A restaurant owner in Seattle’s Eastlake neighborhood is fed up after suffering his 25th break-in at his small business over just the last five years.
Christian Chandler is the owner and Head Chef at Serafina, an Italian-inspired restaurant along Eastlake Avenue that he’s owned for over three decades. He said for roughly 30 of those years, he had only experienced about two break-in attempts; however, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has fallen victim to 25 break-ins and burglaries.
“It’s well over 6 figures in repairs, upgraded security that I’ve had to install just to keep the property safe, and the staff safe,” Chandler said about all the crimes over the years.
The most recent crime occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
“It looks like a professional job, these guys know what they’re doing, they come in with 3-foot crowbars, and they go right to the doorjamb, and generally [it] takes them less than 30 seconds to get in,” he explained.
Chandler said the would-be thief went straight to where he keeps the tip-out folders for his employees, meaning this person had heavily scoped out the business before choosing to break in. However, his security system kicked into gear, sounding a loud alarm and turning all the lights on within his restaurant. Security video shows the suspect leaving promptly, without any money from the tip-out folders.
“Enough is enough, I need some results from the people in charge in the city,” stated Chandler.
He said he has reached out to the Seattle City Council, including Council President Sara Nelson, in addition to the Seattle Police Department and Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office, about his situation, asking for him and other businesses in Eastlake that have fallen victim to break-ins to be heard. Chandler said he has either gone unanswered or has not had follow-up actions made by those he has been able to speak to.
“More police on the streets, more police in this neighborhood certainly, because I’ve seen it with quite a few businesses on Eastlake,” he said about what he would like to see happen.
Council President Sara Nelson offered this statement:
“Mr. Chandler, I’m so sorry to hear of your 25th break-in! As a small business owner myself, I share your frustration about being repeatedly victimized by crime, and as Chair of Economic Development, the impact of crime on small businesses is one of my top concerns. It’s hard enough to take on the financial risk of starting and growing a business, especially with increasingly narrow margins in Seattle, let alone dealing with the financial hardship of crime.
“Council has no authority over SPD operations, but I’ve done everything I can legislatively to bring SPD staffing levels back up. That includes initiating hiring bonuses, reforming the way applications are processed, and ensuring officer compensation is competitive. I realize this is of little comfort to you now, but I want you to know that I hear you and I care.”
A Seattle Police Department spokesperson wrote via email: “The police report is not completed yet. When the report is finished, I will get back to you.”
They provided the brief report details of the break-in from Wednesday morning, but didn’t directly address questions about what challenges the department faces with break-in and burglary calls for local businesses, or whether they believe they have adequate patrols within the Eastlake neighborhood.
The spokesperson also added that Crime Prevention Coordinators can discuss how businesses can better prepare for crime deterrence.
Chandler says in the meantime, he’s considering installing gates to completely cover his doors and windows, but those are incredibly expensive.
The 25 break-ins since 2020 represent a dramatic escalation compared to only two attempts during the previous 30 years, illustrating how the pandemic period transformed Seattle’s property crime landscape and created a new normal for small businesses.
The six-figure investment in security upgrades and repairs demonstrates how property crime extracts hidden costs from businesses beyond stolen goods, with expenses that squeeze already thin restaurant profit margins and potentially force closures.
The suspect’s knowledge of tip-out folder locations indicates targeted reconnaissance rather than random opportunistic crime, suggesting organized criminals are surveilling Eastlake businesses to identify valuable targets and optimal entry points.
The 30-second entry time using three-foot crowbars reflects professional burglary techniques that defeat standard commercial door locks, forcing business owners like Chandler to consider expensive hardening measures like security gates that fundamentally alter storefronts.
Council President Sara Nelson’s acknowledgment that the city council lacks authority over SPD operations highlights structural limitations in Seattle’s government where elected officials can address staffing and compensation but cannot direct police deployment or patrol strategies.
The SPD spokesperson’s referral to Crime Prevention Coordinators rather than addressing patrol adequacy questions suggests the department prioritizes business self-protection measures over increased law enforcement presence, shifting responsibility to property owners.
Eastlake’s location between Capitol Hill and the University District places it along corridors where property crime concentrates, with the neighborhood’s mix of restaurants, retail, and residential creating opportunities for criminals targeting cash-heavy businesses.
Chandler’s three-decade ownership of Serafina represents institutional memory of when Eastlake experienced minimal property crime, making the current situation particularly frustrating for longtime business owners who remember safer conditions.
The tip-out folder targeting demonstrates criminals’ awareness that restaurants keep cash on premises for employee tips, creating predictable patterns that make food service establishments particularly vulnerable to break-ins compared to businesses with entirely electronic payments.
