PfoHo Grill Cash, Food Stolen

The PfoHo Grill was allegedly burglarized late Saturday night­, and $100 in cash and assorted food items were stolen from the premises.

Sophie B. Besl ’08, one of the managers of the Grill, said that she closed the store Saturday night and returned the next day to find the locked cash box and several food items—such as cereal, Pop Tarts, and ice-cream—gone.

The store’s door showed no sign of forced entry, according to Besl and Pforzheimer House Building Manager Mario E. Leon.

Police officers from the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) collected fingerprints at the scene on Sunday, Besl and Leon said.

HUPD spokesman Steven G. Catalano declined to comment on the investigation.

Grill co-manager Mary E. Collins ’08 said that, although she hopes the culprits were not Pforzheimer residents, it is very likely that they were.

One Pforzheimer resident, Steven W. Piatelli ’10, said that he was disappointed by his fellow housemates’ disregard for House property.

“What surprised me was that they took the money box as well,” he said. “If it were just the ‘I’m-hungry-and-drunk’ thing, I don’t think they would have taken the money.”

Cheap food and long hours have made the Grill a popular spot for quadlings seeking alternatives to dining hall Brain Break and expensive take-out food.

The Grill reopened its doors in December after six months of renovations.

Besl and Collins said that the alleged burglary places an additional financial strain on the struggling enterprise.

“We are already working pretty hard to stay above the red,” Besl said.

Earlier this year, the Grill received a loan from the Pforzheimer House Committee (HoCo) to cover start-up costs after the renovations, according to Piatelli, who is a HoCo social chair.

“If they found themselves in a situation where they would need money to get started again, then HoCo will be more than willing to help them out,” he said.

Despite the incident, the Grill reopened for business as usual on Sunday night, Collins said.

“We’re not going to let it get in the way,” said Collins. “Maybe the publicity from the burglary will help give us more business.”

—Staff writer Abby D. Phillip can be reached at adphill@fas.harvard.edu.