Said Ahmed, owner of the Egyptian Kebab House, ignored an armed robber and continued serving his customer.

With a gun pointed at him, a man demanding money and a waiting customer, Said Ahmed only had one thought in his head – serve the customer and walk away.

After passing the paid-for order to the customer waiting behind the gunman, the Egyptian Kebab House owner walked to the kitchen and called the police.

"He was surprised from my reaction – 'I have come to rob him and he is walking away from me, so what can I do?' the Papanui Rd kebab shop owner said.

Canterbury Police/ Facebook Attempted robbery of Christchurch souvlaki restaurant unsuccessful.

"I was sure he would not shoot me.

"He came to rob me, not to kill me."

Police recently published CCTV footage on social media, hoping for information on the perpetrator of the May 28 incident.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/FAIRFAX NZ Egyptian Kebab House owner Said Ahmed: "I was sure he would not shoot me."

The video had since gained national headlines, with many of the 19,000 viewers commending Ahmed for his bravery.

Ahmed said at first he thought the man was a customer, smiling at him like he would anyone else.

"When he came closer I realised he was wearing a mask on his face, I could see just his eyes."

The man retrieved a gun from his backpack, pointed it at Ahmed and demanded money.

"When I saw the gun I thought, oh this is different, this is a robbery."

Ahmed waking away seemed to confuse the man, who hesitated, then left the shop.

"When he found this reaction from me, I ignored him, I walked to the kitchen and called the police – nothing he can do.

"He didn't scare me...he failed, unsuccessful night."

A pattern of armed robberies in Christchurch in recent weeks didn't surprise Ahmed.

"After the earthquake, something changed in Christchurch.

"We used to be open later on Friday and Saturday nights, until 11pm, but since this happened we have closed at 10pm just like the rest of the shops down the street."

He said closing earlier was "a family decision".

"You know, we are here just my wife and I and two kids, no family, no relatives, so I am the one to look after them, so if anything happened to me, that's why I get a little bit scared or stressed."