Enthusiastic squawking once again fills the alley-like entrance to R. Thomas Deluxe Grill in Buckhead.
Ruby, Peaches and Cream, the exotic birds who live at the quirky Peachtree Road restaurant — and loudly greet customers — have returned home and appear to be recuperating well from their ordeal Friday.
Early that morning, they were stolen from their enclosures, transferred to a trailer and taken to the alleged thief’s home. They were tracked down later that day by Atlanta police and the suspect, 48-year-old Adam Deck, was arrested.
Longtime R. Thomas employee Waring Murray helped retrieve the birds after they were found by police. He said he could tell they were traumatized because they were much less vocal than usual.
“When we got to them, they were very quiet, very timid,” Murray told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution during a visit to the restaurant Tuesday. “They appeared to be traumatized, in that they were out of their environment. They did not like where they were at.”
It’s hard to imagine these birds being quiet as they happily squawked, screeched and chattered for the restaurant’s employees and guests lavishing attention on them around lunchtime Tuesday. Ruby is a Catalina Macaw, a hybrid of a Scarlet Macaw and a Blue-and-Gold Macaw, while brothers Peaches and Cream are Moluccan Cockatoos.
All three are considered intelligent, sensitive and high-maintenance, Murray said, but they can also be extremely social and affectionate. They recognized him when he and the restaurant’s bird handler went to pick them up.
“When we got the back of that trailer open, one of the birds just hopped on my arm,” Murray told the AJC. “I said, ‘Here, let’s go home.’ The bird jumped on my arm and off we go to my truck.”
In total, the beloved birds were away from home for less than 12 hours. Murray said he and the staff were “amazed” at how quickly the bird-napping was resolved.
“The Atlanta Police Department did an outstanding job,” Murray said. “They did their homework. They jumped on it. And before the case was cold, they were able to have these birds returned.”
Deck, the suspected thief, was booked into the Fulton County Jail on Friday and remained there Tuesday on $15,000 bond, according to online records. Murray said they are not sure about Deck’s motive for allegedly stealing the birds.
Though exotic birds can often fetch thousands of dollars when sold legally, Murray said the potential for profit did not seem to be a factor.
“He was trying to take care of them, from what I understand,” Murray said.
According to Murray, the suspect seemed to be familiar with the restaurant. He used spray paint to obscure several cameras in the area, including some belonging to R. Thomas and neighboring restaurant Sufi’s Kitchen. Alongside the spray-painted security cameras, the suspect left a heart-shaped graffiti tag.
Despite his efforts, the suspect did not cover every lens in an area bristling with both public and private surveillance cameras. An undamaged camera at R. Thomas was able to get a pretty clear view of the dark-colored truck’s license plate, information that helped police track down the suspect.
According to publicly available records, Deck does not have a criminal history. Records kept by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office and Deck’s own LinkedIn profile show that he owns a business dealing in sustainable construction supplies, such as reclaimed steel beams and recycled wood cladding.
Whatever the motive for their theft, Ruby, Peaches and Cream were in much better spirits several days after they were recovered, Murray said. He explained how the tropical birds were comfortable in their familiar, shaded enclosures and said they chew through toys like crazy. Their plastic-lined cages are sheltered from the wind and heated, but when the temperature dips too low, they are taken inside.
Linay Thomas Sheltra, the restaurant’s owner, said their veterinarian would check on Ruby, Peaches and Cream after a week or so, allowing them time to reacclimate.
Outside of R. Thomas, as the birds preened and posed for cameras Tuesday, a customer walked up to Murray and said she recognized him from TV after he was interviewed by multiple local stations Friday.
“I just wanted to say I’m glad you got the birds back!” she said, echoing the thoughts of thousands of R. Thomas customers who have come to love the restaurant’s noisy greeters.
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