Seattle Cafe Joe’z Bayside Hit in 5 A.M. Break-In, Thousands in Damage Reported

“They actually didn’t steal anything because I think they were looking for a safe,” the business told Seattle Today. “They left with basically nothing of value.”

While little appears to have been taken, the business said the damage caused while entering the property was far more costly. Joe’z estimates the damage to the door at thousands of dollars.

The cafe also addressed the incident publicly on Instagram Monday morning, using humor to describe an otherwise frustrating situation.

“FYI to the person that broke in this morning, we’re closed today,” the business wrote. “Also, there was a key in the mailbox. You could have used that instead of breaking the door.”

Joe’z added that the individual could have “saved us thousands of dollars.”

A neighborhood cafe in Portage Bay

Joe’z Bayside Market & Cafe is located at 2919 Fuhrman Avenue East in Seattle’s Portage Bay neighborhood. The cafe serves breakfast, sandwiches, burgers and coffee and also operates as a neighborhood market.

Dude’z Woodfired Pizza also operates from the same address, according to King County records. Joe’z told Seattle Today that the intruder went through the register area associated with the pizza operation during the break-in.

The business shared surveillance footage of the incident with Seattle Today. As of publication, Seattle Today had not independently confirmed whether a suspect had been identified or whether an arrest had been made.

The incident comes as Joe’z assesses the damage from Monday morning’s break-in, with the business saying the cost of repairing the property appears to be substantially greater than the value of anything taken.