Community supports break-in at iconic ice cream parlor in San Francisco

Article

Larry Mitchell founded his business, Mitchell’s Ice Cream, in 1953 and has seen only a moderate decline in business during the current recession. A visit to the store in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, June 4, 2009. (Photo by Michael Macor

SAN FRANCISCO – Loyal customers of San Francisco’s legendary ice cream shop Mitchell’s stopped by on Sunday to grab a scoop of ice cream and show their support after the store was robbed earlier in the weekend.

Thieves broke into the store on San Jose Avenue in the city’s Mission District just after 3:30 a.m. Friday. The burglars headed straight for the store’s safe, but found it locked. Instead, the trio left with an empty cash register and a bag of cookies, but no loot, according to the store manager.

“They smashed the window with bolt cutters,” said Ruiz Castro, manager of Mitchell’s Ice Cream.

Regular customers of the iconic store, which opened in 1953, shook their heads when they heard about the damage, which the store estimated at around $5,000.

“I just find this heartbreaking,” said regular guest Melissa Morales.

“That’s one of the reasons we came,” noted customer David Hoare.

After assessing the damage, cleaning up and closing, the store was able to open on time for its regular opening hours at 11 a.m.

“I was sad, but also happy that they were still open,” said Zander Hoare.

Mitchell’s posted a thank you to its customers on its Instagram page.

“This means a lot to us, especially for a small company like us,” Castro said.

Castro sadly noted that the company had prepared for the collapse.

“To be honest, we expected this because it happened to two businesses, a cafe and a small bar,” Castro said.

Castro added that he was grateful for the efforts of San Francisco Police investigators so far, but said additional police patrols in the neighborhood overnight could be helpful.

San Francisco police have not yet made any arrests and are asking anyone with information about the break-in to come forward.