Theft of AC parts forces sweltering Milwaukee restaurant to close
A heatwave passing through Milwaukee this week forced Mykonos Family Restaurant to close temporarily after thieves swiped copper and pipes from the restaurant’s air conditioning units, rendering the units useless and the establishment sweltering.
The theft occurred July 11, a Thursday, and the restaurant endured without air conditioning throughout the weekend.
But when temperatures rose earlier this week, Mykonos had no other choice but to shut the restaurant down until the units were replaced.
“When you sit down, you are sweating here,” owner George Dalamangas said. “That’s not right.”
Mykonos faces between 10 and 14 more days without business. And each day without customers is thousands of dollars lost by the family-owned restaurant that has 15 full-time employees who “have bills to pay,” Dalamangas said.
“It’s a lot of money for everybody,” he said on the lost profits.
The thieves made out with about $100 in scrap metal, according to Dalamangas. Milwaukee police had not made any arrests related to the theft as of Friday afternoon.
Dalamangas recalled similar petty thefts around the 8501 W. Capitol Dr. restaurant but speculated that it is a small group engaging in these activities — a sentiment mirrored by friend and Mykonos patron Greg Newell, who has lived near the establishment for about 50 years.
“It’s sad,” Newell said. “It’s just a handful of people that are making it bad for everybody around here.”