‘We’ve always said that we don’t want anyone to be hungry and that someone can email us and we’d give out gift vouchers to use. People don’t need to break in so this hurts.’
Sandwich Sandwich on Queens Road (pictured 2017)
The founder of a well-known Bristol sandwich shop chain said the latest break-in where a man was found sleeping on the floor of the shop was “upsetting for all of us”.
Staff at the Sandwich Sandwich shop in Queens Road, Clifton, discovered the break-in at 8am yesterday (Monday, May 11).
When they entered the shop, they found a man sleeping on the floor and a fridge which was wrecked.
It is alleged the man helped himself to food which the owner of Sandwich Sandwich said “hurts” as the brand has been known to help people who are without food by offering sandwiches free of charge to those in need.
In an Instagram post dated January 20, Sandwich Sandwich said that following a scheme which was launched over Christmas, anyone who was finding things difficult and didn’t have food to eat can email the business and potentially get a gift voucher to claim sandwiches at one of the branches across Bristol and London.
Nick Kleiner added that the Clifton branch was unable to open yesterday as the shop had to be sanitized but that it was able to reopen this morning.
Avon and Somerset Police said that following the incident, a man was taken to hospital by the ambulance service.
Mr Kleiner said: “The perpetrator was found sleeping on the floor when our staff opened at 8am [yesterday]. The ambulance and police were called.
“He helped himself to food which was upsetting for all of us.
“We’ve always said that we don’t want anyone to be hungry and that someone can email us and we’d give out gift vouchers to use. People don’t need to break in so this hurts.
“A fridge was wrecked and was left in a poor order.
“The fact the guy was sleeping in our shop felt like a violation of our ethos. It really affects us, especially when we try to give back to the city.”
Mr Kleiner said that staff at the shop were really affected by the incident and said that they “aren’t immune to feelings and staff were really affected”.
He added: “We love Bristol, Bristol is our home and we want to give back to the city of Bristol.”
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “At 7.36am today (11 May) we received a report of a burglary at a business in Queen’s Road in Clifton.
“Officers attended and a man was taken from the scene to hospital by the ambulance service. Anyone with any information should call 101 using the reference number 5226128435.”