SPOKANE, Wash. — The historic Mary Lou's Milk Bottle diner is back open Thursday after a group broke into the Inland Northwest staple late Tuesday night.
According to owner Tom Ritchie, a group of men went to the back of the building and cut the power. Security footage showed the suspects going to the front door, breaking it, and then entering the building.
All the doors in the building were damaged in the break-in. Ritchie said the suspects stole an ATM and a safe.
"Door is damaged, glass is damaged. Everything's gone. The ice cream is too soft to serve," Ritchie said.
The store's ice cream melted, and the food spoiled because of the power cut, according to Ritchie. The store decided to close all day Wednesday but reopened on Thursday.
"By far the probably the worst we've had. And we've been here for, my parents had 20 years before me," Ritchie said. "And I've had it for almost seven years now, coming in July. So in 20, almost 27 years, this is probably the worst."
Owners told KREM 2 that they believe they saw the suspects on Monday, one day before the break-in.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help The Milk Bottle pay for repairs.
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The Milk Bottle is in the Garland District at 802 W. Garland Ave.
It was built in 1935, alongside another in downtown Spokane. The downtown location is now home to the Blue Door Theatre.
Both buildings are known for their unique shapes, a 38' high Milk Bottle. People can buy different dairy products from the Garland location, including ice cream.
The Milk Bottle is known for its old-timey diner feel with award-winning milkshakes. They also serve food like hamburgers and sandwiches.
According to the Spokane Historical website, back in Sept. 2011, a fire burned down most of the building. They rebuilt after a year and got the restaurant back up and running.
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