Barrie donut shop endures break-in amid already challenging road construction

Staff at a Barrie donut shop targeted by thieves earlier this week say the value of what was stolen pales in comparison to the cost of repairing the damaged front door, coupled with the drop in sales since road construction began.

Mmm Donuts director and communications manager Allyssa Schuldis tells CTV News the suspect(s) stole the float money from the register, plus the daily drop box safe, after shattering the front door glass to get inside the Bayview Drive business.

"We're just thankful it was before night staff arrived, and no one was hurt," Schuldis said. "[It] could have been a much worse situation."

The break-in is a first for the donut shop, but not for the plaza where it's located.

"We just recently had a break-in in our building a couple of weeks ago," Schuldis said.

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Despite the break-in and theft, the shop remains open, asking customers to use the alternate entrance, and many are in light of the incident.

"Lots of support from our community saying they'd come in for a treat today because of it," Schuldis noted.

Mmm Donuts is located along a stretch of Bayview Drive that is under significant reconstruction. The area is open to one-way traffic only.

"The construction has hurt us more than the break-in," Schuldis added. "We're down an average of 25 per cent because of the road closure. It's definitely been a difficult season for us."

Barrie police say they are investigating the Tuesday night break-in and ask anyone with information, including dash camera or surveillance footage, to contact the authorities.