Sherman Oaks restaurant no longer accepting cash after 7 break-ins in as many months

SHERMAN OAKS, SAN FERNANDO VALLEY (KABC) -- A restaurant in Sherman Oaks will no longer accept cash after being burglarized for the seventh time in as many months.

The latest incident happened early Thursday morning. Surveillance video captured the moment one suspect pulled out a hammer and smashed the glass door to HomeState restaurant, before he and another person walked straight inside.

Footage shows one intruder struggling to crack a safe before giving up. The restaurant owners say the thieves eventually got away with cash and other valuables.

Briana Valdez and her sister opened the Sherman Oaks location seven months ago. They say they've lost $50,000 in stolen property, damages and cash.

"I thought the first time, even the second time, was just one-offs - but now that it's happening about once a month, it's become such a recurring issue and challenge that we've really had to think about what can we do?" Valdez said.

She added each incident appears to be connected and that the thieves "seemed to know exactly where to go."

Detectives are investigating.

LAPD crime numbers for the Sherman Oaks area show robberies, burglaries and thefts increased in 2022, compared to the previous two years. However, they were still lower than peak levels in 2016 and 2017, according to that data.

Now, Valdez says they will no longer accept cash for payment to prevent more break-ins.

"That's a really sad decision to make. But it's a point where we have to do something different to hopefully have a different outcome."

"We're really trying to put love and joy out in the world and to have it smashed is a metaphor for the toll it takes on a small business - our small business. Find another way. Find another way to provide for yourself," Valdez added.