Diners & Staff Robbed at Gunpoint During Dinner at Restaurant Atchafalaya

Horrifying news this morning with Robert Morris reporting that Atchafalaya was robbed by two gunmen during dinner service last night, September 24. The men entered the beloved Irish Channel eatery at 10 p.m. and demanded the wallets of customers and staff before fleeing.

NOLA.com also reports this terrifying account of last night's robbery, as told to them by Atchafalaya chef Chris Lynch, who was working in the kitchen at the time of the robbery:

Five customers were inside the Louisiana Avenue restaurant around 9:45 p.m. when its manager spotted two masked men in hooded sweatshirts heading toward the door... The manager rushed to lock the front door... and yelled for customers to place any rings in their pockets. The gunmen kicked down the door... emptied the cash register and took property from employees and customers before leaving toward Laurel Street.

This comes about a month after the frightening robbery at Uptown fave Patois, wherein three masked gunmen forced customers and staff to lie on the floor and proceeded to rob them, fleeing way before the cops showed up.  After comparing surveillance videos of both robberies, Lynch notes that the footage is "eerily similar."

Further Coverage: Nola.com, Advocate, WWL, Fox 8, Gambit, Nola Defender