The restaurant industry is becoming increasingly competitive, particularly with disruptors, such as SkipTheDishes, changing the way consumers engage with the food service industry.

As a result, both chain and independent restaurants have struggled over the past few years - with many restaurant businesses closing down. To stay competitive, loss prevention is crucial.

In fact, internal and external theft, as well as other forms of crime, can considerably harm the profitability of your business.

While statistics are few and far between in regards to crime in the Canadian restaurant industry, employee theft in the US alone totals between $3 and $6 billion dollars each year, while the US National Restaurant Association claims around 4 percent of all restaurant revenue is lost to in-house theft.

And that’s not even including external theft.

Criminal damage and theft at your restaurant, whether internal or external, lower profits and increases the odds that your business will fail.

Thankfully, however, there are plenty of ways that will protect your business from crime and ensure you can continue to increase profits and growth. Sonitrol Western Canada has listed the top six ways you can reduce crime in your restaurant:

1 - Foster a positive company culture

Most internal thefts occur because of negative working environments in which staff members feel unappreciated. If you aren’t giving back to your employees, and there’s an atmosphere of mistrust, then staff members will be far more likely to steal from your restaurant. Rewards and bonuses will ensure your employees are happy and, as a result, they’ll be significantly less likely to take food or money from your business.

2 - Install managed access control

Tired of physical keys that are frequently lost and make your restaurant susceptible to theft? That's why you should install managed access control - a form of keyless entry that limits employee access to specific rooms. Not only that but its unique reporting system will ensure you know which employees were in which room at any given time. You’ll know exactly who committed a crime, and when it was committed.

3 - Make sure staff members close back doors

Most companies in the retail industry only have to worry about criminals coming through their front door. Unfortunately, restaurant owners also have to worry about criminals coming through the back door. Back doors often lead to the kitchen area and are left open for employees to get fresh air while at work. However, this is an opportunity for criminals to enter and escape easily. Ensure back doors are closed and locked when unsupervised.

4 - Offer staff meals

Most internal crime committed by employees is the theft of food. You can avoid this by offering your team either free or discounted meals. By making sure another member of staff makes and brings them the meal, you’ll ensure employees aren’t exploiting your business.

5 - Keep on-site cash down to a minimum

Many of your customers will pay with cash when they visit your restaurant, and even if they don’t they will probably still give your tip in cash. That means your business will have a large quantity of cash on site. A secure point-of-sale system with access control will significantly reduce the chance that cash will be stolen. Minimizing the cash you keep on-site will protect your business even further.

6 - Implement verified security

Conventional CCTV systems may help you find a criminal after they’ve already left your property, but wouldn’t you rather stop them in the act? That’s why your restaurant should install a verified alarm system for low false alarm rates and incredibly quick response times.

Due to its ability to verify alarms and the fact it has the lowest false alarm rate in the industry, police have an average dispatch time of just 3-4 minutes for Sonitrol Western Canada’s alarms. That’s why we have the highest criminal apprehension rate, with more than 175,000 apprehensions to date.

Want to ensure your restaurant is properly secure against both internal and external crime? Contact Sonitrol Western Canada today and learn how our verified alarm solutions can revolutionize your company’s security, and help you protect your profits.