Your money’s no good here — after 3 p.m.
Burger eatery on Central calls for greater focus on crime
It will be credit cards only after 3 p.m. for customers of Bob’s Burgers at Central and San Mateo NE.
The restaurant decided to stop accepting cash after it was robbed at gunpoint on July 21 — the third robbery since it opened two years ago, store manager Elena Martinez said Friday.
“We apologize for the inconvenience, but until Mayor Berry and the Albuquerque City Council decide to focus on crime instead of bus transportation, we cannot have cash in the restaurant after 3 p.m.,” according to a sign out front that makes reference to the city’s Albuquerque Rapid Transit bus program. “The safety of our employees is our main concern.”
In the incident last week, “A man came in and jumped over the counter with a gun and took the money from the registers and the drive-through,” Martinez said, adding that owner Clifford Salas hired a security company three months ago. “So we talked to the owner and said that the enforced security wasn’t working and for the safety of the employees, we decided to stop having cash after 3.”
Salas was out of town and could not be reached for comment Friday.
The restaurant also has security cameras that can be accessed by the Albuquerque Police Department under the Smart Policing program.
Rhiannon Samuel, spokeswoman for Mayor Richard Berry, issued this statement: “The Mayor respects the fact that the owner of Bob’s Burgers continues to voice his opposition to ART. The Mayor also appreciates the collaboration between Bob’s Burgers and APD to take proactive steps to keep their customers and employees safe. We always stand ready to work with our community to improve public safety.”
Despite this month’s robbery, Martinez said the extra private security seems to be helping, although she said APD should be doing more.
“I think they could patrol a lot more around here,” she said. “If they were here a lot, then the people who always are casing (Bob’s Burgers) would be less likely to come around.”
Bob’s Burgers, which has 12 locations in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Los Lunas, is operated as a franchise with several different owners.
Crime along Central Avenue has been an issue in recent months with vandalism in Nob Hill and robberies hitting local gas stations and restaurants.