Surveillance video captures break-in at Ottawa restaurant

An Ottawa restaurant is cleaning up the mess after their third break-in since opening seven years ago.

The owner of Moe’s BBQ says he woke up early Saturday morning to a phone call from Ottawa Police that his Bank Street business near Hunt Club Road had been broken into by thieves.

Surveillance video shows a man inside digging through the restaurant after he broke a window to enter at around 4 a.m.

Owner Mobeen Hussain told CTV News that it’s business as usual on Saturday, but he will have to pay more than $2,000 to repair his front window.

“Staff had to come earlier just to clean up. It is a Saturday, so it’s going to be a busy day, so it’s going to be a bit of a long day,” he said.

Hussain says he doesn’t keep cash inside the restaurant overnight and that it doesn’t appear anything was stolen.

The three break-ins altogether have cost him more than $20,000 between repairs and losses, he says. He hopes the suspect is found soon.

“I just hope that people can understand that they really hurt someone when they do that to their business. It’s kind of really personal. We don’t feel safe when this happens,” Hussain said.

CTV News has reached out to the Ottawa Police Service but has not heard back.