Beef Thief on the Loose After Stealing $15K in Meat from a Georgia Steakhouse

The Roswell, Georgia Police Department is looking for a man who allegedly broke into a local steakhouse and stole more than $15,000 worth of meat. "We have a beef with him," the cops wrote on the department's Facebook page, adding that they already had "multiple warrants" for his arrest for second-degree burglary.

According to WSB-TV, Uncle Jack's steakhouse had filled its walk-in freezers in preparation for Valentine's Day, so when the suspect broke in, there was an impressive selection of meats for him to choose from. He reportedly helped himself to everything from pricy Kobe and Wagyu beef, to ahi tuna and salmon, to the restaurant's almost comically oversized tomahawk chops.

"They're like 20 inches long," Uncle Jack's owner Willie Degel told the outlet. "Now [you're] running around with Fred Flintstone racks of beef inside your car?" (Uncle Jack's previously shared a picture of those steaks on Facebook, and they do look a lot like the huge slab of meat that Fred's served in the cartoon's opening credits.)

Because his first break-in was such a success, the man came back later that same week and broke into the same freezer — despite the fact that the restaurant had beefed up (pun intended) its locks. That wasn't enough to stop him from filling his car with even more high-quality meat.

Although losing five-figures' worth of inventory is hard enough, the restaurant said that the tougher part was explaining to customers why some entrees were temporarily unavailable. "We've had to be very open and honest with our guests, and we had to reduce our menu some," General Manager Eddie Elrod told FOX5 Atlanta.

After some members of the restaurant staff reviewed the security footage of the burglaries, the head chef recognized the suspect as a man who had recently interviewed for a job at the restaurant — and whose first day was scheduled to be the Friday after the break-ins. (We're gonna guess he didn't show.) So what does somebody do with "Fred Flintstone racks of beef," steaks, and tuna? Degel believes he's selling the meat to another restaurant.

In a weird way, Uncle Jack's is taking the two break-ins as a compliment. "Our steaks must be the best in Fulton County," they wrote on Facebook, adding the hashtag #BEEFBURGLER [sic]. "We know who you are!" Anyone who has information about the burglaries is encouraged to call the Roswell Police Department at 770-640-4100. Anonymous tips can also be sent to Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or at StopCrimeATL.org.