Another day, another Waffle House robbery.
On Friday, a bandit struck the Waffle House at U.S. 78 and Rockbridge Road in Gwinnett County. It was the 18th time in two weeks that a Waffle House was robbed at gunpoint.
Officer S.D. Martin said he was dispatched to a robbery in progress at the Waffle House at 1945 Rockbridge Road.
When he arrived he found two employess on the roof of the business. They told the officer that a gunman may still be inside the restaurant. The officer made sure no one was inside, then he spoke to the two employees.
Employee Daniel Cowans told police he was outside the Waffle House taking a break and talking on his cell phone when a man with a shirt tied around his face approached him quickly and drew a gun. He said the man cocked the gun and said "you'd better run before I kill you." Cowans said he ran back into the business and told coworker Reginald Hursey they were being robbed. Cowans said he and Hursey ran out the back door of the restaurant and climbed the ladder to the roof where they did not think the gunman would find them.
Police said Hursey confirmed to them that he was inside the restaurant working when Cowans ran in and told him to run because they were being robbed. Hursey said he saw the gunman coming into the restaurant. He described the man as being between a height of 5′8 and 5′10, possibly with dreadlocks.
After clearing the restaurant, police determined that the only thing missing was a laptop belonging to Hursey. The gunman had tried unsuccessfully to open the cash register, police said.
When district manager Natalee Pessoa Martinez arrived, she was able to show police video surveillance of the incident. The video showed the two employees running to the rear of the restaurant while two men entered. Cowans and Hursey said they never saw the second robber.
On Thursday, the Waffle House at the intersection of Powers Ferry and Delk roads in Marietta was robbed. A male suspect walked into the restaurant, ordered his food, ate, then paid for his meal, Sgt. Dana Pierce with Cobb County police said. The man then pointed a gun at employees and demanded cash from the drawer.
Next, the suspect walked out of the store and headed north toward a convenience store, Pierce said. No one was injured.
Investigators believe the man could be part of a duo that may be responsible for similar crimes at 15 other Waffle Houses in the metro area, Sgt. Bill Grogan with the Norcross Police Department told the AJC. Similar robberies have also been reported at Waffle House restaurants in LaGrange and Auburn, Ala., Grogan said.
In some of the robberies, there were two men involved. In others, one of the two men has acted alone, Grogan said.
The MO in most of the robberies has been the same: The perpetrators appear to be two hungry men, placing a to-go order at the Waffle House counter in the early-morning hours. They order food, then sit and wait while the food is prepared.
But when the food is ready and it's time to pay, one of the men pulls a gun and demands cash, Grogan said.
"They're real patient," Grogan said. "They just sit there and wait."
One of the first restaurants the two robbed was on Brook Hollow Parkway in Norcross, not far from the company's headquarters.
Since then, restaurants in Gwinnett, DeKalb, Fulton and Henry counties have been hit, Grogan said. All of the robberies followed a similar pattern, police told the AJC.
“It’s obvious that they’re there to commit the robbery, not for the food," Grogan said. "Most likely, they’ve been in a lot of Waffle Houses over the last two weeks.”
Thursday's incident was different than others because the male suspect ate his meal, possibly using the time to survey the restaurant, Pierce said. In other incidents, the suspects have left the prepared food behind.
Still, the latest incident has been linked to the previous heists, Grogan said Thursday afternoon.
Monday night, two restaurants were robbed within hours in DeKalb County, Detective Jennifer Miller with DeKalb County Police said. Miller said someone robbed the Waffle House on Lawrenceville Highway and within hours hit the one on Chamblee-Tucker Road.
On Aug. 5, a black male wearing black sunglasses, a plain red baseball cap and a red polo shirt ordered food at the Waffle House on Brownsmill Road, south of downtown Atlanta, Carlos Campos, Atlanta police spokesman, told the AJC. When the food was ready, the man pulled out a silver handgun and demanded money before jumping over the counter and helping himself to cash, Campos said.
Investigators believe Waffle House restaurants are being targeted because they are open around the clock and often are situated on busy roadways, giving burglary suspects quick access to an interstate.
No one has been injured in the heists, which occurred between 2 and 6 a.m.
Surveillance camera images show the two suspects, who typically parked a vehicle nearby and then walked inside the restaurant. After grabbing cash, the suspects ran out of the store and back to their vehicle, Grogan said.
Anyone with information about the pair is asked to call Norcross police at 770-448-6457.
Cobb County investigators plan to review surveillance footage from Thursday's incident and possibly release images of the suspect, Pierce said. The suspect is described as a young black male, 5-feet-10 inches tall with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a white shirt and dark pants, possibly blue jeans, and a black “N.Y.” hat, police said.
Anyone with information about the Cobb County crime is asked to call 770-499-3945. Anonymous tips can also be phoned into Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.
Those eating or working at Waffle House should also be alert for the pair, police said.
"Waffle House is a southern, Georgia staple," Grogan said. "We want someone to identify them."
Waffle House is offering $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the robberies.
“The security of our Customers and Associates is our top priority,” Waffle House Vice President Pat Warner said in a statement. “We encourage anyone with information about these incidents to call the authorities immediately.”
About the Author
