Washington restaurant owner forced to close doors after crime surge makes insurance impossible

A popular Italian restaurant in Washington State has shuttered its doors for good after a series of break-ins, with its owner pointing the finger at Democratic leadership and what he described as a lack of support for small businesses.

Nirav Sheth, the former owner of Bistro Baffi, appeared on "Fox & Friends First" Monday morning to reveal what was the final straw.

"It was hard to get insurance, and I was getting pressured. The landlord [was] saying that, if I don't have business insurance, it will be a default on my lease. Unfortunately, I had to either quit, call it a bankruptcy or get out."

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Repeated break-ins and rising crime in the area made it difficult to maintain coverage and keep the business afloat. 

Sheth noted that a nearby Subway was robbed at gunpoint - one of several incidents that underscored the area's deteriorating safety - and, despite police briefly increasing patrols, the response from Democratic leadership amounted to "nothing."

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Meanwhile, his own restaurant is still in debt, and applying for help has proven fruitless.

"The restaurant is not making it… When you have expenses of almost $11,000 a week, and you're making just $3,500, it's at the end. I had to call it quits." 

Data from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs indicates that crime has been on the rise in the Evergreen State in recent years.

Violent offenses rose 18.5%, murders rose 22.5% and robberies rose 23.4% between 2020 and 2023.