By In the restaurant business, quiet nights are a rare thing indeed. From the kitchen to the dining room, the bar to the parking lot, restaurants are a complicated network of interlocking parts, each one of which has its own culture and people and procedures. The dining area is very different from the kitchen, and has different functions and different commercial security needs. As a busy restaurant manager or owner, it’s almost impossible to keep an eye on every part of your business at once while also making sure that everything runs smoothly, the customers go home happy, and the business turns a profit.
Stuck with only one set of eyes, the restaurant manager’s job seems nearly impossible. Not only do you have to keep an eye on every aspect of your operation, but you also have to watch for possible security risks not only within your restaurant, but also in parking lots, employee break rooms, restrooms, storage areas, refrigeration facilities, offices, and even the alley out back where deliveries are made. With so much going on, commercial security cameras can seem like a busy restaurateur’s best friend.
According to the National Restaurant Association, roughly 75% of inventory shortages and even 4% of restaurant sales are lost to employee theft in one form or another. While most employees are dedicated to their specific area of culinary practice—be it chef or bartender or server—there are always going to be employees who won’t think twice about taking a little cash from the till when the opportunity presents itself, whether in the form of unsanctioned breaks, short ringing a bar tab, voiding tickets after close out, double dropping tickets, skimming registers, or just giving away free food and drinks to their friends. Security cameras can help busy restaurant managers keep an eye on employees and discourage employee theft, but that’s just one of the many functions of commercial security in the restaurant industry.
At the end of the day, commercial security—with security cameras both inside your restaurant and out—can not only help you keep an eye on every aspect of your operation, but also allows you to record and replay events when the need arises. That’s helpful for more than just discouraging employee theft. After all, what restaurant manager hasn’t had to deal with a dangerous situation involving an accident in the parking lot, an incident at the bar with a patron who didn’t know when they’d had enough, or even an attempted robbery? Security cameras are good for more than just deterring and recording unpleasant incidents; they can also be useful training tools, or help to clarify incidents that occur between staff members and patrons.
While the very best commercial security solutions for restaurants and other businesses are often those that have been taken into consideration during the design of the building, today’s wireless technology allows camera systems and other security components to be installed just about anywhere. So whether you’re putting up a new restaurant or want to add commercial security to an existing structure, ATEC security can help, from choosing the right commercial security system for your needs to installing wireless security cameras to running cable and wiring during the construction phase in order to help ready the premises for the installation of POS and commercial security systems.
Regardless of your restaurant’s commercial security needs, chances are you’ll at least want security cameras installed in all the major areas of the restaurant—entrances, parking lots, and especially anyplace where money is regularly handled or counted. On top of all their other functions, security cameras and recording devices are perfect visual deterrents for both employee problems and would-be thieves. They improve employee productivity, make the restaurant more secure for patrons and staff, and free you up to do what you do best: keep your restaurant running smoothly.
While security cameras may be one of the most useful commercial security items for restaurant managers, they’re just one of the many tools in ATEC’s security toolkit. From premise access controls including card access to video verification services to keep an eye on delivery doors and back alleys to 24/7 monitoring, ATEC offers a wide range of commercial security systems and solutions to restaurant owners and managers. For more information on restaurant security systems in Kansas City, contact A-TEC Security today.