A suspect may have broken into a long-standing Capitol Hill restaurant, but that didn’t break the spirit of those who work at Mr. Henry’s.
That’s especially clear if you ask Mr. Henry’s owner, Mary Quillian Helms, about the break-in at her D.C. restaurant early Tuesday morning.
“It’s a violation of your space,” Helms told WTOP. “A restaurant is a very welcoming place. But you don’t welcome somebody to break through the window and go in and rummage through your stuff.”
The person destroyed food and alcohol but didn’t get away with anything of value, Helms said.
“Fortunately, they didn’t get a lot because we have pretty good systems in place. We don’t leave our cash in the cash register, frankly,” Helms said. “Mostly what they did was make a mess.”
The restaurant closed the following day for repairs and has since reopened.
Helms said the restaurant has beefed up security to prevent future break-ins but she doesn’t believe it was targeted. She said Mr. Henry’s is just the latest on Capitol Hill to be broken into in recent months.
“Part of what we need to do as a community is not only say something if we see something — that old adage — but also report any crime that you’ve witnessed or that has been done to you or your property,” Helms said.
She is thankful for the community’s support during this tough time.
“Our patrons have been really great,” Helms said. “We had a lot of text messages. Obviously, people are connected on social media.”
D.C. police have released surveillance footage of the suspect:
