Owners Of Looted Restaurant Hope To Reopen With Community's Help

TAMPA, FL — A couple whose restaurant was damaged and looted during the May 30 civil unrest in north Tampa is counting on the community to help them remain open.

Jai Ho Royale Indian Cuisine at 2311 E. Fowler Ave. reopened Wednesday after sustaining $30,000 in losses during As looting and vandalism that broke out following the nationwide demonstrations against police brutality.

Roopa Mosuganti said the restaurant had just reopened on May 29 after being closed for three months due to the coronavirus shutdowns. Roopa and Venkata Mosuganti, parents of a 10-month-old son, Dhruv Noah, have owned the restaurant for 10 years.

"On Saturday, May 30, we received a call from our employee around 5 p.m., right before we would open for the evening at 5:30 p.m., that shops around our plaza were closing down because it was on the protest route," Roopa Mosuganti said. "Local business owners in our strip mall feared that their business could be damaged, looted or even burned like some were at the Minneapolis protest on Thursday night."

Roopa Mosuganti told the employees to close up for the night.

"Unfortunately, we did not have the time nor the funds to properly close down and protect all of our property," she said. "At 8 p.m., my husband and I went to the shopping plaza with our 10-month-old son to check on our restaurant. After following the news, we knew that some businesses in our area had been broken into. The pictures were frightening. Doors and windows were broken with glass shattered all over the place."

While some businesses, like the nearby AT&T store, had been looted and damaged, the Mosugantis were relieved to find their restaurant untouched.

"At this point, we thought it was all under control and did not fear any looting or future destruction," Roopa Mosuganti said.

Later that night, they watched news reports showing the Champs sporting goods store and the Saigon Bay Vietnamese restaurant across the street from their restaurant on fire.

The Mosugantis hurried to their restaurant the next morning to see how it had fared during the night.

"It was a grave sight," she said. "Many stores were severely vandalized and looted, and three suffered irreparable fire damage. Fortunately, we did not have any structural damage to our store, but all of our inventory was destroyed due to power loss in the building because of the fires. And some of our equipment, such as food trolleys and serving bowls, were stolen."

Due to the destruction, the strip shopping center had no power until this week. In all, more than 40 businesses in the University of South Florida area sustained damage.

"The total of our expenses, including rent, electrical bills, loss of produce and lost revenue, amounts to $30,000," Roopa Mosuganti said.

The vandalism and looting was a major blow to the family on the heels of the business shutdowns due to the coronavirus.

Like many small businesses in Tampa, the Mosugantis applied for but were unable to obtain federal or local loans or grants made available to businesses impacted by the coronavirus.

Although they continued to provide takeout service, they were forced to furlough staff. During the past three months, Roopa Mosuganti said she and her husband were forced to use their savings to keep the restaurant afloat.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has been incredibly devastating for our family business," Roopa Mosuganti said. "Not only do we as a family rely on this business as our primary source of income, but so do our workers. Many of our workers haven't been able to find other work during the pandemic economy and have to live on their savings."

Even in the midst of the crisis, the couple managed to donate hot meals for health care workers at a local retirement home and to mothers with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at Tampa General Hospital.

But, already on the verge of financial ruin, the couple said the vandalism caused by the civil unrest was the last straw.

"We are broken and shattered," Roopa Mosuganti said. "It's just so much to handle one thing after the other. I'm not sure what tomorrow holds."

Mosuganti said she and her husband were on the verge of giving up when their friends and customers, Erica Crum and Anna Jensen, came forward and told them they were setting up a GoFundMe page to help them recover.

Mosuganti said the community's response has renewed their faith. To date, more than $10,000 has been donated.

"Buildings can be replaced but lives cannot. With the support of our community, I am hopeful our restaurant will be able to recover," Mosuganti said. "We are grateful for the outpouring of love everyone has given us during this time. For all of those who have helped us and are continuing to help us, we are extremely grateful."

In the meantime, the Mosugantis have donated their inventory of food purchased for their first weekend back in business to churches and nonprofits.

"We're trying to give back as much as we can," Mosuganti said. "While we do not support the violence and harming small businesses, we do stand in solidarity with the black community and are committed to helping as much as we can."

See related stories:

• GoFundMe Created For Saigon Bay Damaged During Protests in Tampa
• Tampa Rally Turns Violent, Gas Station Torched, Stores Looted
• Tampa Declares Curfew; Mayor Called Rioting Heartbreaking To See