Actions

700-pound smoker stolen from Chesterfield restaurant

Posted at 10:36 PM, Jun 25, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-26 08:55:45-04

CHESTERFIELD, Va. -- A Chesterfield chef wants his smoker grill returned after it was stolen Saturday morning from his restaurant.

It happened around 8 a.m. outside the Half Way House Restaurant off Jefferson Davis Highway.

Raymond Allen says his 700-pound Heatmaster was removed from outside the North Chesterfield restaurant by three men -- who were just feet from where workers were doing maintenance.

“They say three gentlemen pulled up in a white GMC pickup truck and just loaded the grill up and took it away,” said Half Way House Restaurant chef Raymond Allen. “They had to cut the lock to get it,” he added.

Allen said  the workers assumed the men were friends of his, but would soon find out they were thieves.

“I can’t imagine anyone just rolling up and taking it from a business,” said Allen. “I want to see my grill returned and if that can’t happen..I don’t know.

"I’ve done a lot of catered events in the county, a lot of people know that grill when they see it," he continued. "It’s got some identifying markings on the side I took and welded some legs onto the fender so I could hang a basket fryer."

“You may see one like it, but you won’t ever see one exactly like that because I did the custom work myself.”

The grill has served up hundreds of meals.

It's not meant to cook meals for a family of four. It's to cook hundreds of meals.

“It allows us to smoke some meats, do certain specials, pretty much just different things as far as the menu goes,” said Allen.

Allen vowed to replace it one way or another to serve hundreds more.

“I’m going to have to make some adjustments til I can get another one in here. Obviously, that’s going to be the priority,” said Allen.

“You don’t use a grill like that for something at home you use it for big events. You’re not going to just roll up and say you got a new grill. The grill is made to serve 300 to 400 people, it’s not made to serve a family of four,” said Allen.

“I can’t imagine them going far,” he added.

Allen said the thieves were described as three white men. Two appeared in their early 20s, the driver in his early 30s.

Allen did file a police report.

CBS6-News-at-4pm-and-Jennifer-Hudson-480x360.jpg

Entertainment

Watch 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' weekdays at 3 p.m. on CBS 6!

📱 Download CBS 6 News App
The app features breaking news alerts, live video, weather radar, traffic incidents, closings and delays and more.