An Auckland bakery that shot to prominence following Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox’s British Open victory has been forced to close temporarily after an alleged break-in attempt left its doors damaged and a window smashed.
Rollers Bakery co-owner Tamara Tait told 1News her business partner was alone inside the Northcote shop preparing sourdough and pastries when a man approached at around 3.30am on Saturday.
The man allegedly tried to enter through a side door before moving to the front of the bakery, where Tait said he began trying to force his way inside.
“He started ramming the door with his shoulder quite aggressively," Tait said.
She said her business partner barricaded himself inside using bread racks as the man continued trying to enter.
"There was a broken window, and he did manage to smash the door pretty much off the hook."
The alleged offender eventually fled the scene without getting inside. Police arrived shortly afterwards.
Nothing was stolen from the bakery, Tait said, and her business partner was physically unharmed in the incident.
"He was a bit shaken up, but he handled it well," she said.
The damage forced Rollers to close for the day while broken glass was cleared and repairs to the door got underway.
Tait said staff spent part of the morning outside the bakery explaining what had happened to regulars who arrived for their usual Saturday bread.
“There’s been a lot of disappointed customers, but they understand. Everyone’s been really, really nice," Tait said.
The incident followed a busy period for the small Northcote bakery, which attracted national attention after Ryan Fox visited fresh off the plane after his British Open victory in July.
Rollers made the Kiwi golf champion's favourite pie, featuring steak, bacon jam and cheese.
Tait described the recent attention as a welcome “winter boost” for the business, but believed the "very random, pointless attack" was unrelated.
“It almost seemed like they were looking for a fight or just trying to cause damage," she said.
“It sucks because we’re just kind of getting back to a little bit more normality and getting on top of our prep and stuff like that. So we were really looking forward to actually opening today."
Rollers would remain closed on Saturday before its usual Sunday-to-Tuesday closure, with plans to reopen on Wednesday.
Inquiries into the circumstances of the incident remained ongoing.
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