The Chill House in Frankfort was first hit in August and again Monday morning.
Surveillance video shows three masked suspects in dark clothing used sledgehammers to break into the long-time family-owned bar and restaurant in Frankfort Monday morning for the second time in just over a month.
"I mean, it was like déjà vu..." Stan Rousenelos, part owner of the Chill House, said. "It's kind of one of the most helpless feelings to know that somebody's inside your business smashing and robbing you, and you know the police have just been dispatched and they missed them by 30 seconds."
They're targeting video gambling machines in these smash-and-grab burglaries.
The cash-only systems are owned and maintained by gaming companies which receive a third of the profits earned. Another third goes to the state and the other third - to the businesses which operate them.
"They hit us for five of our six machines this time," Rousenelos said. "So it's almost like they're trained in it, they know exactly what they're doing."
Rousenelos said they hosted a large benefit over the weekend, so the suspects made away with thousands of dollars by smashing and prying open the machines full of cash, quickly.
"Let's face it, every restaurant, every gas station, every bar and grill now has these machines," he said. "They've become a necessity for business owners out here, unfortunately."
He said something about the system has to change and law enforcement knows that, too. That's why different agencies are teaming up to coordinate their efforts and arrest the criminals responsible.
More than 50 detectives from police departments and sheriff's offices across the Chicago suburbs have formed a task force to investigate video gaming thefts.
"I don't want anybody to feel scared to come in here and so that's why I need to take those steps because I want this to be the last time not only because it drives me crazy but because if we don't all as citizens stand up to this, then it's just going to get worse," Rousenelos said.
The family-owned business says it's now installing interior steel shutters and a 24-hour monitoring service to deter this from happening again.
The Will County Sheriff's Office said no one is in custody.