MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Instead of being a recipe for success, local restaurants and the community are facing potential disaster.
Surges in car break-ins and stolen cars in Memphis in recent months has business and restaurant owners demanding solutions from city leaders and police. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting the Memphis Restaurant Association (MRA) is hoping to make their voices heard.
“We’re just looking for accountability out of the City Council,” said Jeff Zepatos, owner of Arcade.
Warmer temperatures should mean better sales for restaurants, but this is not proving to be the case in Memphis. Several restaurants tell ABC24 they have seen sales suffer as the number of car thefts increase — over twice as much as they were this time last year.
“Customers and long-time customers are saying that they’re afraid to come out — they don’t want their car broken into,” said Mark Miller, MRA President.
Several customers have adjusted where, and more importantly when, they go out to eat.
“We are seeing a difference in our sales figures, particularly late at night,” says Ryan Madgett, Tin Roof Director of Risk Management.
Madgett adds that several businesses on Beale Street have focused on improving their security themselves.
“We come together every year to try and hire private security out of our pockets to patrol Beale Street to assist in some of that crime reduction,” Madgett said.
Still, for local and smaller restaurants, this is a luxury many can't afford. Instead, some business owners are asking for more involvement from MPD.
“It’s very unaffordable obviously — it’s very expensive,” Zepatos said.
MRA is asking for other owners and Memphians alike to join together during Tuesday’s City Council meeting and to share their stories in order to start a conversation about improving overall safety in the city.
“It’s not just the Memphis Restaurant Association stepping up — it’s a lot of different coalitions of groups who are saying 'Hey, let’s do something about this guys, and if you don’t want to do something about it, we’re going to find some people who want to, and we’re going to support those guys,'” Zepatos said.