MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Whitehaven restaurant owner Jason Gardner is fed up and thinking about moving his popular restaurant, TRAP Fusion, to another location in his community after a recent break-in at his store on Boeingshire, he told ABC24 Wednesday.
"I consider Whitehaven the Harlem of Memphis; you got a lot of prideful business owners here; you got a lot of youthful business owners here and we’re striving to keep our community together," Gardner said.
Recently featured on "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives," Trap Fusion in Whitehaven was open for business Wednesday after owner Chef Gardner said that just before 5 am Tuesday his restaurant was robbed.
“To date, we’ve been broken into seven times; we’ve been here since May 19, 2019," Gardner said.
In a surveillance video shared with ABC24 a man wearing all black is shown using an ax; breaking the front window of his restaurant to get inside.
Gardner says the suspect stole cash and an iPad.
The thief left the 4-year-old restaurant a $3,000 bill to replace the shattered front window.
Gardner blamed the lack of lighting in the area.
"They’re moving under the cover of night," Gardner said. "And things of that nature gives a criminal a sense of security to do whatever they want to do.”
Gardner, born and raised in the Whitehaven community, says he doesn't want to leave Whitehaven but is considering more secure locations.
“We will stay in Whitehaven, I’m not sure if it’ll be this location," Gardner said. "If I can get cooperation from the landlord and maybe talk to city leaders about what we can do I would love to stay here.”