PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After discovering a trusted employee had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars, a family-owned Portland restaurant is hoping to bounce back from the massive “betrayal.”
In a statement shared on social media late last week, Verde Cocina revealed that a now-ex-worker had been diverting funds for the business into their own account. Founders Anne Sorenson-Garnica and Noé Garnica told KOIN 6 that the employee served as their catering coordinator, and had been a team member for about four years.
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Suspicions arose several months ago when the co-owners realized they hadn’t received any deposits for the weddings the restaurant was slated to cater amid a “busy season” summer. Sorenson-Garnica noted that it was difficult to track payments since clients typically pay for these orders over time, and staff had already begun preparing for the events.
Her husband learned what had happened through his own sleuthing, after asking a bride to share an invoice she had received for one of her payments. Garnica said he found that his former catering coordinator was accepting funds through an account that featured the Verde Cocina name and logo — although the restaurant never received the money…