Police are investigating after two robbers forced workers at a St. Paul fast-food restaurant into the walk-in freezer and pistol-whipped the manager before getting away with cash over the weekend.

A 26-year-old employee was about to lock a door at the Burger King on East Seventh Street, near Maria Avenue, early Sunday when the door flew open and a man wearing a mask burst in, according to police. He pushed the worker against the counter, pointed a gun at him and demanded money, said Steve Linders, a St. Paul police spokesman.

The two suspects ordered the first worker, along with a 25-year-old employee and a 44-year-old manager on the ground and then into the freezer, police said. They had also instructed the manager to take the battery out of his cellphone and hand the phone over, according to Linders.

When the workers were in the freezer, the robbers took the manager out at gunpoint and made him unlock a door to get to the safe, Linders said. The robbers returned the manager to the freezer and one of them used the gun to strike his head.

The two shut the freezer door and left. The workers waited several minutes, left the freezer and called 911, Linders said.

Officers found the manager’s head wound bleeding profusely, according to Linders. He was taken to a hospital, treated and released.

One worker estimated they were in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes in total and said the suspect also had stolen his wallet. Detailed descriptions of the suspects were not available.