Bizarre robbery at New York restaurant

Many students taking culinary courses online have dreams of one day climbing high enough in the hospitality world to open their own restaurant. While this is a magnificent goal, the fantasy usually doesn’t involve considerations of what sort of security precautions one would have to take to ensure their restaurants safety. That absence of foresight may be partially responsible for a bizarre robbery that took place at Crema, an upscale Mexican restaurant in New York City, Friday, Sept. 13, 2014.

According to CBS New York, the restaurant was entered on Friday around 10:30 p.m. by three men wearing masks, one of whom was wielding a machete. The men apparently approached the host and demanded money before making off with the cash register and sprinting down West 17th Street and disappearing unapprehended. The robbery occurred during the later half of the dinner rush, when Crema was not as crowded as it would be during peak hours. In speaking with Gary Baumgarten of 1010 AM WINS, general manager Piero Rodriguez indicated that he believes the thin crowd, among other factors, led to their restaurant being targeted.

“It’s because we were already quieted down so it’s easier. The restaurant next door had more tables than we did and they have huge windows,” said Rodriguez.

While the New York Daily News has reported that nobody was injured during the robbery, it came as a shock to many patrons eating in the restaurant. Apparently, the neighborhood in which the robbery occurred is not exactly known as a high-crime area. Multiple news sources have reported that the staff at Crema now intend to invest in more security cameras, as well as bolt down the new cash register.