LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A popular local restaurant in La Grange is temporarily closed after it was vandalized.
Oliver Pino, owner and founder of OliPollo, estimates his restaurant suffered thousands of dollars worth of damage. The Peruvian Rotisserie-charcoal chicken restaurant is located on New Moody Lane in La Grange.
OliPollo restaurant in La Grange, Ky. was vandalized. (Photo courtesy of OliPollo)
"It was shocking," Pino said. "I started getting very nervous, I felt a lot of pressure knowing that there is a group of people out there doing this kind of stuff. Someone else could be next."
Pino believes several people broke into the family-owned restaurant through a bathroom and then used a crowbar to get to other parts of the space.
"They went through the drywall inside of the kitchen, they actually made a hole through it," Pino said. "They threw a lot of stuff around, whatever got in their way they threw on the floor. They destroyed a tremendous amount of things."
Pino said the vandals stole a flat-screen television, a personal guitar and the restaurant's security system. He said police haven't yet identified any suspects or found anything solid.
La Grange Police Maj. Bruce Goodfleisch said its an ongoing investigation as of Monday morning.
The restaurant has to replace technical equipment like laptops, POS and alarm systems, along with rebuilding the walls and bathroom. Pino hopes the restaurant can reopen soon despite the substantial amount of damage.
"I hope not later than the end of next week, if it is this week, it'll be kind of a miracle," Pino said.
In the meantime, the restaurant is stuck with covering the cost of expenses without any revenue coming in.
"Every day that passes, we accumulate bills, we are not making any money, there is food that is going to perish that is going to go in the garbage that we won't be able to use that was planned out for daily activities," Pino said.
OliPollo restaurant in La Grange, Ky. (Photo courtesy of OliPollo)
The Oldham County restaurant opened in 2019 after a food truck was started the year prior. Patrons can dine-in, carry-out or drive-thru the restaurant.
A GoFundMe was created to support the local business, click here to donate.
To view the restaurant's menu, click here.
Anyone with any information related to the vandalism is asked to call La Grange Police Department at (502) 225-0444 or the La Grange Police Tip-Line at (502) 873-8945.
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
