FWOT robbed at gunpoint

Fingers, Wings and Other Things, a popular campus restaurant located at 40th and Locust streets, was robbed at gunpoint of more than $200 Monday night. The incident occurred at approximately 9 p.m., according to University Police reports. Only two customers were in the restaurant at the time of the robbery, according to a cashier who was working at the time. Mohammed Remy, a delivery person for the restaurant, said there were six employees present during the robbery. The cashier, who requested anonymity, explained that the incident appeared innocuous in the beginning. "A guy placed an order and then asked where the bathroom was," she said, explaining that the bathroom is located directly behind the entrance to the kitchen. "A minute later, a second guy asks for the bathroom, and I tell him that it's being used," she said. "He just smiled. "When I turned around I saw that the first guy already had his gun pointed at the two cooks," she added. According to Remy, three males were involved in the incident. "One stood with his gun in the cashier's back and told her to open the register," he said. "Another stood by the entrance into the restaurant as a lookout. The last one pointed his gun at my forehead and demanded my money." Remy said he was struck by the fact that none of the gunmen attempted to disguise their appearance. "I was face to face with one of the guys," he said, adding that "for some reason I wasn't scared." The entire robbery only lasted about three minutes, according to the cashier. After taking more than $200 from the register and the delivery person, the gunmen ordered all of the employees to lay on the ground and wait for 50 seconds, Remy said. He added that the police were notified one minute later. Then the three assailants jumped into a waiting silver Mercedes and sped away down 40th Street, according to University Police Captain John Richardson, who described the robbery "as quite a gamble for the criminals." Richardson explained that in addition to the restaurant's proximity to Police headquarters, the University Police conduct regular foot patrols along the street. And the Uni-Mart convenience store, popular with police officers "as a pit stop for doughnuts and coffee," is also located on the block, Richardson added. This is the second time FWOT has been robbed in the last four years. According to one of the restaurant's managers, FWOT has a panic button linked to the Philadelphia Police Department. But it is attempting to switch the panic button over to the University Police, he added.