CCTV cameras have caught images of two people standing outside Siso, before they decamp to a vehicle parked down a side street. The vehicle is driven slowly at the front of the building and, on a second attempt, pushes through the glass before being re-parked around the corner. The offenders enter and exit the restaurant at least twice each.
Siso is owned by prominent Auckland hospitality figure Richard Sigley and his wife Paula. Sigley told NZME that offenders appeared to have taken off with two cash tills and alcohol - though he was still determining exactly what was missing.
“They tried incredibly hard to get through, right on that corner. I don’t know how the heck they got up over the curb . . .”
Builders have been called in, and it was hoped the restaurant would reopen for service tonight. Sigley says he’s having a temporary sign made to cover the smashed frontage. It will read: “We are hospo, you could have just asked. Still here, still open - Siso, your neighborhood eatery.”
Siso opened in 2021 on the corner of Remuera Rd and Norana Ave. The Mediterranean-style eatery is a loved local with a drinks list that includes $580 bottles of Dom Perignon Champagne.
“They’ve obviously got enough cigarettes and now they’re after booze,” said Sigley, a restaurateur who founded the Nourish hospitality group and previously owned Euro, on the Auckland Viaduct.
News of the ram raid has shocked Remuera locals.
“I’ve had so many texts and messages from people who live in the area just going ‘what the hell’s going on? This can’t happen over here’,” Sigley said.
Police spent at least two hours on site this morning and are following positive lines of inquiry.
