Monday morning patrons who had not heard about a weekend break-in at Cafe Berlin might not have known anything had happened at the popular downtown brunch spot and music venue.

The restaurant was nearly at its 128-person capacity and business had resumed as usual, but owner Eli Gay said workers still were taking inventory of what was damaged or destroyed. About 40 employees and volunteers worked throughout the day Sunday to clean up and have Cafe Berlin reopen that night for a concert that Gay said drew between 200 and 300 people throughout the evening.

Information about the break-in and scope of the vandalism first was posted on Cafe Berlin�s Facebook page Sunday morning. Gay said the last employees left the restaurant at about 5 p.m. Saturday and that he found the damage when he arrived to open the business at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Whoever came in cut electric cords to refrigerators and a musical sound board, which also was damaged by milk that was poured over it.

Sinks were clogged with towels and water left running, beer taps were opened to drain kegs and electronics were smashed, he said.

�It seemed like it was a calculated attack on our systems,� Gay said.

Gay said the break-in likely began between 1 and 2 a.m. Sunday, when the computer system shut down. It appeared the culprit pried open a back window to get in. With the crime occurring right about the time bars close for the night in Columbia, Gay said he hopes someone saw something that can help police close the case.

Emily Ochoa and her husband, Anthony, were at the cafe for breakfast Monday morning.

�If I walked in here not knowing anything had happened, I wouldn�t have known anything had happened,� Anthony Ochoa said.

The community quickly offered assistance through Cafe Berlin�s Facebook page, where hundreds had left comments by early Sunday afternoon. Several area businesses offered to help as well. The Tanner Lee Band offered to perform in a fundraising show. The most common offer simply was to help clean up the damage.

Gay said Monday that he had received well wishes from people from all over the world who had been to his business, from as far away as Germany and Japan.

�You don�t always get to see the impact you�ve had on the world,� Gay said of the response.

Columbia police were investigating the break-in, photographing the damage and interviewing Gay and his employees Sunday. Cash registers, some of which contained money to make change on Sunday, were untouched, Gay said.

�Nothing was missing,� he said.

Gay estimated the damage in the tens of thousands of dollars. He said he will file an insurance claim for the damage.

�It is extreme,� he said.

Police had not relayed any information to Gay about any arrests or an update on the case Monday morning, he said. Columbia Police Department spokespeople did not respond to a request for comment.

Occasional Cafe Berlin patron Martin Turner said he came to the restaurant to show his support after hearing about the weekend�s incident.

�It sounded like revenge more than robbery,� Turner said.

This story was first published online on Sunday, January 15, 2017 at 11:51 a.m.