When managers at French Toast arrived at the French Quarter restaurant Friday morning, they discovered the cash register had been emptied and the house debit card, an iPhone and a handheld card reader were missing after an overnight break-in.
The suspect broke through the gates of Hotel Provincial, connected to French Toast, before opening one of the locked doors to the Decatur Street brunch spot, co-owner Cara Benson said Monday. He left behind a pair of blue jeans, a maroon shirt and a cat mask in the bathroom before fleeing the scene.
The cash register held only rolls of quarters and loose change because it’s emptied by staff every night, Benson said. But the suspect used the restaurant’s debit card at several nearby French Quarter businesses, including Verti Marte, The Orange Store and other convenience shops, spending between $10 and $35 at each stop.
After filing a police report, Benson encountered other hurdles. Banks were closed for Juneteenth, and the fraud helpline was facing technical difficulties. It wasn’t until the suspect attempted to use the card at a fifth store that the bank alerted Benson about possible fraud and shut down the account…