DANIA BEACH, Fla. – First, it had a massive fire, and now, Tropical Acres restaurant in Dania Beach is dealing with crooks.
The Broward Sheriff's Office said four men nabbed tens of thousands of dollars worth of machines and appliances from the legendary Broward County steakhouse just as the owners are struggling to rebuild.
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In August, a massive fire forced the family-run restaurant to temporarily close its doors.
Manager Jackson Sanson spotted four men rifling through the restaurant's appliances on his way to work. They were being stored in the back of the building. It included items damaged by the fire. Whatever machines and appliances the restaurant couldn't use, the owners had planned to give to their employees so they could scrap the metal for cash, because most are still out of work following the fire.
So when Sanson spotted the men, he was quick to confront and instruct.
"I was like, 'Wow, what's going on?'" Sanson said.
Sanson said the men explained how they were taking metal. Sanson ordered them to put it all back, and incredibly, the crooks complied. They unloaded the two truckloads of metal they had just stolen.
BSO deputies were already on the way. When they arrived, two of the burglars had already taken off, but deputies were able to question and detain another two in the parking lot.
Suspects Gary Favors, 21, and Neville Allen, 20 , are now facing several charges, including grand theft. BSO now needs the public's help tracking down the other two.
Department of Corrections records show that Allen was already on probation after serving time for a similar offense in 2008.
When BSO checked surveillance video, investigators found all four men had been at the property at least three times. They said the items stolen included a $22,000 utensil washer, a $4,000 food warming cabinet, a $5,000 water heater, a $3,350 food warmer and a $3,280 coffee machine.
When deputies detained Favors and Allen, they found slips from an area scrap yard in their truck, BSO said.
"I can't believe we had a fire and now these guys are stealing from us," Sanson said. "It's like kicking us when we are down."
The restaurant was established in 1949. In April Local 10 viewers voted it as the No. 1 steakhouse in South Florida.
The eatery is so popular that the judge presiding over Favors' and Allen's bond court hearing had to recuse himself because he said he often eats at the restaurant.
"We are waiting for the good things to start happening," said Michael Greenlaw, the founder's grandson. "It's only so many weeks of bad news you can get before things have to turn around, so that's what we are waiting for. We want to just get back up and running."
If you know the men police are looking for, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477). There is up to a $1,000 award for information that leads to an arrest.
To see photos of Tropical Acres before the fire and the rest of the Top 10 winners, click .