NEW ORLEANS- Whether it's in the French Quarter or Mid-City, you don't have to go very far in the New Orleans area to run into a 24-hour restaurant.
It's why the images from Nashville's shooting at Waffle House in the early hours of the morning hit close to home for Robert Hennessey.
"It's terrible. Obviously, we've got crazy people in the world," Hennessey said.
Hennessey is co-owner of Morning Call, a well-known 24-hour restaurant that is known for serving coffee and beignets with locations in Metairie and City Park.
The restaurant has been in his family since 1870. While most of his memories are pleasant, he can recall a few scary moments.
"Twice actually. One guy came in. We had a full house of people and he had a fillet knife! And put it to my step dad brother's neck. They caught him I believe. And then recently we had a guy come in with overalls and a mask and you couldn't really see anything. Came in with a gun," Hennessey said.
Thankfully, no one was injured in those cases. But the thought of things changing quickly keeps Hennessey on his toes.
In and around his store, Hennessey keeps his employees and customers as safe as possible by installing security cameras.
Hennessey also says he's armed and has a concealed permit.
"God forbid, I don't want to shoot anyone. But if someone is going to do harm to me or my employees or customers, I'd rather take them out then be a victim," Hennessey said.
Hennessey says there's nothing you can really do when it comes to something as tragic as what happened in Nashville. But what you can do is stay vigilant and stay prepared.
"You can't control people's behavior, but if they are going to do you bodily harm, and you have a way to stop it, I don't want to be a victim," Hennessey said.