Francisca Ríos went to her family's restaurant in Compton on Monday to water potted plants outdoors, as usual.
That's when he noticed one was missing.
He called his daughter and son-in-law, Danny Castellón, and the couple reviewed video from their newly installed security cameras.
The images show a man driving a car with a broken windshield into the Las Islas Marías parking lot at 8:31 pm on Sunday, during business hours.
The driver gets out of the car, opens the back door and, without hiding his identity, heads to the restaurant. When he returns, he carries a potted palm tree.
Then he puts the plant in his back seat and drives away.
Castellón laughed at the incident and posted the video on the restaurant's Instagram with the caption: “Who is Tío?”
On a more serious note, Castellón told The Times that he posted the video in hopes of locating the man and talking to him.
“I'd like to say something like, 'Hey, man, if you ever need anything, try to contact us first, maybe we can give you a couple dollars or, if you're hungry, food.' ” he said.
The Compton restaurant is one of five locations owned by the family of Castellón's wife. The first, owned and operated by her father-in-law for more than 40 years, is on San Pedro Street in Los Angeles.
Castellón and his wife's parents are from Nayarit, a coastal state in Mexico known for its beaches, jungles, fishing villages and the Sierra Madre mountains.
With the knowledge of seafood passed down from their families, the couple knew they wanted to have their own restaurant. With the help of Castellón's father-in-law, the couple bought their building on Rosecrans Avenue nine years ago.
At first, the building was in ruins.
“The previous owners showed no love for the building,” Castellón said.
It took the family a year to repair and renovate the space and turn it into a “nice and family-friendly” place where the community could sit and enjoy seafood or shrimp empanadas.
“It has been a true blessing since we opened and all the hard work has been paying off little by little,” Castellón said.
He remembers planting the palm tree before it bloomed, to “add greenery around the building and give it a welcoming look.”
Castellón said they are always looking to help or give back to the community. The restaurant hosts classic car shows in the summer and for the past three years has hosted a toy drive for local children.
When he showed his employees the security footage, several said they had seen the driver before, looking for bottles, cans or anything he could salvage.
The family says anyone who needs it can come and eat. Just leave the plants alone.
