Security In The Fast (Food) Lane

Feb 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By JO'EL ROTH

The U.S. restaurant industry employs an estimated 11.6 million people, according to the National Restaurant Industry 2002 Pocket Fact Book, making it the nation's largest private-sector employer. On a typical day in 2002, the industry posted average sales of more than $1.1 billion, and 60 percent of that revenue is generated in the drive-through lane.

“America's favorite dining room has a steering wheel and gas pedal,” says Dennis Lombardi, executive vice president of Technomic Inc., a Chicago restaurant and food service consulting firm. Research conducted by The Loss Prevention Journal found that nationwide, consumption of fast food more than tripled from 1977 to 1995.

There are numerous security challenges faced by operators of fast food restaurants. Their outlets are usually on a main road, or near a freeway. They are located in both high-crime and low-crime areas. They are open from early morning to late at night. Employees are often young and inexperienced and frequently work alone or with only a few other co-workers per shift. It is a cash-based business. Security consultant Chris McGoey also points out that fire code regulations dictate that businesses open to the public must leave their doors unlocked during business hours.

On his CrimeDoctor Web site, McGoey notes that dozens of robbery studies have indicated that robbers pre-select their targets. The two main factors that perpetrators consider when choosing a location to rob is lots of available cash and the ability to get away clean. Robbers prefer isolation, lone victims, good escape routes, and few witnesses, in addition to the probability of a good score.

Nationwide statistics about crimes specifically aimed at the fast-food segment are not readily available. News of a robbery is never good publicity for a store or its neighborhood. “There is considerable reluctance within the industry to share what they are doing, or what they have experienced, due to fear of potential liability lawsuits,” says Dick Moe of Dick Moe and Associates, where after 20 years in the restaurant security industry, Moe now serves as publisher of the monthly newsletter of the National Food Service Security Council (NFSSC), in cooperation with the National Council of Chain Restaurants and the National Retail Federation. He admits statistics are difficult to locate, and advocates the need for a clearinghouse of information. “It would be useful to have a database to look at for trends,” he says.

However, according to the CrimeDoctor Web site, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that in 1998, robberies accounted for losses estimated at nearly $446 million. “The weapon of choice for robbers is the firearm (38 percent), with knives or cutting instruments second (9 percent). Robbers like to use surprise, and an extreme show of force to get victims to comply with their demands,” the report notes.

“Crime in quick-service restaurants is a serious problem,” said NFSSC executive director Terrie Dort in an interview for NBC's Inside Edition. “But then, crime is a national problem, a major problem for all of society.”

Recently, a group of teenagers surrounded a car as it waited in the drive-through lane of a San Diego-area Del Taco restaurant at 9:30 p.m. Inside the vehicle, two young men sat, stunned, as the windshield was smashed and they were attacked.

The week before, also in San Diego, a man pulled up to a Wendy's drive-through window and pointed a gun at the clerk, demanding money. He drove away with $500, and luckily the clerk was not harmed.

What are the solutions? McGoey advises evaluation of the entire operation. He recommends the effective application of proper lighting both inside and outside of the restaurant; strategic use of video surveillance cameras and audio monitoring systems; silent alarm systems, panic buttons and alerts; proper training for employees, and the presence of additional security personnel or police.

There is another area that McGoey has questioned most frequently. “Look at the placement of the drive-through lanes,” he says. “It almost always requires somebody to drive around the back of the building and stop at the menu board. This is usually placed in the worst location, from a visibility standpoint.” McGoey explains that there are usually no windows looking out over the menu board. “You are trapped,” he adds. “If there is a car in front of you, you can't drive forward, if a car pulls up behind you, you can't back up. You are not looking around, and your attention is focused on the order board. It is very easy for someone to walk up to the car. Your window is open. You are vulnerable.”

Lombardi questions whether customers in their cars are more vulnerable, pointing out that a customer can simply roll up the window.

However, both consultants agree that it is important to make the restaurant look like a less desirable target. “The thing that saves fast food restaurants from being robbed more often is the sheer number of employees usually present at any one time: there is safety in numbers,” McGoey says. “Many robbers simply do not want to come in and confront 20 people, or come in to a lobby that has many customers.”

It is an issue faced by many smaller, walk-in fast food restaurants. Their employees frequently work alone, late at night. At a location of a major sandwich chain, customers must yell their orders through a sheet of bulletproof Plexiglass. The clerk assembles the sandwich and passes it to the customer through a revolving shelf, and the customer must slide the money through a slot in the Plexiglass. The clerk explains that the owners installed the panel several years ago after a string of violent robberies hit several locations.

McGoey suggests a multi-faceted approach, which should include the entire team, from the architects to the accountants. “I used to work with 7-ll,” he explains. “I finally got the real estate people to put together a convenience store package. It included good exterior lighting and less signs in the windows so that the interior could be seen from the street.” In addition, the counters were moved from the back of the store to the center. Height markers were placed along the edges of the doors. “Other changes included video cameras that were placed right behind the cash register, with a monitor right there, over the counter, so that the customer could see themselves.”

The fast food industry has adopted many of these security measures.

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation has created a video titled, “Workplace Safety Program: Robbery Prevention and Awareness.” In the video and on the Web site (http://www.restaurant.org) the foundation also suggests the effective use of lighting and sight lines. “Make your restaurant visible to passers-by,” it says. “Establish clear sight lines into your establishment and place the cash register in a prominent location. These steps make a thief's actions more noticeable to the outside world.”

Customers can watch themselves on a color monitor as they walk into a renovated Burger King/Rice Bowl location in Del Mar, Calif. The store has just completed a major installation of HME Electronics' VisionTech line of digital closed circuit surveillance systems. Cameras and monitors were installed throughout the facility, including behind and in front of the drive-through lanes, in the dining areas, kitchens and back office. There is a monitor over the counter area, over the drive-through window, and cash register. HME technical representative Ted Johnson, and surveillance products marketing manager Mark Young, say the new version offers screens that are easier to use, with improved text insertion and accelerated search capabilities. The system allows remote monitoring of the entire operation, and it allows for search and view with up to eight cameras simultaneously with post-alarm recording. It can print, store, and transmit digital images, and turn lights or equipment on or off remotely. “It is computer-based,” Johnson says. “Information can be saved to the hard drive rather than on videotape. You don't have to change the tape every day.”

McGoey points out that surveillance can serve other purposes for a fast food establishment. “Back-of-the-house events such as employee theft and loss control are everyday issues that happen more frequently,” he says. “On the other hand, robbery and violence are more critical, yet happen less frequently.”

“Internal problems are just as much a worry as outside,” Johnson adds. “Most customers use our products for in-house thefts, much of it in the back office.”

Time-delay safes were developed by Tidell for the back areas. They cannot be opened immediately, and when activated by a key, the safe will not open for 20 minutes.

“As soon as you come through the back door, there is the manager's office, some little cubicle, and in that little cubicle is a safe, and that's where the manager does the cash deposit and does all the work,” McGoey says. “The robber knows that, and the managers have the keys or combination of the safe, and they are extremely vulnerable. You get them back there, and they are totally out of view of the rest of the restaurant.”

Consultants agree that efficient operational procedures guarantee effective use of any electronic security systems. The NFSSC recommends employees be trained on the location and use of any alarm buttons, and that the units should be tested regularly. The CCTV equipment should be reviewed to ensure compliance with rotation, replacement and use policies. It also recommends that all external lighting stay on for at least 30 minutes after everyone has left the parking lot.

Other operational policies suggested by consultants include supervised trash runs, keeping the back door locked and closed after dark, not accepting deliveries after dark, and frequently checking the parking lot.

They also recommend opening the store as a team, and checking the exterior of the building for signs of forced entry prior to going inside. The NFSSC says that it is a good idea for the staff to be alert for stay-behinds (persons who enter the unit and hide in restroom ceilings, etc.) All employee departures should be monitored to ensure they leave the parking lot safely. Upon closing, it is advised that employees should never remain in the unit alone. “Ensure that someone is monitoring your departure. Every member of the closing team must leave as a group, without exception” it states. “Never leave cash unattended. Bleed the cash drawers frequently. Never open the office door when counting cash. Never make bank deposits after close.” The council also discusses adhering to published banking procedures, not doing double deposits, and suggests varying the routes in which deposits are taken to the bank.

For the Record

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jo'el Roth is a San Diego-based writer and regular contributor to Access Control & Security Systems.

ABOUT THE COMPANIES

Circle the Reader Service number or visit securitysolutions.com

HM Electronics	19
McGoey Security Consulting	20
Dick Moe & Assoc.	21
Technomic Inc.	22
Tidell	23

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