Grant program aids vandalism costs but doesn’t solve crime spree, KC business owners say

Kansas City restaurant City Barrel Pizza + Patio had only been open sixty-six days in the city’s Waldo neighborhood before they were hit with their first break-in.

On Sept. 2, just after 3 a.m., a window was smashed and two masked men walked into the restaurant before leaving empty-handed just two minutes later.

It’s just one of many Kansas City businesses plagued with property damage and vandalism in recent months as masked men smash restaurant windows, search for cash, and typically leave empty-handed soon after. Most business owners said they rarely keep cash in registers with much of their revenue coming from credit card sales, so for many, there’s little to steal.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas stood on the City Barrel patio on Sept. 12, proposing a Back to Business Grant Fund ordinance that would help small businesses recover from burglary and vandalism incidents that result in damages like broken windows, doors and locks.

The ordinance aims to assist business owners and their employees shaken by the late night burglaries and vandalism resulting in busted property and a stolen sense of safety. But, for some business owners, it feels like a drop in the bucket when they feel they can’t do anything to prevent the increased property damage targeting local businesses.

‘It’s unsettling’

The property crime wave has hit businesses in several Kansas City neighborhoods this year.

In June, at least four restaurants had their glass front doors smashed in the early morning hours as thieves looked for cash and valuables. The same thing happened in August to more businesses. In late August, an alleged attempted theft of a vehicle resulted in the shooting death of Irish chef Shaun Brady and two juveniles charged with felonies.

Another string of break-ins hit at least seven local establishments in September. City Market restaurants Enzo and Blue Nile Cafe were hit, along with Splitlog Coffee Company, Campground, Messenger Coffee Company, Donutology and Mildred’s, who were mentioned in social media posts by business owners.

Enzo owner Grant Norris supplied The Star with surveillance footage that showed thieves breaking one of the building’s glass doors before entering and exiting the building in less than a minute just before 3 a.m. on Sept. 11. Norris said he’s glad that no one was in the building when the incident occurred.

“I think they were looking for quick cash,” Norris said. “When you think about a restaurant that you built, you think about things being destroyed. Windows [are] easy to replace, the rest of the stuff that we built is not.”

The company Norris used to replace the window, Janssen Glass, was at Messenger on Grand Boulevard boarding up their windows, he said. It cost him $683.

Blue Nile Cafe also used the same glassmaker, since they were right next door. The husband and wife owners Daniel and Selam Fikru said a new window will cost them close to $1,000. City Barrel co-founder Joe Giammanco said his glass door will cost $7,500 to replace, and his insurance deductible totals $5,000.

The Fikru’s have had their restaurant in City Market for 22 years. They say this is the first break-in they’ve had. Selam Fikru used to work in the restaurant after closing time, but she no longer feels safe in the restaurant.

“It’s unsettling,” Selam Fikru said. “I’ll lock the doors and then just do my work. Anything can happen. Somebody can break in and get in while you are here. I can’t do that anymore. It’s not safe.”

‘Step in the right direction’

The ordinance is a two-pronged plan that will fund businesses with vandalism and property crime recovery grant funding.

Businesses can receive up to $3,000 for repairs of broken windows, doors and locks, and up to $5,000 for security measures related to incidents that happen between July 1, 2024 and July 31, 2025.

Lucas expects the ordinance, spearheaded by KC BizCare Manager Nia Richardson and the Small Business Task Force, to pass during the next city council meeting on Sept. 19. To fund the plan, $325,000 from the Unappropriated Fund Balance of the Violence Prevention and Intervention Fund will potentially be set aside for the program that Lucas estimates 100-150 businesses will qualify for.

“We think that this is a step in the right direction. It is giving some relief, but we recognize that it cannot give total relief,” Lucas said.

Finer details like what small businesses are eligible and if businesses can receive money for both repairs and security measures are still being evaluated. In the proposed ordinance, eligibility requirements currently consist of:

• Businesses located in Kansas City, possess necessary licenses/permits and maintain good standing with the city

• Keep consistent hours of operation

• Have sustained physical damage due to break-ins/vandalism or plans to take steps to prevent such incidents

The Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City and KC BizCare will review applications on a rolling basis until funds expire.

Richardson said businesses affected before June 1 can still qualify if they are updating their preventive measures in that time frame.

“The way that the ordinance is written is giving me the flexibility to really design it and give it the tight criteria that we need to make it more inclusive,” Richardson said. She estimates businesses could receive funds in early October, with Lucas comparing the potential upcoming application process to the city’s expanded outdoor dining fund.

“The hope is that we can help [businesses] stay in place,” Richardson said. “We can help alleviate a little bit of stress that [businesses] might be feeling.”

For Giammanco, he’s turned the broken window into a community sign where employees and customers can sign the boarded up window.

“If it’s gonna be ugly there, I might as well make it a part of the community, have people sign it, be a part of it,” he said.

He’s less worried about the timeframe of receiving city funds, and more thankful that his business might receive any assistance at all.

“As long as my credit card statement time is long enough, then it feels like yes [October is soon enough],” he said.

Business owners said City Market is a relatively safe area, and said they’ve had few problems before their respective break-ins. City Market has security that patrols the area after-hours, and Kansas City police responded to both of their alarms within minutes.

Selam Fikru hopes any assistance can help her feel more secure while at work once again.

“Security, all of it, is not there as much, and the bad guys are coming in,” she said. “So the city definitely can do something about it.”

Norris, however, said he felt safe after his incident because of the police’s quick response time. and he knocked on wood hoping these incidents don’t hit his sister’s Italian restaurant, Ragazza, on West 43rd and Main Street. He offered the best solution he knows: keep supporting local businesses.

“Something like this is a setback for a small business,” Norris said. “Place that makes doughnuts or a place that serves coffee, it’s a tough business.”

“Go eat Ethiopian, come here, have Italian. Buy a donut, get a cup of coffee and on your way to work and support your local businesses,” he said.