Winnipeg restaurateurs say anxiety spiking as violent incidents increase
Kyriakos Vogiatzakis, 51, died Wednesday after fight outside his Cork & Flame restaurant
Some people in Winnipeg's food and hospitality community say the recent death of a restaurant owner after an altercation at his business is indicative of a larger problem.
"I've lived in some pretty dangerous places throughout my life, and now I feel like Winnipeg has become maybe even worse than what I've experienced in the past," said Eric Fouillard, who owns Daily Grind Coffee on Portage Avenue near the Grace Hospital, in a Friday interview with CBC Information Radio host Marcy Markusa.
Kyriakos Vogiatzakis, 51, died Wednesday night following a fight outside his restaurant Cork & Flame, which is also on Portage, a couple of blocks from Daily Grind.
Police were called around 5:30 p.m. and found him outside in need of medical attention. He died later in hospital.
A male was located a short distance from the restaurant and taken into police custody but no charges have yet been laid, police said.
They have not yet released any details about what may have led to the fight. The police service said Thursday its major crimes unit was investigating, but have not said whether Vogiatzakis's death is being investigated as a homicide.
An autopsy must first determine the exact cause of death, they said.
Right next door to the Cork & Flame is the Boulevard Motel, where a man was found dead in June.
Fouillard said crime has been increasing in the area over the decade his business has been there.
He estimates there is some type of incident at his business at least once a week, such as someone trying to steal the tip jar. On occasion, he's had to physically remove someone from the shop.
"You have to — otherwise customers will try and intervene on your behalf, and you want to prevent people from jumping in on it … so that nobody else gets hurt," he said, adding he now discourages anyone from playing the role of bouncer.
"It's not worth $10 in tips."
Nazli Sharma, general manager of hospitality and guest services for 12 Tim Hortons locations in south Winnipeg, was in one of the stores on Pembina Highway in June when she intervened to prevent a woman from launching herself at the store manager.
"I took the brunt of the assault," she told Information Radio, noting she was injured and spent significant time in recovery.
"It changed my whole mindset. I think we're now all operating on an elevated level of anxiety — the managers on a daily basis, our evening staff."
Fouillard agreed, saying he had never experienced an anxiety attack until a month ago. Thieves are becoming so bold that they return regularly and unafraid, he said.
"[There's one guy] who comes in and steals the tip jar. I call him the tip jar thief. But now he's becoming violent, he's in a defensive posture," Fouillard said. "I've had a weapon pulled on me. It was one of those collapsible batons."
Sharma said the ownership group she works for has stringent protocols to not engage with anyone in a robbery or confrontation.
"The only intervention that we will have is staying behind the counter and calling 911," she said, but noted that policy didn't foresee someone leaping the counter.
Hiring security guards is an option, but they are strictly there as a visible deterrent.
"They may verbally engage but they don't apprehend anybody. I was told by various companies that they won't," Sharma told Markusa. "They're there as a prevention."
The solution, in Sharma's opinion, is more funding for the police, not less.
"But we [have to] fund the right services — we fund the services to assist the ones who really, really need that kind of help, mental health services. We really need to focus on that."
'He was always vibrant'
Meanwhile, friends, family and customers of Vogiatzakis are still struggling to understand his death.
Sid Blum was a regular customer at Cork & Flame, where he went to watch live music.
Blum says Vogiatzakis "was taken away far too soon."
Vogiatzakis was a big supporter of local musicians, giving young talent a chance to perform in his lounge, according to Blum.
"He was always vibrant, full of energy. Always welcoming."
Suzanne Mariani, who performed live music at Cork & Flame every Saturday, credits Vogiatzakis for getting her back into singing.
"It's his energy, his vibrant character and his giving heart that's going to be the hardest for myself to do without," she told CBC News on Friday.
"When I walked in that restaurant, the energy of Kyriakos was there, even when he wasn't there."
Mariani says Vogiatzakis collected toys at Christmas for families in need. His death has rippled throughout St. James and Winnipeg's Greek community.
"When a person dies suddenly, that's a whole different level of grief," she said. "If they die in violence, that's the ultimate level [of grief], and so the family is really struggling with that."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Information Radio and Josh Crabb