Popular Whitby restaurant hit with early morning break-in

A popular Whitby restaurant owned by a Food Network chef and personality was broken into Thursday night and will be closed for lunch Friday while staff and owner Andrea Nicholson assess and clean up the damage.

“Hey Butchies Family,” read a post from Nicholson on Facebook. “We’re heartbroken to share that our restaurant was broken into at 5 a.m. this morning. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but we’re doing our best to push through. Unfortunately, we’ll need to be closed for lunch today as we deal with this.”

“Our amazing team is rallying together, and we’re working hard to open for dinner tonight. We’ll keep you posted throughout the day.”

Butchie’s socials have since been flooded with support, with nearly 100 responses already this morning:

“So sorry this happened to you. Just know your neighbours are around to help.” – Amber

“Ugg. Best wishes for a speedy clean up and back to business routine.” – Laura

“I’ll be there for dinner to support your business. It’s sad that this happened to you but you are strong.” Chris

“Your restaurant is a huge part of our community.” – Dawn

Chef Andrea Nicholson

Butchies (named for Nicholson’s Dad) serves up tasty smoked meats, fried chicken, sustainable seafood, seasonal sides, home made pie, ice cream and craft beer. The restaurant is noted for its “Pick 3’ system where customers choose a meat and 1, 2 or 3 sides.

Nicholson appeared as a contestant on Top Chef Canada seasons 1 and 5 (All-Stars), as a judge on Fire Masters, and in her own restaurant with John Catucci on Big Food Bucket List. She has also appeared on the Marilyn Denis show, as well as Restaurant Takeover to help struggling restaurants to refresh their menus.

Butchies is located at 939 Dundas St. W. in Whitby.