Sancho's van and food cart stolen

Thieves made off with a van and food cart from Sancho's in Gunbarrel and then drove it to Safeway in Longmont and shoplifted, according to owner Shawn Camden. He said the vehicle was parked behind the restaurant in the Gunbarrel Shopping Center when it happened early Saturday morning, Aug. 15.

"Our infamous food trailer goes around the community selling food. Now that we don't have that, we can no longer operate that business. It's a fairly big tragedy for us," Camden said. The restaurant also uses the van for catering and drives the vehicle to Denver to buy food in bulk. Camden said they'll have to get their food from a third party which will be a lot more expensive.

"People are just very devastated for us. We do a lot for the community. They just think this is so wrong," Camden said.

The theft comes two years after Sanchos and five other businesses in the Gunbarrel Shopping Center were burglarized on the same night. Camden said his employees have become more concerned about safety. "The employees are asking that we lock doors as soon as we close so they feel safe," he said.

Camden isn't sure if his insurance will pay to replace the van and food cart. He just started the process of filing a claim. "It's not something that is going to shut us down. It's just like another thing to deal with. Owning a restaurant is a huge undertaking, owning a restaurant in COVID is another thing. It's one thing after another," Camden said.