So You Want To Own a Restaurant?
"I was amazed to find not only the volume of content but the quality and attention to detail of each section. Much like having a team of experts on staff for the restaurateur without the expense of having the team!"
Dave Wolfgram / Senior Restaurant Executive SF Bay Area
SECURITY
Business Access
Security for customers, employees and suppliers is generally ignored by an owner that is often overwhelmed with day-to-day operations and concentrating on sales and service. We often find owners that are really put off when they are pulled aside from a busy restaurant to deal with an unwanted person or other security issues that we cover in these sections. Keep in mind the "customer experience" when you read this section.
customer & emp parking
Customers and employees need to feel safe in and around your restaurant or they won't come back. If complaints are made and then they have an "incident", you could be held liable. We discuss some important issues that you should be aware of when addressing customer and employee security on your premises.
Cash, Tips & Gift Cards
It's pretty obvious that you need to have a secure place where you can store your daily sales, shift deposits, employee tips and gift cards. Safekeeping of cash may be obvious but hiding it under the bag of flour or under the sales counter in a cash bag is a common occurrence. Employee cash tips from each shift must also be tracked, filed and secured. Gift cards are like money. In this section, we discuss loss due to carelessness and suggest some cost-effective solutions for storage and tracking of cash and cards.
food supply
Your highest dollar supplies are typically in your walk-in and dry storage areas. Beers and wines, meats, cheeses and other important items must be kept cold, and of course secure. In this section, we discuss ways to protect and control access, along with keeping your food supplies (and restaurant in general) secure from rodents and insects.
boh & foh cameras
Security cameras can greatly reduce loss and/or mischief in both the FOH and BOH areas. They can also help you and local police solve crimes. They act as a deterrent but also as a highly accurate tool in solving various problems in a restaurant, including harassments, shortages, complaints from customers, employee reviews, measuring efficiency and other important events. They can also create mistrust and other issues with customers. In this section, we discuss in detail video systems in dining and service areas.
alcohol & retail access
Most states require that you control the area where alcohol is served, that is with a door or other barrier. Alcohol is one of those things that always seems to get a little "overused or abused" in a restaurant and it's not always portion control. Retail products, such as shirts, hats, sauces, wines, rubs and books also have a tendency to go missing when left unsecured. We discuss the problem and solutions in this section.
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office & emp records
A restaurant office, whether on-site or at home must be protected against financial loss as well as compliance with various laws and privacy regulations. Most businesses keep massive amounts of data, accounting systems and payroll applications on computers in an office, but what are the controls? There are a set of standards you should follow for storage and security of company records and employee files. This section gives you the guidelines on what you should keep in employee files.