"Four guys came to the walk-in around 2 a.m. and knew exactly what they were doing," says Caroline Glover, the owner of Annette who won the 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mountain Region. "They basically undid the entire handle of the walk-in and popped it open and took a significant amount of our inventory."
Annette lost two dozen bottles of wine, cases of "high-end" ribeye and tenderloin steaks from 7X beef, pulled chicken, shrimp and oysters, according to Glover. Annette keeps its walk-in freezer outside because it doesn't have room for it in its kitchen.
"It's been outdoors for quite some time, and we've never had an issue until a couple months ago," Glover says. "A lot of restaurant owners will resonate with things are harder than usual right now. Profit margins are really slim, so to have something like this happen feels like you're getting kicked while you're down."
Glover says that thieves have broken into the walk-in at least seven times during the past couple of months by loosening the screws of the walk-in freezer handle and taking a few items at a time. Thursday night was different, as it was the biggest haul by the thieves so far, and it was the first time Glover caught the burglary on camera.
Glover announced the break-in in a story on the restaurant's Instagram account on Friday, August 23, and included security footage from the night.
"They literally took everything last night," the Instagram story says. "We will be open. We will remake all the things. Please consider eating your meal with us this weekend."
The 22-second footage shows a man in a black hoodie, khakis, white sneakers and a tie-dye backpack fiddling with the handle of a walk-in freezer before opening the door. Meanwhile, two other men, both with backpacks, stand nearby, and a third man further behind paces back and forth like he's keeping watch. No one has been arrested yet, according to Glover.
Glover says she can "kind of see their faces," and they're "definitely not people who worked at Annette." What stands out to her is how quickly and efficiently the thieves broke into the walk-in and took everything.
"It seems a little suspicious to me that they know a walk-in so well," she says. "It was a pretty quick job for how much they took."
Annette’s walk-in was broken into last night! Everything was stolen. If you have any information please contact the authorities.The response from fellow restaurant owners and customers of Annette since posting the video has "been amazing. I'm honestly shocked," Glover says.
byu/nerdwithme indenverfood
Sympathetic restaurateurs donated food and drinks for Annette to continue serving while it recovered from the theft. Craft Wines, the wine vendor for Annette, donated a case of Pray Tell Dolcetto. The fish vendor for Annette, Tom's Seafood & Gourmet Market, donated a few black bass and a bushel of oysters. Bakery Four offered to cover the cost of two weeks' worth of bread.
"The amount of rage that would come through me in this case is unmeasurable," Paul Stroud, the founder and owner of Craft Wines, texted Glover. "Fuck them assholes. Karma is coming for them."
A handful of vendors helped by paying invoices they sent to Annette, Glover says. Regulars to the restaurant have been buying gift cards from Annette or booking reservations to come in over the weekend.
"People just dropped everything and were like, 'Okay, what can I give you?'" Glover says. "I wasn't expecting that."
Glover says that the donations so far will cover between a quarter and a half of the losses Annette suffered from the theft. She's hesitant to file an insurance claim because her rates will "go up significantly," so the donations will help, she says.
For anyone else looking to support Annette right now, Glover says the best way would be to make weekend plans to dine there to help recoup its losses.
"Saying, 'Hey, we're going to come in for a drink,' that's how we make our money, that's how we stay in business," she says. "An influx of people putting us on their list for the weekend is really meaningful."
Social media users also showed an outpouring of support. On Instagram, restaurant owners and local residents wrote posts urging people to eat at Annette this weekend. On Reddit, users praised Annette and its owners, and commented on how frequent restaurant robberies have been across the metro area lately.
"They’re one of my favorite places, and it really sucks to see," u/Seetolove posted. "WTF. I’m so sorry this happened, Annette is fantastic," u/RMW91- wrote. "Caroline and [her husband] Nelson are amazing people, which makes this sting even more," wrote u/2Dprinter.
The incident at Annette comes after recent break-ins at popular Denver restaurants. Columbine Steak House & Lounge in Denver temporarily closed after thieves tore down the back wall and stole $2,000 worth of steaks in July. Thieves broke into the Brutal Poodle, a gastropub in Denver, in May and stole upwards of $10,000 from a safe and cash register.
Glover agrees that restaurants across the metro area have been hit "more than usual, for sure," she says. Her advice to restaurants recovering from a burglary: "Tomorrow is a new day."
"As a restaurant owner, you're putting out fires all day," Glover says. "This just happens to be a really big one. If you're lucky and have built a community through your spots, leaning on them is incredible."
