Rug thieves hit Madonna Inn steakhouse in SLO for fifth time. ‘We’re on our last nerve’

The elusive Madonna Inn rug thieves have struck again.

Around 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, two college-aged young men wearing nondescript black hoodies and medical masks were seen snatching the Madonna Inn welcome rug from the entry way of the hotel’s Gold Rush Steak House, general manager Connie Pearce told The Tribune. They then ran to a silver pickup truck waiting in the parking lot and quickly drove off, she said.

“They did it right in front of our host,” Pearce said, who also captured the incident on the hotel’s security cameras. She is asking for help identifying the thieves and their vehicle.

This isn’t the first time the hotel has fallen victim to this unique crime. The rug has now been stolen five times since 2021, and it’s the second time this year. The rug was also stolen in March.

“We’re on our last nerve,” Pearce said. “It’s our property. It’s not their property.”

The welcome mat is custom made with the Madonna Inn crest logo printed on it. Every time it has been stolen, they have had to re-purchase a new one, Pearce said.

“It’s not something that you can just buy anywhere,” she said. Pearce previously estimated the value of the rug at $250.

Pearce suspects the reoccurring crime to be the work of a Cal Poly fraternity as a part of an initiation pledge or prank, though she isn’t sure which one.

In an attempt to dupe the robbers, Pearce said she took the rug out of the steakhouse foyer for the month of October, figuring that was when fraternity initiation would be happening. But within two weeks of her putting it back out for November, it was gone.

The details of the thefts have changed slightly over the years — previously, the thieves have worn more identifiable clothing like fraternity sweatshirts and sailors hats, face masks or no masks at all, but it is always a pair of young men, and the target of the burglary is always the welcome rug.

In the past, the thieves have lingered inside the steakhouse for longer periods of time, but this time they just opened the front doors, grabbed the rug and ran, Pearce said.

“Its a really adolescent, ridiculous prank,” Pearce said, but added that “someone is going to get hurt.”

“Those guys were speeding out of (the parking lot) while two young guys … were jumping into the truck while it was moving,” she said.

Thieves steal rug from Madonna Inn steakhouse 4 years in a row. Is it a fraternity prank?

Pearce said she had gone directly to the university in the past, but this time she also reported the incident to the police.

San Luis Obispo Police Department public information officer Christine Wallace said the police are aware of the incident and it is under investigation.

Cal Poly media relations director Matt Laizer said the university is also aware of the incident but deferred to the police with any information or questions as they are leading the investigation.

Thieves’ pickup caught on camera at the Madonna Inn

Pearce captured security footage of the burglary in action, including photos of the thieves and their get-away car. She posted the pictures on Facebook in an attempt to identify the suspects.

On Facebook, Pearce described the pickup truck as a four-door, pewter-colored 2007 GMC Sierra 4×4 with custom wheels and brake lights.

The license plate, which read 169ZRD, looked to be from Nevada, she said. She told The Tribune the car had no front plate and a thin, translucent gray film over the back plate, she thinks to try and wash out the numbers from onlookers.

The truck had a small lift, step rails, a black bed liner and a bumper trailer hitch, she said.

“They wheels on this truck are … definitely custom,” Pearce said. “The truck is so tricked out. It’s only a matter of time,” before it is found, she said.

She also told The Tribune the truck bed was full of beer boxes and what appeared to be a parking permit hung from the rear-view mirror.

As for the thieves, Pearce described them as “very tall, slender, Caucasian kids” in their “late teens or early twenties.”

“They were the only two people in the parking lot with matching black hoodies and matching masks,” Pearce said.

Pearce advertised a $500 reward for the return of the rug and identification of the people responsible.

She asked for anyone with information to send her a direct message on Facebook or report it to the SLO Police Department.

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