An attempted armed robbery at a restaurant in Kentucky was stopped by two off duty police officers who had been enjoying a date.

Husband and wife Chase and Nicole McKeown were eating at Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers in Louisville when the robber, wearing a white mask and black hoodie, walked in.

The couple, who married in August, were sitting in a booth and realised something was happening when they saw the cashier holding up her hands.

Image: The masked man pulled a gun out of his shorts. Pic: Louisville Metro Police Department

The robber had taken a gun out of his shorts and was pointing it at the woman.

The Elizabethtown police officers told The Washington Post all it took was one look at each other to know what needed to be done.


They drew their weapons and approached the man, who then dropped his gun and ran.

The couple chased him down the road and were able to detain him.

"It was a right place, right time type of deal," Mr McKeown told the newspaper.

"We didn't do anything that any other officer wouldn't have done."

Louisville Metro Police Department patrol units assisted the couple, police spokesman Sergeant Lamont Washington told The Post.

Police charged 30-year-old Louisville resident Justin Carter with robbery, receiving a stolen gun and possession of a handgun by a felon.

The couple said they chose to go to the restaurant because it was where they ate after their wedding.

"We aren't big on real fancy things," Mr McKeown said.