A doughnut shop employee fought off a thief by hitting him repeatedly on the head with a mug - not because he was worried about the money, but because he didn't want to look like a loser if the video was put on YouTube.

Dunkin' Donuts employee Dustin Hoffmann (seriously) fought back with a ceramic mug when the man tried to rob the store he worked at in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.

'What was going through my mind at that point was that the security tape is either going to show me run away and hide in the office or whack this guy in the head, so I just grabbed the cup and clocked the guy pretty hard,' Hoffmann told The Record of Bergen County.

The man came into the shop and ordered a pastry on Sunday night, according to Elmwood Park Police Chief Donald Ingrasselino. Once Hoffmann opened the register, the man jumped over the counter and started taking cash.

Police said Hoffmann grabbed the man's wrists while hitting him with the mug, which is used to hold tips. Hoffmann managed to scare away the man, who made off with just £44 ($90) and left behind a baseball cap police are holding to test for DNA evidence.

No arrests have been made. Hoffman plans to post the surveillance video when he can.

'There are only a few videos like that on YouTube now, so mine's going to be the best,' he said. 'That'll teach this guy.'