MERIDEN, Conn. (WTNH) — The owners of a brand new restaurant in Meriden are pleading for the public’s help after their meat smoker was swiped over the weekend.

“When we walked over to unlock it, there were no chains to unlock,” said Shamieka Williams, co-owner of 2 Broke Chix.

2 Broke Chix, had only been open a matter of weeks when co-owners Williams and Melanie Mathers discovered the smoker was missing on Saturday. Now, they’re hoping someone knows who took it.

“We want the one we had, we want our smoker,” Williams said.

The smoker was a gift from Mathers’ father.

“It was a heartbreaker because it came from him, specifically for us,” Mathers said.

The cost to replace it would also set the business back.

“We’re just starting out, so there are a lot of things that we still need that we are lacking and working towards,” Williams said.

While Meriden police investigate and try to track the smoker down, Williams and Mathers said they’ll only continue forward by bringing soul food — made with love — to the Meriden community and beyond.

“We are very ambitious, and we are not the type to let anything stop us,” Mathers said. “We’re going to keep going.”

Anyone with information about this missing smoker is asked to call Meriden police.