At approximately 8:50 pm, an unknown male armed with a piece of wood with a knife blade strapped to the end of it confronted a 19-year-old employee at a fast food outlet.

Fortunately the employee was not harmed, but police have been told the assailant stole a small amount of cash before leaving the scene.

Officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District attended and commenced an investigation.

The man has been described as being about 175cm tall, with a slim build.

His face was partially covered by a black and white bandana.

At the time he was wearing sunglasses, a blue baseball cap, red and black hooded jacket, dark pants and dark shoes.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence.

The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.