Shailesh Patel says the night staff at his Mr. Sub restaurant on the west side of Saskatoon ask only one thing of customers.

Show your face.

Patel says that's not the only reason the restaurant has gone two years without a robbery, but that it's an important element.

The Mr. Sub is in a strip mall at Diefenbaker Drive and 22nd Street West. It's a remote location on the western edge of the city and it shares space with a gas station, a brew pub and offsale, a café and a specialty tea store.

The remote location makes it a tempting target for thieves. Police reported 12 armed robberies in the city over the past month. Four of them happened at the strip mall where Patel's Mr. Sub is located.

The strip mall's remote location makes it a tempting target. (Dan Zakreski/CBC)

Last year's crime stats show a 28 per cent drop overall in armed robberies when compared with 2017, but that's cold comfort for business owners in a mall where police sirens and gunshots are not uncommon.

Patel says the breaking point came two years ago, when his night staff were terrorized in back-to-back robberies.

"The first time, he comes with a gun," he said.

"Second time, it's two guys, one guy's coming with a big knife and one guy is coming with a big chain. Same thing, asking the money, he takes the money and go."

Patel invested in a remote lock system on the restaurant's second door. A customer comes through the first door into an anteroom. The night staff can see the customer, both in person and on camera. If their face is covered, they don't get in.

If they give off a vibe that unsettles the staffer, they don't get in.

Further, every corner inside the store is visible on the store's surveillance cameras.

Patel isn't certain what can be done to reduce the robbery rate for the strip mall overall. Bigger and brighter lighting in the parking lot could help, as would a regular police or security presence.

Until then, he's staying with what works.

"Open your face, we open the door."