A popular West Hollywood restaurant is recovering after an early-morning burglary led to thousands of dollars in losses and extensive damage.

The owner of Lala’s Argentine Grill on Melrose Avenue said the break-in happened about 6:15 a.m. Saturday – just hours after staff closed the restaurant for the night.

“We were closing last night around 1 a.m.,” said owner Horacio Weschler. “At 6:15, we had a gentleman that broke in, broke the lock in the door, went straight to the register and took all the cash. He knew exactly what he was doing.”

Security footage shows the suspect breaking a glass patio door, putting on gloves, and using a tool to smash into the restaurant. Weschler said the entire burglary lasted less than a minute, but the thief escaped with nearly $3,000 in cash.

“The damage

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