Cold Stone Creamery and Cendio Restaurant on Prospect Street suffered extensive damages early New Year’s morning when vandals smashed the front windows and doors of both businesses, causing collective damages estimated around $34,000.
Cold Stone store owners Debby and Randy Hopp think the incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 1. They received a phone call later that morning notifying them that register and credit card machine wires had been cut and the air-conditioning system disconnected. Police responded to the scene around 7 a.m., according to Debby Hopp.
“What is most shocking about the whole thing is that they didn’t steal anything,” Hopp said of the vandalism. “They were just out to do damage and make a mess.”
Vandals hit Cendio Restaurant, which is located directly next door to Cold Stone, around the same time that morning, throwing decorative urns through glass doors to gain access, smashing numerous liquor bottles and damaging two computers and several hardwood bar tops, according to manager Hillary Hesner.
“They basically went behind the bar and were picking up and throwing anything they could get their hands on,” Hesner said. “I think the main thing we’ve been trying to do is get back in business and focus on the fact that we were very lucky that no staff was there at the time to deal with the intruders.”
San Diego police from the Northern Division confirmed they have no leads and called the incident a “random act of vandalism.” Officers were able to lift fingerprints at Cold Stone, according to Hopp.
Hesner estimated that the vandals set the restaurant back $14,000. An unofficial estimate of damages to Cold Stone totaled $20,000 on Friday, Hopp said.
Cold Stone’s surveillance camera was not on at the time of the incident but its alarm went off after the vandals broke glass windows and doors, according to the owners. The shop was functioning at normal capacity by Friday, Jan. 5, Hopp said.
The owners decided to dispose of ice cream that was in display cases during the time of the attack.
Officials from Cold Stone’s corporate offices visited the store on Thursday, Jan. 4, and by the next day the store had been restored to its normal condition except for a few minor repairs.
New to the business, the Hopps opened the store in August 2006 and said they were surprised at the amount of support they have received from the community over the past week. Hesner echoed that sentiment, stating that many people have phoned the restaurant to empathize with staff and owners.
La Jolla resident Charles “Red” Scott contributed $500 to Cold Stone to help with clean-up and repair costs, Hopp said. Cendio also received a generous donation from a La Jolla businessman whose identity was unknown to Hesner, she said.
“We’ve been really touched by the generosity and just by people calling and saying they are sorry to hear what happened,” Hopp said.
Cold Stone Creamery is a national ice cream chain. Cendio is owned by Miller Enterprises, a local company with restaurants and motels in Pacific Beach and La Jolla.
Anyone with possible information on the vandalism incident is asked to call the Northern Division, (858) 552-1700.