A Las Vegas hibachi restaurant is counting the damage after burglars broke in early Sunday morning, smashed a window, and used a saw to cut open the business safe. Owner Zach Tolen says the thieves did not waste time searching the place — they walked straight to where the safe was.
Vanilla Rice Hibachi, located near Flamingo and Sandhill, discovered the break-in while Tolen was attending church, according to FOX5 Vegas. Surveillance footage from inside the restaurant showed the window shattering and sparks flying as the intruders sawed into the safe. Tolen said the burglars clearly knew what they were after. “They walked right to it,” he said, describing how the pair went directly to the safe.
Replacing a Shattered Window Alone Could Run $1,000
Tolen estimated that fixing the broken window could cost up to $1,000 — a cash outlay that lands harder given that Vanilla Rice Hibachi stopped accepting cash years ago as a safety measure, a precaution that now looks prescient given what happened early Sunday. The restaurant is also known in the neighborhood for a different kind of generosity: Tolen said the business regularly offers water and some fried rice to people outside who need help.
That community-minded reputation hasn't shielded the restaurant from the broader problems Tolen says have crept into the area. He told the station that crime and homelessness have both increased nearby, saying, “Definitely a lot more crime, a lot more, you know, homeless as well.” He added that other businesses near his have also experienced break-ins over the years, and a nearby restaurant in the same shopping center confirmed to the outlet that it, too, has dealt with similar burglaries in the past.
Part of a Wider Pattern Across the Valley
Vanilla Rice Hibachi's break-in fits into a pattern of commercial burglaries that have plagued Las Vegas-area restaurants and small businesses over the past couple of years. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has been investigating a string of commercial burglaries targeting restaurants and lounges across the valley, according to News3LV, with that particular string of incidents beginning in late December 2024 and the most recent reported case occurring in mid-February 2025.
Separately, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that police were seeking a man suspected of burglarizing at least 10 businesses across the valley, identified in surveillance photos by dark pants and a distinctive teal baseball cap captured near targeted businesses just before forced entry. It is not established that this suspect, or any of the other reported burglary cases, are connected to what happened at Vanilla Rice Hibachi.
Other Owners Describe Costly, Repeated Break-Ins
The financial toll on small businesses has already proven severe in some cases. Pretty Soul Kitchen was burglarized twice, and its owner said the combination of repairs, insurance costs and rising expenses ultimately forced the restaurant to close, according to a separate FOX5 report. In that case, a thief smashed windows to get inside and made off with cash and liquor. That same report cited police data showing Spring Valley logged 238 burglaries with 49 arrests over the prior year, while Summerlin recorded 224 burglaries with 49 arrests in the same span.
Other recent cases echo the same playbook of smashed glass and fast, targeted theft. At Phantom Cleaners, surveillance cameras captured someone smashing through a glass window early one Saturday morning, with owner Jay Soriano telling KTNV he spent around $2,500 replacing the computer and cash-register setup the burglar allegedly took. Police said that incident was one of at least two businesses hit over the same weekend in a plaza off Desert Inn Road and South Durango Drive. At a Teriyaki Madness near Craig Road and Revere Street in North Las Vegas, surveillance footage showed a suspect stealing a cash register and making off with approximately $650, per News3LV.
Back at Vanilla Rice Hibachi, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has been contacted for additional details about Sunday's burglary, and no further information on the investigation has been released.
