Coney Island Customers Rally to Help It Reopen After Break-In

Customers of Antonio’s Coney Island in Ypsilanti are rallying behind the restaurant after vandals broke in over the weekend, stole cash and food, and destroyed food other property after closing.

Local restaurants are donating a portion of their profit to the restaurant and neighbors are raising funds to assist the owners.

“The owners live in our community and have always welcomed everyone in with [welcome] arms,” reads the message on the GoFundMe page set up on Tuesday, July 21. “Their food is also absolutely delicious. Let’s throw a couple of bucks together to help them out during these already tough times for restaurants.”

Irene Serrano and Miguel Martinez opened Antonio’s Coney Island in 2015 in a corner spot of a strip mall on Washtenaw Avenue. The coney island quickly set itself apart as a destination by adding pupusas, plantains, tamales, fried fish served with tajadas, enchiladas catrachas, chicken tacos with cabbage salad, fried yuca, and a rotating selection of Mexican, Honduran, Guatemalan, and other central American specialties to the menu. On weekends, customers flock to the restaurant for its huevos rancheros and generous bowls of soup.

Ypsilanti-based Hyperion Coffee, a popular supplier for metro Detroit cafes and restaurants, is donating $5 per bag from sales of its Antonio’s Blend Coffee this week. Lucha Puerco, a local pop-up serving a rotating menu of tacos and burritos, and Basil Babe, a popular Instagram dumpling delivery service, says they will donate a portion of their sales this week from their pop-ups at Cultivate Coffee and Tap House.

The break-in was discovered by employees arriving at the restaurant for work Sunday morning, Washtenaw police officers told MLive. On a Facebook post, Serrano and Martinez thanked the community for its support and said the restaurant was temporarily closed.

To donate to Antonio’s Coney Island, go to the GoFundMe page. To report information about the break-in, contact the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office anonymous tip line at 734-973-7711.