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A Seattle restaurant owner is heartbroken after the business' iconic taxidermy cougar was taken by thieves, according to KING 5.
Criminals broke into Vito's restaurant in Seattle's First hill neighborhood last weekend and stole Barbara, a stuffed cougar that was a core part of the dining experience and the restaurant's history. The big cat overlooked thousands of diners enjoying a meal in the Cougar Room, Vito's private dining room. She's been around as long as the restaurant, which opened in 1953.
“She is as much of a part of this restaurant as the food, and the music and the cocktails,” Jeff Scott, the co-owner of Vito’s, told reporters. “So, for us to have her gone, is just … It's unimaginable."
This robbery is another setback for the business, which was forced to close earlier this year following a devastating fire. Reporters said the apartments overhead were set ablaze, but the water used to extinguish the flames damaged the restaurant below.
"[An] amazing amount of damage all throughout the building and destroyed the restaurant,” Scott recounted. “So pretty tough right after COVID."
All the owner wants is his cougar back, and he's offering $1,000 for Barbara's return -- no questions asked.
"You don't understand what you did, and if you do understand, then it's just so, so wrong. All we want is to get that cougar back," Scott said.
Anyone with information about Barbara can contact Scott on Vito's social media platforms or email him at info@vitosseattle.com.