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Earl Stevens, better known as E-40, has plenty of business ventures. However, some of them are more personal pursuits and it appears one of his key restaurants suffered an unfortunate event over the weekend.
What Happened To E-40’s Restaurant?
On Sunday Morning (June 14th), two thieves broke into The Lumpia Company, stealing equipment, food, and merchandise. Worst of all: they stole the setup for the restaurant’s planned FIFA World Cup Watch Party.
The Oakland, California restaurant resides on the waterfront near Jack London Square.
On Instagram, co-owner and chef Alex Retodo talked about the aftermath of the burglary.
“This hurts because it’s not just equipment,” he wrote. “It’s the experiences we’ve worked hard to create for our community…We won’t lie, this one hurts. But we’re still here. We’re still serving lumpia, and we’re not going anywhere.”
Security cameras also caught the whole thing, and the suspects faces are public.
How Did Earl Stevens Get Involved With The Restaurant?
In a 2019 article for Eater, E-40 explained why he chose to invest in the former food truck.
“Being from Vallejo, California, my surroundings included all walks of life, very diverse,” E-40 said. “Filipinos are a big part of Vallejo’s community… some of my best friends Filipino. I ate lumpia with the kids I grew up around, and it became one of my favorite dishes of all time.”
Since then, the business has grown exponentially, becoming a go to spot for Filipino eats in Oakland.
Obviously, E-40 was informed of the break in, which Retodo confirmed to news outlet KRON.
“My partner [E-40] called me on his jet and said, ‘Hey, what happened?’ He’s like, ‘I saw the news.’ I said, ‘E-40, we are going to be OK,’” Retodo told KRON. “We wanted to open with a bang today, playing the [World Cup] games, but we had to turn customers away. We had a party outside; made it happen, but it wasn’t the same.”
The good news is the restaurant is back up and running, with watch parties planned this week.
