They watched from the shadows as the clerk opened the back door to make his nightly run to the trash pen. He didn’t deviate from the routine the last two nights. It was 1:35 AM, right on schedule. When the young man returned with his empty cart, they pulled their ski masks down to their chins and jumped out, guns drawn. They pushed the employee into the restaurant. Upon entering the office area, the two robbers went into a frenzy. One burglar grabbed the manager, pointed her gun at her and yelled at her to open the safe, while the other forced other closing employees to lie down on the cold tile kitchen floor. The lives of the employees are forever changed when they experience the terror of staring at the brink of life and death.
Unfortunately, this scene takes place somewhere every night in the world of fast food. A world serving the public, late at night with predators on the prowl, waiting and conspiring to seize every opportunity to forcefully steal your hard-earned money. Crime prevention solutions cost virtually nothing more than implementing changes in policy, routines, and discipline.
Opening the back door exposes the company to loss of cash and proceeds and employees to serious crime, including homicide. Opening it at night greatly increases the chances of bad things happening. However, it is one of the most serious and most violated infractions of all security policies. It is a virtual weak link that can become one of the strongest ties in creating a safer environment for customers and employees when executed correctly.
This particular scene can be avoided with simple policies and procedures to limit these dangerous exposures to crime and theft. Most importantly, procedures must be embedded in employee training and routines in the restaurant, and violations must be punished with appropriate discipline. Door control is not only essential for keeping employees safe and secure, but it is also an important component in preventing theft and inadvertent loss.
Policies
Effective back door policies include prohibited opening hours, such as night hours and possibly peak hours when each employee must focus on serving the customer. Sound loss control programs ensure the door is locked at all times and monitored by a member of management each time it is opened. Door lock and alarm keys should not be left in the possession of the management team or readily available to non-management personnel. Trash runs done after dark should be done through the lobby doors while the restaurant is open and never after the doors are locked.
procedures
When opened, the door should not stay open. During a trash haul, all trash is placed outside the door, then closed and locked unless a member of management controls the open door. Clear trash bags must be used and all cardboard boxes must be taken apart. No one can enter through the back door. Any request to enter or open the back door must be made at the front desk. Audits should be performed routinely to verify compliance with company policies related to door unlocking, key control, alarm testing, and procedures related to garbage disposal.
Equipment
The liftgate must be equipped with an audible push bar alarm with a key that cannot be removed while the alarm is in the “off” position, a peephole or a small (less than 4″) covered window, and anti-pry plates. on the lock Exterior lighting illuminates the back door and trash pen areas If the restaurant is equipped with a perimeter alarm system, the back door must be included A sign in the applicable languages on the door indicating the rules for authorized openings help communicate clear expectations.
Technology
Apply simple technologies to audit compliance and report unauthorized openings that endanger the lives of employees and the profitability of the company. Effective digital camera systems include monitoring of door activity. Audible enunciators and/or strobes near the manager’s office notify when the door is opened. Exception reports can be generated by connecting alarm contacts with a restaurant camera system. Reports can be transmitted to supervisors and/or security representatives with an attached video of open door activity. Additional combined video and audio technology can interact with store staff and/or customers causing trouble from an external monitoring station.
The back door of every restaurant is essential to maintaining effective operations from garbage removal to inventory receipt. Sound loss control principles involve controlling when the door is opened. The old habits of maintenance or warehouse employees having the door keys in their possession, the keys hanging from a hook or the indiscriminate loan of management keys are difficult to change. Maintaining control is often seen as a drawback by management. The costs of implementing new backdoor policies, procedures, and disciplines are inexpensive. When the gate is not controlled, the chance of bad things to happen increases dramatically, as shown in the opening passage above. When “nothing bad has ever happened here” and “if it ain’t broke, why fix it!” are the answers to not having proactive loss prevention procedures in place, the final price can be extremely high.