The Fireside Grill is the latest victim of a holiday Grinch.
Last Thursday, thieves stole part of the restaurant’s elaborate outdoor display of Christmas decorations, which included lights and four LED trees valued at approximately $800. The lights were strewn along bushes while the LED trees were placed throughout the property.
“We put up these decorations not just for our customers, but for people driving by, for kids,” said Tim Petropoulos, co-owner of the Fireside Grill. “For someone to steal them, it’s just a very un-Christmassy thing to do.”
Petropoulos said the decorations were likely stolen early in the morning, as the lights and trees were still there when staff left at 11 p.m. the night before.
While the restaurant does have security cameras, Petropoulos said the decorations were at the perimeter of the property, almost out of sight of the cameras. LED trees and lights closer to the restaurant were left in place.
Petropoulos said he is trying to replace the stolen trees, but fears they may be hard to find, given how close it is to Christmas.
Nonetheless, staff at the Fireside Grill aren’t letting the theft ruin their holiday season.
“While some of our lights are gone, we will not let it diminish our Christmas spirit,” said restaurant manager Siobhan Coles in a statement.
Anyone with information about the theft can call the Saanich Police non-emergency line at 250-475-4321.