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Three area restaurants broken into overnight, investigation remains ongoing

October 16, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Three restaurants in the region were broken into between the late hours of Oct. 2 and the early hours of Oct. 3.

Barley Vine Rail (BVR) Co. and Déjà vu Diner in Orangeville both had their glass doors smashed and were forcibly entered before having their cash registers ransacked.

6ixty Wings off Highway 10, in Caledon Village, was also forcibly broken into and stolen from.

Déjà vu Diner, which just moved from 318 Broadway to the former Wimpy’s Diner location at 400 Townline, had the wires connecting its till to a computer system cut. After that, the entire till was stolen, with approximately $400 cash inside. However, Déjà vu Diner owner Jennifer Betz said the repairs to her door will be the largest cost to her from the break and enter.

“I felt like I was just getting my feet on the ground at the new place only being open two days, at a new location,” Betz told the Citizen. “I was worried it was targeted at us that someone didn’t want us in their neighbourhood until I found out about the other break-ins. The community rallied around us online and in person. WINMAR came quickly and boarded up the door which we appreciate so much.”

Betz added, “The break-in, although it sucks, did not slow us down or dampen our spirits, and we are happy to welcome everyone to come check out our new location, and we hope they think it’s as beautiful as we do.”

Meanwhile, BVR had the drawer of its till removed and stolen.  

Angela Ward, BVR owner, said the theft occurred around 1:45 or 2 a.m. on Oct. 3, approximately 15 minutes after her staff locked up the restaurant and headed home.

“When my staff [member] opened for her shift in the morning, she saw that the cash drawer was missing, and she kind of thought for a second that one of her colleagues maybe put it somewhere,” said Ward. “But then when she went to open up the doors and do a check, she saw that the front door was smashed.”

The door was hit with a hammer, and the broken glass is the only damage to BVR. However, the building is historic, originally constructed as a train station in 1907, and due to its age, the type of glass needed to properly replace it is difficult to acquire. Ward said her partner was able to install a temporary pane of glass, but she is currently awaiting a quote to do a proper repair.

Ward estimates $300 to $500 was in the till when it was stolen, as well as a few hundred dollars in prepaid gift cards, a few hundred Orangeville BIA Downtown Dollars, cheques for suppliers, various keys, and a company debit card.

Ward said she cancelled the debit card and cheques once she found out the incident had occurred.

However, the theft isn’t what upset Ward the most.

“It’s not about the money or the damage, but about how it just made us all feel,” she said.

“Now I just feel a little bit more uneasy and unsafe in my own building and community.”

Ward added that the break and enter was a “violating” and “scary” experience, considering her staff had left the restaurant just before its door was smashed with a hammer and entered.

“He obviously was armed in the sense of having something that he could use to harm someone,” Ward said. “We all felt really unsafe in our own space.”

Ward told the Citizen that while BVR has always had a two-person rule when locking up, the restaurant exercises even more caution now when the team is closing.

Orangeville Mayor Lisa Post took to social media after the robberies at BVR and Déjà vu Diner occurred.

“To Jen and the Deja Vu team, and to Ang and Mark and the Barley Vine team – please know that our whole community is standing with you. Both of your businesses have given so much to Orangeville, not just through great food and service, but through the countless ways you support people and causes in this town,” wrote Mayor Post.

Provincial Cst. Andrew Fines of the Dufferin OPP said a suspect image won’t be released at this time, but described the suspect as wearing a dark hoodie, dark pants, gloves, and a surgical mask.

Police are asking the public to report any suspicious activity observed between Oct. 2 and 3, around 400 Townline or Armstrong Street, in Orangeville.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents or other criminal activity can contact the Dufferin OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or provide anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

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