A RESTAURANT has hired armed guards to protect the establishment in a supposed effort to protect customers from crime risks.

On the west side of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a new cheesesteak joint called Jim’s West Steaks & Hoagies took significant security measures to ensure it operates without interference.

Victoria Wylie, co-owner of the establishment, explained that armed guards around the property were a preventative measure, as they didn’t want to only focus on security as a reactionary response.

“What we have become accustomed to in society is to react to issues once they happen,” Wylie explained to Fox News.

“It’s too late.”

She stressed that the decision was for the protection of customers who put their time and money into the business.

“One incident where someone is severely hurt or even passes away from me is not acceptable,” the co-owner added.

“We’re thinking about preventing violence and crime from happening versus reacting to violence and crime happening.”

Wylie continued: “We did it as a deterrent and a precautionary measure to really just say that we are thinking about all possible situations that could happen, and we want customers to know that safety is really important to us.”

Pictures obtained by the news outlet showed the armed guards clad in black body armor with assault rifles in hand, slung over their shoulders.

A clip on Instagram from Jim’s West Steaks & Hoagies (@jimswestphilly) on September 9 also featured the bodyguard briefly, with a staff member showing people waiting in line for the cheesesteaks at the restaurant’s grand opening.

The co-owner noted that the bodyguards would be at the restaurant every single day during its operating hours — monitoring the area to protect customers.

“We did this because we want to protect our consumers,” Wylie re-emphasized to Fox News.

“We want to protect our employees, and of course, we want our business to be safe.”

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The addition of the bodyguards also came after the previous owners of what was then Jim’s Steaks in 2015 suffered an armed robbery that resulted in the loss of $215 from the cash register and customers, per the Philly Voice.

Wylie noted that the incident was a harrowing warning that prompted her and the other owner to take action.

“We don’t want that to happen to our business,” she said.

“These were some of the factors that contributed to why armed security was decided on in this ownership.”

Philadelphia has seemingly been suffering from increased crime rates for some time.

At least 70,000 property crimes were recorded in 2022, according to data collected by the Philadelphia Police Department.

The numbers were a staggering 30 percent increase from 2021.

Armed robberies decreased by 13 percent from 2021 to 2022 but are still in an increased state from pre-Coronavirus Philadelphia.

Even so, just last month, organized theft groups targeted and stole from several establishments in the city over the course of several consecutive nights.

Of those businesses that suffered, 20 were state-run liquor shops, and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced the closure of all 48 locations in the city until they felt it was safe to open up again.

Other data collected by cops revealed that there were over 500 homicides in the city over the past two years.

Overall crime also increased 16 percent to date.

“We do this to deter that type of stuff from the beginning,” Wylie stressed.

For more related content, check out The U.S. Sun’s coverage of the former Best Buy CEO’s recent comments on rampant retail theft around the United States.

The U.S. Sun also has the story of the several lootings and thefts in Philadelphia recorded last month.