A popular Seattle restaurant says it’s facing serious financial concerns after its ninth break-in in four years.
Dawn Ung of Phnom Penh Noodle House estimates the family-owned business has faced a net loss in the five figures over the years.
“If these keep occurring, small businesses take a huge hit,” Ung said in an interview with King 5. “Things have definitely gotten worse since 2020.”
The latest break-in resulted in the theft of tablets, an empty register, an iPhone, and a printer, which has cost the restaurant thousands of dollars in damage and losses.
Diane Le, Dawn’s sister, shared more about their losses over the years with KUOW. “We’ve had three cars broken into, one car stolen, we’ve had graffiti, we’ve had broken windows multiple times, we’ve been broken into multiple times,” Le said, “and on top of just normal maintenance stuff with leakages and all that … we just overcome them day by day.”
The loss from these incidents since 2020 totals some $25,000.
“I hope that Seattle can continue to address these issues in our neighborhood so that the [Chinatown-International District], the Little Saigon, Japantown, and such will still exist,” said Ung.
Like Phnom Penh Noodle House, other Seattle restaurants are pushing for “positive action” to address break-ins.
In an interview with KOMO News, Nathan Yeager, the owner of Sandia in the Laurelhurst neighborhood, reported its fifth break-in earlier this year; it was the fifth in six months.
Yeager estimates that damages amount to nearly $10,000.
“Small businesses will be at an extinction level in Seattle if this type of crime on the property is not resolved,” said Yeager, “Please get in touch with the mayor and the city council daily and let them know this is happening and that we need positive action.”
Despite the financial strain, Ung and her sisters plan to remain open. “Because in the end, we’re here to stay,” said Le. “And we’re here to do what we do best: serve a comforting bowl of noodles that really is just an emotional connection to the experiences and the space.”
The restaurant has demonstrated resilience before this series of break-ins. In 2020, Phnom Penh Noodle House reopened its doors after more than a year of closure due to Dawn’s son suffering a life-altering accident.
Darlene, Dawn’s sister, explained the necessity of taking time to come back as a family, “But in our hearts, we knew we wanted to come back in some way, shape or form.”
Sam Ung, Dawn’s father, opened the Chinatown-International District staple in 1987. After passing the torch in 2013, Sam’s three daughters, Dawn, Diane, and Darlene, now manage the restaurant in its third iteration off South Jackson Street.
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