Pub goes cashless after two burglaries

By James Cancelarich     4/2/24 11:05pm

The Pub at Rice announced that it will be going cashless via Instagram on April 1 following two incidents of burglary. The first burglary occurred between March 19 and 20 and the second on March 30, according to Rice University Police Department crime logs.

Roughly $600 was stolen from Pub during the first burglary, according to general manager Maya Gerke. The burglary was reported to RUPD March 21. 

Gerke, a Jones College junior, said an employee discovered the first burglary during an opening shift after finding Pub’s two cash boxes empty. As of March 28, Gerke said she is still waiting for developments from the first investigation. 

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Gerke did not respond in time for publication to a request to comment on the second burglary or on the decision to go cashless.

RUPD Chief of Police Clemente Rodriguez said he is unable to provide any information on the first burglary at the time of publication as the investigation is ongoing.

“We use all resources at our disposal to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable,” Rodriguez wrote in an email to the Thresher.

Gerke said the Pub employees closing the night prior to the first burglary followed proper procedures. 

“We’ve been closing everything correctly, things are locked. The person who came in got past several locked doors. We don’t know how it happened,” she said.

Gerke said the burglary exacerbated Pub’s current financial stress, caused in part by 21 and older age restrictions and consequent falling attendance. She said that she hopes that reopening to attendees 18 and older on April 11 will increase profitability and help Pub recover financially from the burglary.

“We make money off of attendance and people buying drinks, of course, so we haven’t been as profitable this semester ... We’re definitely nervous going into big pub nights [because] we need money to buy drinks and keep stock,” Gerke said. 

“I think for sure there’s no question that we are going to get more people coming in just because people can finally come back to Pub.”

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