A Northern Quarter restaurant has lost two days of business and has had to fork out for repairs after its windows were put through by a burglar.
Chakalaka on Oldham Street was burgled in the early hours of Monday by a thief who smashed the window, before making off with a till full of cash.
Stewart Dean, who owns the small independent South African cuisine restaurant was forced to shut up shop and lost two days of business while repairs were carried out.
Stewart, who lives above the restaurant and heard the window being smashed at around 4.30am, was finally able to reopen the business on Thursday night.
He says the break in was the last thing the businesses needed, as the hospitality industry grapples to keep going during the pandemic - particularly at a time when businesses could yet face further restrictions if Greater Manchester is moved into tier three.
He said: "I went to bed on Sunday thinking we might have to close and it ended up being a different Monday to the one I was expecting.
"Everything is very stressful at the moment.
"We're a small independent trying to work through everything that's going on and it's the last thing we need.
"I already have lots of stresses and worries about the business making money and the stress of coronavirus laws."
The incident has not been reported to GMP.
