Trio rob Gold Coast pub with gun and machete

Staff and patrons of a Gold Coast pub endured a terrifying night after a gang of armed robbers brandishing a gun and machete stormed the venue.

The violence at the Norfolk Tavern in Ormeau lasted just minutes before the thieves fled in a stolen car, later found abandoned and engulfed in flames.

A shot was fired through the front doors of the pub moments before closing at 3.30am, shattering the glass.

One of the three thugs was armed with a firearm, and one had a machete, police told 9News.

The men stormed in, ransacked the tills and poker machines, and left behind a trail of their haul.

Witness Jade Cummong, said: "I just found a cash box on the side of the road as we were driving down.

"We saw the police car and thought it was a good idea to give it to them."

Their getaway car was a stolen white VW work van, and the trio headed 19km west towards Tamborine.

Neighbours say they woke to yelling and laughter when the trio arrived on their street to dump their car, setting it on fire before jumping into another waiting vehicle

Firefighters put out the flames.

Brendan Wiblen from Queensland Police, said: “It indicates a degree of planning, it's not necessarily sophisticated but it's a very violent planned event."

Exactly how much they got away with is unknown.

Nobody was injured.