A thief has picked up more than just his fish and chips at a Melbourne takeaway shop.

A man ordered fish and chips at a Carlton store before robbing the upstairs office and stealing a “significant” amount of cash from an unlocked safe on Wednesday afternoon (AEST).

After the burglary, he returned downstairs, picked up his order and left.

It is not the first time the man has raided a fast food shop.

He was caught red-handed in the office of a yoghurt store, also in Carlton, on May 30.

Police say the owners of the Carlton shop did not notice the missing cash until about an hour after the man left the store on Wednesday afternoon.

Detective Senior Constable Brooke Manley said police were shocked by the brazen nature of the crime.

“When you view the (CCTV) footage, he was particularly confident. He wasn’t rushing,” she said.

“To obviously be so brazen as to go and collect your order wouldn’t generally occur. Offenders would be fairly quick to get out of the area but he hung around and collected his chips.”

The man, believed to be aged in his late 20s or early 30s, was confronted by staff and left the store empty handed.

Police said the man is Caucasian, about 185cm tall with a medium build and dark hair.

AAP