EXCLUSIVE: Lebanese restaurant in Putney left searching for answers after robbery

20 August 2024, 14:41

By Henry Riley

@HenryRiley1

Family run ‘Julia Domna’ was broken into earlier this month, and their cash register stolen.

Julia Domna has been serving Lebanese food in Southwest London since February 2017. Run by resident Diana and her husband Samir, it is a popular restaurant spot among locals. The neighbourhood staple currently boasts a 5-star average review on TripAdvisor and Google reviews.

However the couple, who moved to the UK from Syria over 20 years ago, were left saddened and shocked to discover that their family-run restaurant was broken into in the early hours of the morning on Sunday August 11.

Diana Bashour, who is half Syrian and half Lebanese, is still reeling from the incident, which saw their cash register stolen, possessions damaged, and the restaurant’s door smashed in and left completely unusable. The incident has left her questioning the future of the restaurant.

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The MP for Putney Fleur Anderson, whose constituency office is less than a 5-minute walk from the restaurant, told LBC that she was “horrified” by the news and has asked local police to review the incident.

Diana Bashour told LBC “We woke up on Sunday morning, with two missed calls, after working in the restaurant all day on Saturday. We had a catering appointment for a lady living locally, so my husband walked to the restaurant”.

The co-owner of Julia Domna explained that her husband called her instantly to tell her, “I don’t know what to say, someone has broken our door and robbed the restaurant”.

She explains “I didn’t believe him, I thought he was talking about someone else… so I went down and neither of us could get in - we had to call the police - who had left a note - to gain access”.

The glass of the original restaurant door was “left everywhere - on the floor, chairs and tables - and there were coins scattered across the restaurant - which had fallen out as the cash register was taken”. The perpetrator did leave their torch at the scene, though.

Fighting back tears, Diana explained that it had been a tough few years for the business since Covid. She told LBC “We are fighting for our lives, digging in, just to stay in the market. It is really a very tough time for us”.

The restaurant is named after the Roman empress Julia Domna - who was born into an Arab family in Roman Syria and eventually settled in the UK.

Humorously, Diana explains that sometimes, when she is stopped in the street, people refer to her as ‘Julia’ rather than her actual name.

The couple who run the restaurant are determined to fight for survival. Samir, the chef originally a regional manager for Syrian Airlines, and Diana, a lawyer, said that locals in Putney have been very supportive, describing them as “like a family”.

She also explains that despite the tough climate in the restaurant sector, they are determined to continue to bring quality Lebanese food to their neighbourhood, which they say has been very welcoming, and where their twelve-year-old son Karim currently attends a local school.

Labour Minister Fleur Anderson told LBC, “I am horrified that a local restaurant in Putney, Julia Domna, has been broken into, the property damaged, and money stolen. This is a very rare occurrence in Putney, and I have asked the local police to review this incident and to restore the confidence of shop owners and residents”.

The MP for Putney adds, “We really value our excellent local businesses in Putney, and I know that the local community will rally to support Julia Domna. I have written to the owners to offer my support and hope to visit them soon”.

Their money from the cash register is gone, and there is still a large cardboard sheet which replaces where the restaurant door once stood, but the restaurant is back open, and the couple are still determined to find out why their establishment was targeted.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact police on 101, with the reference ’468 / 11 August 24’.