Thieves break into Hygge bakery and steal cash register

Thieves broke into Hygge bakery on Barónsstígur in Reykjavík overnight, taking the cash register after forcing open the door, mbl.is reported.

They cut the cables to the checkout system and removed the register, but left a tip jar filled with coins and banknotes untouched.

“That’s what happens when you have some of the most popular croissants in town,” Axel Þorsteinsson, a baker, pastry chef and owner of Hygge’s four bakeries in the capital region, told mbl.is.

The burglary took place on the first day of Axel’s summer holiday.

“It’s a little funny. The first day I take off for the summer, there’s a break-in and everything is a mess this morning,” he said.

Axel said the cash register contained a substantial amount of money, as the bakery is usually busy. The burglary has been reported to police and is under investigation.

Staff arrived early to find the front door forced open. They immediately began repairing the damage and restoring the bakery so it could open and serve customers as usual.

“There wasn’t much else to do in this situation but try to open on time, and we managed that. We just started serving coffee. It was quite an eventful morning, but everything went well and everyone was happy in the good weather,” Axel said.

A replacement register was obtained quickly, he said, praising the checkout-system provider for its swift response. The bakery also had to obtain new cables after the original ones were cut.

Axel said the thieves had taken a significant amount of money because business had been particularly busy. He added that he was relieved they had not taken the large tip jar on the counter, which was full of coins and banknotes intended for the staff.

No suspects have been identified. Axel said the priority had been to restore normal operations, which had been achieved.