Thanks to neighbors, Lincoln cafe that changed hours due to crime will be open late again

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Black Sheep Cafe at 27th and Randolph streets will be a late-night pit stop again.

Neighbors have promised the owner, who was concerned about crime, to keep a watchful eye on the business.

The restaurant started in March and was open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

But the owner, Nora Martinez, stopped serving customers at night due to an increase in crime in the Woods Park neighborhood.

She said teenagers with a gun robbed people walking around in the neighborhood at night.

“Individuals had rolled up on them in a car and took their belongings,” Martinez said. “A few individuals happened to be assaulted, like pistol-whipped.”

After the robberies, she feared for the safety of herself and her customers.

“I have two boys at home; I have one on the way,” she said, “And so for me, getting home to them is super important, and I never thought coming to work would have a risk of that not happening.”

Martinez said the reduction in hours cut her revenue by more than a quarter.

“Without having the late nights, it definitely sucks,” she said. “It definitely put a dent in revenue for us, so that hasn’t been the easiest to rebound from.”

But because of support from her neighbors, she’ll be open for late nights again.

She said they come in often just to check up on her.

“There’s a few people who are in the houses right behind our building,” Martinez said. “And so they’ve all came in like, ‘If you ever need anything, I’m right behind there. I’ll keep an eye out if I ever see anything, I’ll call it in.'”

Martinez said she feels safer now knowing her neighbors are looking out for her.

“The awareness has just gone up so much, and the community really came together when all that was happening,” she said.

She plans to ease back into things by opening up from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., starting Friday.