Melbourne hospitality owners sound alarm as break-ins and assaults mount
Melbourne hospitality operators are speaking out over a wave of break-ins, vandalism and violent incidents that owners say has become an unrelenting cost of doing business in the city.
Sutinee "Tinee" Suntivatana, the Bangkok-born operator behind Melbourne favourites Humble Rays, Tori's Cafe and Carlton venue Midday (recently rebranded Regale, and last year awarded a Good Food Guide Chef's Hat), says her venues have been broken into more than six or seven times over the past three to four years. The latest incident occurred this week, when her premises was broken into and cash stolen.
In a video posted online, Suntivatana described the toll of repeated break-ins resulting in smashed windows, forced doors and stolen property as well as late-night calls informing her that another of her shops had been hit. She said she and her team repair the damage and boost security each time, only for it to happen again, and pushed back on suggestions that business owners bear responsibility for preventing the attacks.
Speaking to news.com.au, Suntivatana said she has spent more than $60,000 of her own money over the years repairing broken doors and windows and replacing stolen equipment, including a full security and CCTV system. She recounted one incident in which a man kicked in a cafe door, then returned the next day asking for free coffee, and said she believes tougher laws and stronger consequences are needed to address the problem.
Suntivatana, who moved to Melbourne from Bangkok in 2006 and began her career as a chef at the Grand Hyatt, said the stress of not knowing when the next incident will occur has become harder to bear than the financial losses themselves.
The concerns echo a broader pattern of hospitality and retail businesses in Melbourne's western suburbs closing their doors over crime. In Footscray, popular night spot Misfits and Counterweight Vinyl and Espresso both shut down last week, with operators citing conditions that made continuing to trade untenable.
Nearby, Eleven:11 cafe owner Moustafa Saoud decided to close after he was assaulted inside his Buckley Street venue by a man who walked in and punched him without provocation. CCTV footage showed the attacker approaching Saoud behind the counter before leaving calmly once the assault ended. Saoud said drug-related crime in the area has worsened significantly since he opened the cafe, and that customers now say they are too afraid to walk around after 6pm.
Jonathan Jackson, 13th August 2026
