TacoMac attempted robbery first of its kind for 30-year-old business

The attempted robbery early Sunday at the TacoMac in Virginia-Highland marks the first such incident for the TacoMac chain, which opened in 1979, according to the Tappan Restaurant Group.

Spokeswoman Susie Oddo confirmed that an employee taking out trash after 3 a.m. Sunday morning was confronted by a gunman, who then entered the back of the restaurant on Virginia Avenue while holding a gun to the employee. At that time, the manager on duty, whose name has not been released, was cleaning in front of the restaurant when he saw what was unfolding inside. The manager rushed to his car to get his licensed gun, she said.

Kimberly Smith / ksmith@ajc.com

A gunman entered the back of the Taco Mac on Virginia Avenue while holding a gun on an employee.

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According to authorities, the manager fired shots at the gunman. The would-be robber fled and may have been injured.

No employees were hurt in the incident and Oddo said Tappan is working with police to apprehend the suspect.

TacoMac was open Sunday and today with its usual hours, though employees have been offered paid time-off, as well as trauma counseling.

Oddo said the incident serves a reminder to reinforce safety protocols, such as not walking to one’s car alone or to take out trash in pairs.

“You assume business as usual, but in this business, there are inherent dangers,” she said.

“I think the restaurant community is still reeling from what happened at the Standard a few months ago.”

In that Jan. 7 incident, waiter John Henderson died after he was shot twice in the head by robbers following his shift at Standard Food and Spirits on Memorial Drive.