Attempted Robbery

[SalixIncendium]

Just getting home from assisting local police investigate and attempted robbery that occurred a couple of hours ago at one of my restaurants.

Occurring after the dining room closed, the perpetrator ordered food like a regular guest at the drive thru speaker, drove around to the window, and as the cashier opened the window to collect, she pulled a gun and demanded money.

The cashier, thinking quickly upon seeing the gun, closed and locked the drive thru window and yelled "gun!"

I'm struggling to decide if this brave move was heroic or foolish. While he stopped the robbery and protected others inside the building, the robber could have pulled the trigger as he closed and locked the window. What do you think?

It also saddens me that someone would threaten an innocent life to steal a few bucks out of a cash drawer. Fortunately, we have some good video and the robber tried to open the window after it was locked leaving fingerprints the police were able to lift, so I'm confident the perpetrator will be caught and brought to justice.

 

[Valjean]

I'm wondering why he thought shutting and locking the window would stop a bullet -- or prevent the now angry theif from coming in the front door and cleaning out all the tills.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I'm wondering why he thought shutting and locking the window would stop a bullet -- or prevent the now angry their from coming in the front door and cleaning out all the tills.

The dining room closes two hours before the drive thru does. The robbery occurred 53 minutes before the drive thru closed.

Also, I suspect his intent was less to "stop a bullet," and more to protect himself and his coworkers. Had he not done so, the robber could have easily crawled into the restaurant.

 

[sun rise]

To me it's too easy to second guess decisions made "in the heat of battle". I'm just glad no one was harmed and there's a lot of evidence to use on the criminal.

 

[SomeRandom]

Quick thinking on the cashier’s part.
When I worked retail, we were constantly trained to just give the robber anything, take note of their appearance and then call the police.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Quick thinking on the cashier’s part.
When I worked retail, we were constantly trained to just give the robber anything, take note of their appearance and then call the police.

That's basically my exact experience with it here in America.

I'm struggling to decide if this brave move was heroic or foolish.

Both.

 

[Salvador]

Maybe it's time to consider bullet-proofing all the drive-thru windows at your restaurants. Furthermore, keep in mind. good guys with guns is what is often needed to stop bad guys with guns..

 

[Heyo]

I'm struggling to decide if this brave move was heroic or foolish. While he stopped the robbery and protected others inside the building, the robber could have pulled the trigger as he closed and locked the window. What do you think?

It was both heroic and foolish. You should praise the employee and at the same time make clear to your other employees that that is not a behaviour that you expect from them. Therefore the reward you'll give to the hero should be small and/or idealistic so that it can't be an incentive to repeat that heroism.

 

[Valjean]

Maybe it's time to consider bullet-proofing all the drive-thru windows at your restaurants. Furthermore, keep in mind. good guys with guns is what is often needed to stop bad guys with goods.

I can see it now, waitstaff at Roy Rogers wearing real six-guns.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Maybe it's time to consider bullet-proofing all the drive-thru windows at your restaurants. Furthermore, keep in mind. good guys with guns is what is often needed to stop bad guys with guns..

Fighting back during a robery is highly discouraged. Because, more often than not, people get hurt and killed, and needlessly so. Better everyone walk away unharmed than the wrong people getting hurt. Or maybe that's just me. A reasonable chance of surviving by them some pieces of paper, or risk my entire life by defending said papers that aren't even mine? And even if it is, I like living more than I like money.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

It was both heroic and foolish. You should praise the employee and at the same time make clear to your other employees that that is not a behaviour that you expect from them. Therefore the reward you'll give to the hero should be small and/or idealistic so that it can't be an incentive to repeat that heroism.

Pretty much this...

I'd be applauding his intent, but also suggesting the safety of people is your primary concern.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Maybe it's time to consider bullet-proofing all the drive-thru windows at your restaurants. Furthermore, keep in mind. good guys with guns is what is often needed to stop bad guys with guns..

Guns do not solve the problem, IF there were no guns for people to have, that would solve a problem. But it is the people who use the gun the wrong way (evil deeds) that is the problem.
Luckily for the person in the who was pointed at was quick enough to get away.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

It was both heroic and foolish. You should praise the employee and at the same time make clear to your other employees that that is not a behaviour that you expect from them. Therefore the reward you'll give to the hero should be small and/or idealistic so that it can't be an incentive to repeat that heroism.

You generally reward behaviors we want to encourage. Rewarding foolery is rather foolish.

 

[Estro Felino]

Hopefully the robber gets arrested.

 

[Shad]

I'm struggling to decide if this brave move was heroic or foolish. While he stopped the robbery and protected others inside the building, the robber could have pulled the trigger as he closed and locked the window. What do you think?

Brave if the warning was fast. Beside bravery and some foolishness go hand in hand so the focus is on intent.

 

[Aupmanyav]

When I worked retail, we were constantly trained to just give the robber anything, take note of their appearance and then call the police.

Right. The money can be recovered from the insurance.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

Just getting home from assisting local police investigate and attempted robbery that occurred a couple of hours ago at one of my restaurants.

Occurring after the dining room closed, the perpetrator ordered food like a regular guest at the drive thru speaker, drove around to the window, and as the cashier opened the window to collect, she pulled a gun and demanded money.

The cashier, thinking quickly upon seeing the gun, closed and locked the drive thru window and yelled "gun!"

I'm struggling to decide if this brave move was heroic or foolish. While he stopped the robbery and protected others inside the building, the robber could have pulled the trigger as he closed and locked the window. What do you think?

It could have been neither. I can't quite imagine how I would react in such a situation, but a large part of me thinks that I would react almost entirely reflexively or on instinct, so their action may not have really been based on a reasonable consideration of the facts.

Still it is a testament to them that in that situation, even if it was just an instinctive reaction, that their instincts told them to secure the restaurant and warn the customers. I would say that deserves some form of reward or acknowledgement - although, you might want to keep it quiet, since you don't want the rest of your workforce believing that they'll be rewarded for potentially putting themselves in danger.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Maybe it's time to consider bullet-proofing all the drive-thru windows at your restaurants. Furthermore, keep in mind. good guys with guns is what is often needed to stop bad guys with guns..

And just to point out another reason why such a mentality is a very bad and dangerous way to think about it, this "bad guy with a gun" was stopped by locking a window. You say a "good guy with a gun" is "often needed," yet non violence put them out of harms way and you want to jump straight to promoting a violent means to escalate a violent situation.

 

[Salvador]

And just to point out another reason why such a mentality is a very bad and dangerous way to think about it, this "bad guy with a gun" was stopped by locking a window. You say a "good guy with a gun" is "often needed," yet non violence put them out of harms way and you want to jump straight to promoting a violent means to escalate a violent situation.

This would-be robber is still on the loose and he is likely lurking around looking to attempt another armed-robbery; unfortunately, he hasn't already been taken down by a good guy with a gun. I wish there'd be armed store clerks to shoot would-be armed robbers.

 

[Augustus]

Furthermore, keep in mind. good guys with guns is what is often needed to stop bad guys with guns..

Then when the prospective robber whips out his piece, the staff member could remark "That's not a gun, THAT'S a gun" while opening fire with an M110 self-propelled howitzer.