A popular Sunshine Coast restaurant and tourist attraction could be shut for weeks at considerable cost to its owners after the kitchen was damaged during an alleged break-in earlier this week.
Key points:
- The owners of a Sunshine Coast restaurant say an alleged break-in will cost the business $120,000 a week
- Acland Briety says “knock-on” effects mean bookings as well as local food and wine orders will need to be cancelled
- Colin Mark Berry, 43, has been charged with two counts of entering with intent and two counts of wilful damage
The co-owner of Spirit House restaurant and cooking school, Acland Briety, described the aftermath of the alleged break-in as “like a house demolisher machine had come through”.
Mr Briety said while the restaurant was still waiting on insurance quotes for repairs it would be shut until mid-October, at a cost of about $120,000 a week.
“There’s wires and broken pipes and every bit of electrical equipment and bottle has been broken and ripped out of the walls, the whole roof has been caved in.
“[The cooking school] was damaged as well but not as extensively, so we are hoping to get that up. There are cleaning crews in here at the moment.”
Mr Briety said the business’s main priority at the moment was looking after the 52 staff members.
He explained the “knock-on” effects not only meant bookings would need to be cancelled but also orders from local food and vegetables and wine suppliers.
Man in court
Police charged Colin Mark Berry, 43, with two counts of entering with intent and two counts of wilful damage.
The Monkland man, from the Gympie region, did not enter pleas when he appeared in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Mr Berry was granted bail to return to court later in September.
