<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=26WsWV_0wB9BqIH00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=26WsWV_0wB9BqIH00" width="1280" height="853" ><figcaption>Raymunda Ramirez poses for a photo inside of her restaurant El Faro on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. Photo by Oscar Palma.</figcaption></figure>Raymunda Ramirez has called El Faro a second home for the last 45 years, the first 20 as an employee and the next 25 as its owner. Her run, however, seems to be at an end: Ramirez said this week that she will sell the longtime Mission taqueria after the restaurant suffered a break-in last Sunday, its <a href="https://missionlocal.org/2024/10/el-faro-suffers-more-than-20000-in-losses-after-two-break-ins-over-the-weekend/">third in just a week</a>. “I can’t continue living like this,” said the 64-year-old Ramirez. “It might take about a year or so, but I’ve decided.”It was no easy choice: Ramirez loves her job and the restaurant, she said. El Faro, which claims to be the “home of the original Mission burrito,” officially received distinction as a San Francisco legacy business earlier this year after being a neighborhood institution since 1961. On Wednesday afternoon, Ramirez sat looking at her newly replaced window, which now has a sign that reads, “Smile. You’re on camera,” reflecting on how the last 10 days have affected her last four decades at the business.“I don’t want to sell it after all this time, but it’s difficult living with the constant thought if someone is gonna do it again,” she said.Ramirez was informed of the most recent break-in on Sunday after she received a call from her brother, who lives just a couple houses down. The first two break-ins, which occurred the previous weekend, cost her $20,000. This time, however, things were different. Before, the business suffered damage, but not thousands in stolen cash. The owners had installed cameras, there was no money at the taqueria and the intruders broke in through one of the three windows facing 20th Street, instead of through the front door.Surveillance footage from a recent break-in shows a man breaking the window. He’s dressed in black: his pants, hoodie and a face covering. He’s carrying a gray backpack and wearing black and white shoes. He proceeds to walk through the front of the restaurant and then to the back offices. At the end, he only got some old receipts from already-paid bills, but nothing more, according to Ramirez.Ramirez said her brother insisted she stay home in the East Bay to get some rest instead of driving to the city late that night. But instead of resting, the only thing on her mind was El Faro, and the extent of the damage. She stayed up all night, but was back at work the next morning at 5:30 a.m.“I wonder why this is happening? Why me?” asked Ramirez while reviewing video of the break-in later on. “I’m just angry — three times already.” The San Francisco Police Department confirmed that officers responded to an unknown suspect burglarizing the business last Sunday night at 10:43 p.m. They conducted a walkthrough and no suspect was located. SFPD previously said it had responded to the prior break-in as well, but had not located any suspects. Despite the recent frustrations, Ramirez said she has seen love and support from the neighborhood she has been serving for more than 10 decades. A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-el-faro-after-robberies">GoFundMe</a> has raised more than $13,000 as of Thursday.“Many people from the community have been coming to support,” said Ramirez. “They tell me they’ve seen me on TV, and that they’re sorry for what I’m going through.”The support has not only come from locals, but also from others outside of the Mission.Abraham Molina, the owner of <a href="https://glasssolutionsca.com/">Glass Solutions CA</a>, a San Jose-based company offering glass and doors services all over the Bay Area, said he watched the news of what had happened to Ramirez after the third break-in on <a href="https://www.univision.com/local/san-francisco-kdtv/el-faro-el-restaurante-mexicano-san-francisco-robado-tercera-ocasion-semana">Univision 14</a> on Monday evening.He felt compelled to help Ramierez replace both the broken glass of the window and the door, both of which until now had only been covered with wood. He charged the business a total of $600 for fixing both the door and the window, just the cost of labor and supplies; a job like that, he said, would normally cost $1,300.“I figured, you know what? Let’s take care of her. Help her out and try to spread the word,” said Molina, who said he did not profit from the job. “I come from a family that had a dry-cleaning business for many years, and I remember how my mom struggled when they would break in the windows and the doors all the time.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3MX54c_0wB9BqIH00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3MX54c_0wB9BqIH00" width="480" height="640" ><figcaption>An image of the newly replaced window facing 20th Street on Wednesday Oct. 16, 2024. Photo by Oscar Palma.</figcaption></figure>District 9 Supervisor Hilary Ronen said her aides have been in communication with one of Ramirez’s daughters, and have connected her with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development to apply for a grant of up to $2,000 whenever businesses suffer a break-in. A business can get up to two such grants.“We’re trying to make sure she gets the help she needs,” said Ronen. “This is so unfortunate, and I feel awful for the owner.”Still, Ramirez said her decision is final. Last Sunday night, when she heard the news of the third break-in, is a night she does not want to repeat.“I lay down last Sunday night, and I couldn’t sleep,” said Ramirez. “The night was very long.”Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

El Faro’s owner to sell taqueria after 3rd consecutive break-in

Raymunda Ramirez has called El Faro a second home for the last 45 years, the first 20 as an employee and the next 25 as its owner. Her run, however, seems to be at an end: Ramirez said this week that she will sell the longtime Mission taqueria after the restaurant suffered a break-in last Sunday, its third in just a week.