NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Police believe that a string of robberies at Cracker Barrel restaurants in Tennessee and Kentucky may be connected. Metro Police said there are too many similarities between hold ups in Nashville and Franklin, Kentucky.
On Friday, Metro Police released surveillance video from the Cracker Barrel on Percy Priest Drive in Donelson which was robbed in July.
The robbers appeared to be a man and a woman with guns forced employees back into the restaurant after they had closed for the night. They led the employees back to an office and a safe and stole an undisclosed amount of cash.
"Once they lock the store no one is going to be inside and they kind of have a free reign and can take their time to commit the crime. They don't have to worry about alarms. It's pretty smart actually," said John Drake with Metro Police.
Police say they wore gloves and tight fitting masks as if they'd robbed a restaurant before.
Two weeks before the Cracker Barrel robbery in Donelson, on July 8th a man and woman in masks and armed with guns ambushed three employees Cracker Barrel in Franklin, Kentucky before the store opened.
"You know, we have robberies from time to time, but not like this," said Drake.
Franklin, Kentucky Police say the robbers tied the employees up with zip ties, and then stole $6,000 from the safe.
The woman slipped up in Kentucky and called out the name Chris to her partner in crime. It's one of the few leads police have in the case.
Metro Police believe the suspects fled the scene in a 2004 or 2005 Land Rover. Surveillance cameras captured the SUV several times in the parking lot in Donelson.
Detectives hope someone will recognize it or the people driving.
"Maybe their build, the vehicle may trigger someone to say hey I know someone with a car like that and I know a couple like that maybe they'll contact us and give us some leads ," said Drake.
Police believe the robbers were casing the restaurant in Nashville for several minutes. They appeared to leave the vehicle a couple of times before they committed the crime.
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