The potential for violence is something few in quick-service are willing to openly talk about for fear of lawsuits and bad press. But this important issue is not going away.
by Marilyn Odesser-Torpey - QSR Magazine
Security cameras are an industry must-have!
Between 1992 and 1999, 1,317 employees were killed while working at an eating and/or drinking establishment, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). More than three-quarters of them (957) were victims of homicide; 40 percent of them fatally injured during a robbery.
A statistical breakdown of how many of these homicides occurred at quick-service establishments is not available—in part, because it’s a very touchy subject in the industry. “Companies track this data, but, due to sensitivity, they won’t put [statistics] out,” says Terrie Dort, executive director of the National Food Service Security Council (NFSSC) in Washington, D.C.
Fear of civil liability resulting from allegations of negligent and inadequate security is cited by industry experts as one reason operators hesitate to release this information. But that doesn’t mean they’re not acting on it. And a growing number are starting their security due diligence at the site selection stage.
In addition to their regular demographic research, many chains commission a CAP Index crime vulnerability forecast for prospective new sites. After assessing each site and its surrounding neighborhood (the cost ranges from $150 to about $400 for a single site), Exton, Pennsylvania-based CAP provides information on the “crime potential” of the location in comparison to national, state, and/or county averages. A score of 100 would indicate that the site is equal to these averages, 200 would mean that risk is twice as great.
McDonald’s uses CAP scores as a guideline to help determine the types and intensity of the physical security measures each site may require, says Michael Peaster, the company’s senior director of corporate security.
Industry consultant J.R. Roberts of Security Strategies in Savannah, Georgia explains that one of his jobs is to help chains find the balance between a “good” location with the right demographic and traffic patterns and those that might present a “disproportionate security risk.”
Roberts says he recommends that clients nix any site that has a CAP Index of over 600. Some operators deem 300 to be above their acceptable risk level.
While malls and big-box retailers can attract shoppers from many miles away, fast-food customers tend to stick close to home, usually coming from no more than a 30- or 40-mile radius of the site, says CAP, Inc. president and CEO Dr. Robert Figlio. On a related note, statistics show that “well in excess of 80 percent of people who rob quick-service restaurants live less than two miles away,” says Michael Upp, vice president of marketing for Westec InterActive, a surveillance systems provider.
But whether in a high crime area or not, quick-service restaurants generally fit many of the criteria that The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (niosh) uses to characterize a high-risk workplace, including contact with the public, exchange of money, working alone or in small numbers, and working late at night or during early morning hours.
“Well in excess of 80 percent of people who rob quick-service restaurants live less than two miles away.”
And, while some of these factors come with the quick-service territory, operators can use a wide range of strategies to minimize their risk. Experts say that means learning to think like a criminal.
For example, fast-food chains like to locate units along major corridors and freeways for easy customer access. But what the would-be robber sees is the opportunity for a quick, clean getaway. At these types of sites, the idea is to counteract that impression with design elements, equipment, and personnel.
It’s no secret that criminals will do just about anything to avoid being seen and identified. If a menuboard or drive-thru window is located in the back of the restaurant or if there are “blind spots” in the parking lot where visibility from inside is limited, employees can become easy targets for robbers and customers for car-jackers, says Chris McGoey, a security consultant based in Los Angeles, California.
Plastering advertising all over restaurant windows might be good for promotion, but it’s bad for visibility. Signage should be designed and placed to maintain maximum visibility from the inside out and from the outside in.
Inadequate or incorrect illumination can also create visibility problems. Lighting consultant Terry Bell, associate principal of City Design Group, cautions that although the perimeter flood lights that so many operators seem to favor “[might] look good if you’re standing outside the property line,” they can cause serious glare issues. He recommends cutting shielded fixtures to direct light where it is most needed.
“You have to look at the quality as well as the quantity of lights to make sure you minimize the contrast ratios that can create shadowy spots in which a criminal can hide and overly bright spots that can obscure detail and colors,” Bell says. “Security cameras need the right level of illumination or images can be too washed out or blurred to allow for identification.”
Bell suggests metal halide lights because they make it easier to differentiate colors. And better lighting doesn’t have to cost more—in fact, says Bell, one fast-food chain learned it could actually save a significant amount of money by skipping the utility company rentals and purchasing more efficient fixtures.
“Renting a floodlight from a utility company might cost approximately $250 per month, and that doesn’t include the electricity it takes to operate it,” he says. “You can buy the same floodlight yourself for about $500.”
When evaluating a site or design, think in terms of potential hiding places. Overly elaborate or overgrown landscaping, for example, can provide a hard-to-see safe haven for a criminal.
Dwayne Stanton, lead investigator for U.S. Food Security & Emergency Preparedness, an Upper Marlboro, Maryland-based foodservice industry consulting company suggests aiming a surveillance camera at out-of-the-way dumpsters, “a favorite hiding area.” Some surveillance services can provide round-the-clock real-time remote video and audio monitoring of sites through digital online technology.
Unlike traditional “watch only” surveillance cameras, the two-way communications capabilities of systems offered by companies such as Westec InterActive and Sting Surveillance allow for proactive intervention either by immediate voice response or notification of local authorities.
Sting Surveillance founder Jonathan Fine points out that in Las Vegas it takes regular alarm companies between 20 to 40 minutes to dispatch a guard and, because there are such a high number of false alarms, police will not respond immediately to an alarm unless the threat is verified. At least 200 to 300 cities are considering putting in ordinances that require alarms be verified by a guard company, video, or employee before police are dispatched, says Westec’s Upp.
Westec will do a virtual tour or video walk-through of any site three times a day—or more often if the client desires. At the beginning of each “tour,” an announcement is made to employees and patrons that the premises are being monitored. In between and during tours, employees can relay emergency information directly to the monitoring center via “hot phones” or trigger a wireless pendant alarm that alerts the remote command center to dispatch police.
For an extra measure of protection and visibility, some chains require employees to do physical walking tours of the property at different intervals. Some will also pool resources with other local merchants to hire a private uniformed patrol company to monitor the area surrounding a particular site or during specific day parts such as late-night, early-morning, and after school.
Whether the surveillance is done via internally monitored closed circuit television, remote service, or on-site security guards, the pros strongly recommend that both employees and customers be made aware that the premises are under constant observation. Prominently placed signage and strategically positioned (i.e., in queue lines, at cash registers, and at drive-thrus) cameras can clearly communicate this message.
While Stanton is not always a proponent of hold-up alarms (“They can escalate an attempted robbery into a hostage situation”), he does recommend having a panic button installed in the walk-in freezer in case employees and customers are locked inside by robbers. He advises operators to have these alarms checked frequently to ensure that they are in good working order.
Installing an old-fashioned dial safe is “like putting a target on your manager’s back,” says Stanton. A better choice is a drop safe that works on a time delay and signage that lets employees and customers know that the manager does not have immediate access to its contents. Robbers hate to wait.
Criminals often case sites they plan to hit, watching to see if big bills are placed—and kept—in registers. It should be company policy to place bills of large denominations directly into the drop safe and to skim the registers on a regular basis to avoid a tempting accumulation of smaller bills.
Extensive background checks should also be standard procedure when hiring new employees because, Stanton says, 65 percent to 70 percent of violent crimes in retail are committed by former employees who feared identification. Many robberies are also staged by current employees who learn the inner workings of the restaurant and then work in tandem with outside individuals.
Doing a check of the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) will only yield information about felonies, not misdemeanors. McDonald’s does a check of social security numbers and job histories so it can search state and county records as well.
Sometimes anger, not robbery, is the motive. If you have to terminate an employee, do it “with dignity,” says McDonald’s Peaster, in a manner that will minimize embarrassment in front of colleagues and customers.
All of the experts agree that the real key to crime prevention is continuous employee awareness training. State-of-the-art surveillance is definitely helpful, but McGoey insists that just as much attention should be paid to the “low tech,” creating and carrying out basic everyday security policies and procedures. Many chains have their own training manuals and other materials; others use the video on robbery prevention and awareness offered by the National Restaurant Association.
Although looks can be deceiving, staffers can be taught to identify some common red flags such as customers who are overdressed for the weather conditions (they might be concealing weapons); who appear to be in an altered state from alcohol or drugs; who sit for periods of time in the lobby without ordering or loiter in the parking lot without coming inside; or who seem more interested in where all of the employees are than what’s on the menuboard.
Installing an old-fashioned dial safe is “like putting a target on your manager’s back.”
Once a suspect has been identified, the company needs to have a follow-up mechanism in place, such as having a manager or other employee always stationed near a phone. Stanton recommends giving employees a pre-established code word to use if they sense that something might be amiss. That code word will be a trigger for co-workers to move about throughout—and at least one outside of—the restaurant. (“Robbers want everyone to stand still.”)
Because there is safety in numbers, maintaining an adequate number of staffers is imperative, particularly during extra-vulnerable early morning and late night hours. One employee should open the door, while the other stands a short distance away to await an “all-clear” signal before approaching. Similar procedures can be used at closing.
Use the buddy system for trash can runs and stagger bank drops so that criminals cannot predict a pattern. Statistics also show that many robberies occur right outside the doors of banks, says Stanton, so managers should change out of or wear a jacket over their uniform or logo-embossed shirts and tuck money away instead of carrying it in a come-and-get-me big white bag.
“By making security a part of the corporate culture, with set policies, procedures and accountabilities, we’re protecting more than our property, profits, even our brand; we’re protecting people,” says Peaster. “We have to do everything possible to make sure our employees and customers feel safe—and are safe—when they come to our restaurants.”
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