on a shoestring budget when we first opened and this was a chance to make it how we always wanted with the budget it deserves. This definitely isn’t the end of the road but it’s delayed our reopening, which obviously has its own financial implications.”
CCTV caught the burglar prying open the front door and stuffing a shopping trolley bag with whatever he could find in the early hours of Saturday, May 16. He managed to make off with several tools worth a total of around £15,000.
Unfortunately, sensors which usually would have called the police had been removed because of the ongoing building work. The thief also managed to get past custom exterior bars installed specifically to improve security.
“The guy wasn’t wearing gloves and you can see his face on the cameras so it’s possible the police might be able to find him,” Livio said, “But, they couldn’t get any fingerprints because of all the dust. Sadly, it’s rare that people get caught and it’s even rarer that they feel in any way deterred.
“The restaurant is two minutes from the local police station so that just goes to show you how emboldened these thieves feel. They know officers can be there in two minutes but they still go for it because they roll the dice and think it probably won’t happen – and they’re right.”
The majority of the break-ins at Ida have been petty low-level attempts, a fact that only adds to the frustration. The award-winning restaurant doesn’t store cash on the premises and has very little of value that’s easy to snatch.
“This is what really annoys us,” Livio fumed, “It’s not about what they take but the consequences of it. They’re never planning a heist where they properly plan it and take our ovens, for example, but every time it’s £1,000 we need to spend on a locksmith or glazier.”
In recent years, a man was arrested after breaking in to retrieve a drivers licence he had voluntarily given to staff. He’d asked to borrow some money days earlier in order to reach his labouring wife and offered to hand over his ID as insurance.
Instead of paying it back, he smashed his way in – but failed to consider the address he’d left with the waitresses lead police to his real home.
Ida has large glass windows and sits within a Grade II-listed corner building, making it difficult for owners Avi and Simonetta to make significant changes to protect it from break-ins. The family also don’t want to turn the traditional trattoria into a ‘unappealing fortress’
Livio believes his parents have now been forced to accept the constant crime is part of running a business. “It’s a shame we can’t just exist with a door, key and lock,” the 24-year-old said.
“As a kid, it really freaked me out seeing the place my parents had poured all of their blood, sweat, and tears into smashed up. I’ve seen that sight many, many times now. I’m kind of desensitized to it, but it is sad when you kind of stop and think about it for too long.”
He continued: “They think of the break-ins as one of the many things that can happen when you’re in a business, in the same way that a piece of machinery can break down or a member of staff can be sick and impact that day’s takings. There isn’t time or spare energy when you’re running a small business to really get upset about these kinds of things, but that being said, it does make it depressing.
“It’s a funny thing because on one hand you really see the best of your neighbours, because you get to know customers, they get to know you, and there are people that we’ve known for two decades now, but you also see the worst of your neighbours because you are exposed to nonsense like this.”
Ida hopes to welcome customers again in a few weeks with a “slightly more polished” look than before.
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