Mr Chicken Express goes cashless after third robbery
The fed-up owners of Devonshire takeout restaurant are moving to a cashless system after the outlet was hit by armed robbers for the third time since it opened in 2013.
Mr Chicken Express fell victim to the latest robbery last month and police are investigating the matter. The Bermuda Police Service confirmed last week that no arrests had been made.
The popular restaurant was targeted by armed robbers in 2014 and 2015 and the owners announced they were considering only accepting credit card transactions after the second incident.
In the first instance, two men — one with a knife and the other with a gun — approached the business demanding money, but were unsuccessful.
In 2015, two men entered the outlet, one brandishing a knife, and made off with a small amount of cash.
Tamara Furbert, the daughter of the owners, said safety was the priority and that removing cash from the property would deter potential criminals.
Ms Furbert told The Royal Gazette: “We are letting the police do their job — but, as a family, we decided that, for that specific location, it would be safer for our staff and our customers all around to be able to use a debit or credit card only.
“The person or people who do it are pretty brazen. I believe they take advantage of our Devonshire location because of how it is tucked away, so we decided to go cashless at that location to alleviate the fear of our staff and customers.
“It should be an easy adjustment for our customers.”
The move came on September 27.
Ms Furbert added: “We have four other stores if you want to use cash — the Hamilton branch is a just few miles away.”
The BPS said that in the latest incident, a man had forced his way into the establishment through a back door and brandished a knife. He grabbed a drawer containing a quantity of cash from the register.
He then left, making his way towards Upland Street.
The suspect was described as a slim dark-skinned male, about 6ft 4in. He wore dark clothing as well as a black helmet with a dark visor.
Ms Furbert added: “The staff were shaken up initially. However, it was over very quickly.
“We are grateful to the customers we have in our Devonshire location. We have customers who like to go to certain branches and we have a huge following there.
“I’d also like to thank the public for their flexibility and patience during this time.”
Anyone with information or who may have been in the area of Watlington Road East, Upland Street or Middle Road, Devonshire, between 9.30pm and 10.30pm on September 20, and saw anything suspicious, is asked to call Detective Constable Zaakira Lee, of the Criminal Investigations Unit, on 515-2551 or e-mail zlee@bps.bm.
Acting Detective Sergeant Assad Akle can also be contacted on 515-2547 or at aakle@bps.bm.
Reports can be made by calling 211, 295-0011 or the independent and confidential Crime Stoppers number, 800-8477.
Alternatively, information can be provided directly to an officer or through the police community reporting portal at portal.police.bm.
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