The robber walked in around 5:30 p.m. wearing a pillowcase over his head and carrying a large kitchen knife in his hand, according to police.
The man pushed his way through the line and up to the counter, where he demanded money from the cashier. That’s when a man standing nearby waiting for his order hit him in the head with a wooden chair.
"I'm sure it didn't feel good. (The robber) didn't even try to continue what he was doing," Yuba City Police Department Lt. Jim Runyen told the Sacramento Bee.
The robber fell to the ground, got up and ran to a white sedan where a getaway driver was waiting, according to police.
The man who hit the robber was in town visiting his parents and went to the restaurant to pick up something to eat.
"I didn't want Christmas Day to turn into a memorial for another family," Daniel, who asked not to be identified out of safety, told the Appeal Democrat Tuesday.
Police are still searching for the robber and driver.
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