Restaurant Scheduling and Communications Software

What is it and What is it Worth?

Benefits.  Scheduling software should greatly reduce scheduling time, reduce miscommunication between staff and management, and increase employee morale. It needs to pull its own weight by saving money through better shift management and providing a flawless dining experience to customers.

Features may include:

Immediate Employee Schedule Notification
Trade Board Management
Time Off Request Management
Tentative Approval for Time Off Requests
Anywhere, Anytime Access to Schedules
Availability & Contact Information Listing to Cover Last Minute No Shows
Templates
Automated Scheduling
Training Videos
Easy Navigation (i.e., Set Up Wizards, Templates)
Drag-and-Drop Editing
Automatic Upgrades & No Installation (Web based)
Secure, Encrypted Internet Transmissions
99%Data Availability

Let’s Make it EASY.  Shift Scheduling Software needs to be easy to navigate and input. Look for a set up wizard to input data in a logical sequence quickly and accurately.  Look for a choice of templates that provides a partially filled in schedule the manager knows delivers quality service at a reasonable labor dollar.  The software should be easy to change through drag-and-drop editing.  Trading shifts/approvals should be simple and efficient.  A tentative management approval gives the manager complete control of his scheduling.

Buyer Beware.  Software isn’t always as easy or good as it first appears.  Look at the monthly subscription cost for the amount of employees to schedule.  For example, if software is offered at $15/month, it may only handle 10 employees and you may have 50 employees.  A free trial lets you test drive the software and a monthly subscription allows you to “pay as you go.”  If all else fails, a satisfaction guarantee with a full refund is another good feature.

What is it Worth?

At this point, shift scheduling software may look promising.  It may have many features and benefits that you desire and will help you manage your restaurant.  But what and where are the savings?

Let’s take an example of scheduling a 50 person restaurant with a high percentage of part time employees, 6 or more shifts, changing availabilities and multiple requests for time off, training, and special events.  With this mix, an Excel schedule may not function or communicate changes efficiently.  Setting up a schedule and miscommunications may be costing more than a software program.  The Annual Savings Calculator table calculates the savings of using arestaurant scheduling software vs. an Excel spreadsheet. The table is followed by additional benefits that affect a bottom line. Consider inputting your numbers into the table to calculate your savings.

1. Savings through Faster Scheduling

A manager with 50 employees may spend 6 hours making and maintaining an employee schedule. At say, a modest $10/hour, this is 60 dollars/week, times 52 weeks is $3,120/year.  A scheduling software may cost at $10/hour making a schedule in 1.2 hours/week (1.2 hours is based on current customer feedback) is $12/week times 52 weeks, totaling $624/year.  If you add in a $588 yearly software subscription, the total is $1,212.  Using a Scheduling Software in this example saves $1,908/year.  What if a scheduler is salaried?  By using a restaurant scheduling software and communications package, the scheduler now has almost 250 more hours a year to focus on running the restaurant, ensuring customer satisfaction, and planning for the future.

2. Lowering Overtime Costs

With 50 employees, it can be difficult to satisfy employee availabilities, requests for time off, and the restaurant’s needs.  Under this scenario, reducing overtime costs becomes more difficult. When using some software schedules, customers have seen up to a 30% reduction in overtime costs.  Say you average 20 hours of overtime a week and you pay an extra $4.75/hour for this.  Over a year, overtime would cost $4,940. Using this example, a restaurant scheduling software saves $1,482/year.

3. Enhancing Communication and Retention

When schedules or important information is sent to employees by email or text messaging and is available over the Internet, time is saved and communication is greatly enhanced.  Employees do not have to call in or wait until their next shift to see their schedule.  Working employees are not disrupted to go check someone’s schedule.

Additionally, employees can communicate their availability and find replacements swiftly and easily.  Through the approval process, the shift manager controls the schedule so that a balance is maintained between employee and business needs.  Tentative approval gives managers flexibility without risk.  Additionally, by accommodating employee preferences, employees feel they are being treated fairly, which contributes to employee satisfaction and retention.  This benefit is not included in the table, but I believe is very real.

4. Streamlining Customer Service

When employees receive emails and text messages with their section and shift, they are less likely to forget or get confused about when they are working.  They come to work confident, ready to concentrate on customer service.  The shift manager can concentrate on customer service instead of making scheduling and section assignments on the floor.  Customers receive a more consistent service because there is less scrambling if there is a no show or someone is late.  Again, this benefit is not included in the table, but I believe is very real.

5. Maintaining Management Coverage

If your scheduling manager becomes unavailable and schedules need to be made or maintained, using a restaurant scheduling software makes it easy for another manager to step in without missing a beat.

Summary.  Adding up the benefits and costs let’s you make an informed decision about what is best for your restaurant.  Scheduling software maybe a perfect solution─saving you time and money and providing better service.  In the worst case scenario if you find scheduling software not right, having a free trial, monthly subscription, and money-back guarantee allows you to change your mind without financial obligation or loss.  Seems like a pretty good position for the customer.

Link to Savings Calculator

Link to RestaurantScheduler.com

Saving Restaurants Time with Templates

Yes, we have saved restaurants time by automating the majority of the scheduling process. Our algorithm rotates employees and the shifts they work using their availability, labor cost reduction, and use of randomization. We weren’t satisfied. We know there are certain employees that you need to work specific shifts every week. In our latest release we utilized your feedback to create Templates. Now using RestaurantScheduler can save you even more time scheduling – 3 clicks and your done.

1. Upload your template.
2. Populate the rest of your schedule. 
3. Post the schedule to your employees.

RestaurantScheduler is constantly improving our product to save you time and money. Thank you for your feedback, keep it coming.

Increasing Restaurant Business thru Motivated Management

Awhile ago my son was commenting about being promoted to Assistant Manager of a small franchised restaurant. As an Assistant Manager, he has more responsibility, works 10 more hours/week and earns about the same hourly pay as before. Then he looked at his bonus. Cha-Ching. If quarterly profit goals are met, he receives a bonus based on the percentage of profit. Let me tell you, the bonus is a huge motivator to bring in more business and increase profits. Suddenly ideas are percolating and goals are enthusiastically obtainable.

If your restaurant’s profit margin is tight and you can’t pay large salaries, a hefty bonus may be the incentive your managers need to increase restaurant profits. With a bonus, management becomes an active participant in growing the restaurant’s success. Instead of just providing customer service and oversight, my son is searching for ways to increase customers on slower days and has found local businesses with Monday sales meetings, car dealerships with Saturday sales catering, and churches needing consistent catering. He has come up with ways to cut food waste by doing away with trays, which often encourages taking more than needed, and reducing the amount of sauce used in many entrees. When management is highly motivated to succeed, inventory is organized and inventoried daily, office processes are streamlined through technology, and employee training and mentoring is systematically provided. It’s a great incentive to build your restaurant’s business.

A Secret to Boosting Restaurant Sales

Could your restaurant use a boost in sales…but maybe you are a little out of gas to tackle a big restaurant promotion?

Consider boosting restaurant sales using your secret promotional weapon—your employees. Employees, especially new employees, are eager to show off their new restaurant to their friends and family. So why not make it easy and give your employees a promotional card or a welcoming letter with a discount associated with it?

It may be a good time after orientation/training to reward your new employee with a promotional card. You may catch a seasoned employee providing exceptional service and want to reward them as well.

Heartily invite their family and friends to enjoy your restaurant’s hospitality. Personally welcome your new guests when they arrive, and ask for their candid response to the service and food quality. Make them feel special. Obviously, you have a great deal of room for creativity with this promotion so enjoy the fun and festivity.

This personal promotion attracts new, loyal customers. I always treat my friends and family to the restaurants my family works for. Friends and family tip well and are generally repeat customers because of their closer connection and fond memory of the restaurant. They are also motivated to talk eagerly about your restaurant to their friends. It seems like this kind of a promotion is a win for everyone.

Hope this helps.

Placing Restaurant Orders Using the iPad

If you are considering replacing your restaurant’s printed menus with a custom-made, touch screen iPad menu application, you may want to first look at ordering styles to determine what is best for you.

Style 1 – Server places order. After the customer has looked over the paper menu, the server approaches the customer and takes the order using an iPad. The iPad menu application contains all of the ordering variables resulting in quick, accurate orders sent to the kitchen.

Style 2 – Customer places order: Instead of the server taking the order, the customer browses the iPad, selects entrées, side orders, beverages, cooking preferences, and any serving notes. The customer reviews the order and clicks the send button—The order is on its way to the kitchen.

Style 1 seems simple with little customer impact. It may also be a good way for restaurants to make the transition to an iPad easier for the kitchen, wait staff, and management. Style 2 involves the customer taking more responsibility. It has the intrigue of changing the dining experience for customers, but it has more risk.

How will the new technology affect your restaurant?

• How expensive are iPads vs. paper menus, considering both hardware and software? How often do iPads need to be replaced from breakage and wear?
• How easy is it to change the menu and additional information? Who has the authority to make changes?
• How will you keep customers from walking away with iPads?
• Will ordering time be increased or decreased, and how much will this affect table turn over?
• Can iPads be integrated into a POS system?
• Is personal preference data useful to management? Should promotions and surveys be available and/or sent to customers from the iPad?
• Will it benefit the restaurant to have the customer see the cost of the meal during the ordering process?
• How are you going to help your technically challenged eaters get their orders in correctly?
• How will you deal with customers who change or mix up their order?
• How important is losing the interaction of the server vs. the iPad in terms of restaurant profit?
• Will electronic suggestions carry the same authority as a server’s suggestion about specials or seasonal dishes?
• Is the server tip less if the customer does the ordering and the wait staff runs plates? Will this affect the ability to attract and retain talented wait staff?
• Could having the iPad actually increase customers because of the novelty?
• Do you want your restaurant to have a mom and pop feel, or do you want a trendier restaurant?

I can see that initiating an iPad ordering application is a dilemma for restaurant management as there are many areas affected by a relatively simple change. Good luck!

Increase Restaurant Employees Value & Potentially Make More Money

Ways to increase restaurant salaries. What can you do to increase your salary? Sometimes just being patient is the biggest factor in raising your salary. Restaurants tend to promote through tenure, and if you can be patient, a long tenure may work in your favor. I seem to need to learn this advice the hard way over and over. Be patient and keep making good choices. It will pay off in every area of your life.

Put yourself in the right place. Choose to work for a restaurant that rewards excellent performance and openly wants to retain employees. Try to choose your employer carefully. During the interview, ask how long employees generally stay at the restaurant. Try to get an idea about the culture of the restaurant and if the position is a good fit for you.

Bring attention to yourself as a leader. Can you increase your job responsibilities or do some repairs/housekeeping? Does something need to be calked, cleaned, repotted, or plants replaced? There seems to be an endless amount of small chores that build up. Is there a course or certification that can improve your performance? Can you post ways to take certifications on the employee bulletin board to help co-workers? Can you increase the perception that you are a high performer by your attitude, dress, and helpfulness? Your loyalty, attitude, and positive ideas may result in higher pay, free food, bonuses, or an invitation to join the manager’s meeting.

Add extra value by pitching in. Could you pick up a shift when no one else wants to, clean out and label a storage closet, or clean a bathroom. Could you help a co-worker bus or help serve a big order, fold linens, or sweep a mess a child may have made? Could you bring crayons or coloring books to a child? Parents are especially appreciative for your help and will often express their gratitude to management.

Learn, learn, learn. Read as much as you can about restaurants, both from a food and management aspect. Get involved in Restaurant Associations or social media groups. Learn new software applications and techniques that streamline restaurant processes. There is a video at RestaurantScheduler.com that depicts some of the challenges a restaurant manager faces and how to save time through better scheduling and communication.

Do a little marketing, both externally and internally. Can you suggest a local organization that can use your restaurant to host events? Could you talk to persons who place catering orders and provide menus to car dealerships, repair shops, churches, schools, and businesses nearby?  If you do not provide catering, perhaps leave some coupons or specials for busy workers. Many campuses have a posting tree and a restaurant special posted here may be well received. Be affirmative to your employees and co-workers and talk about positive restaurant happenings. Not every restaurant is going to be perfect but accentuate the positive. It is amazing how being positive will uplift your spirits and those of your employees.

If you can bring addition value to your restaurant by saving time and increasing profits, your hard work and knowledge of restaurant technologies and processes will pay off. Good luck with your career path.

 

Ways to Increase Restaurant Business

With the busy holiday season coming to an end, restaurant managers may be asking how they can increase their restaurant’s business during the leaner months of January and February. To increase your business, first let’s look at why customers choose your restaurant and then ways to appeal to a broad base of customers.

Whether it’s a casual Friday night out, special event, or visiting friends, many factors go into choosing where someone will dine. One of the single largest factors is location. Approximately 80% of your customers come from a 10-minute drive. Get to know your demographics. Chat with your customers to see what appeals them about your restaurant and then build on that appeal to retain and attract new customers. Below are appealing reasons customers often consider:

Practicality. Area you near a movie theater, school, or sporting event center? This may translate to smaller table sizes. Are you near businesses? Making it easy to get in and out in an hour and split the tab for customers having a casual business lunch will make your restaurant popular. Is your main entrée steak? Having an entrée for a non-steak lovers will often make the difference of a returning customer. Having a lower calorie entrée is welcome to persons watching a bulging waistline. Speaking of waistlines, some people are larger than others and larger people cannot sit on flimsy chairs.  Sturdy chairs are a very big deal.

Perceived value. Are your menu selections and prices perceived as a good value?  Should your menu be more descriptive about the quality and preparation of your food? Is your staff trained to enthusiastically explain the care that is taken in each entrée’s preparation? Is the food presented in a pleasing way?

Technology. There are restaurant downloads for location, price, cuisine, distance (some provide maps) ratings and reviews, links to websites, and featured selections using an iPhone app. By getting to know your customers, you can learn which apps are the most used in your area (i.e., Restaurant Finder, Find a Restaurant, Urbanspoon, Yelp, and Where to Eat.

If your restaurant offers To Go Ordering by phone, offering online ordering may make perfect sense. Many pizza restaurants are combining online ordering with local delivery or pickup with great success. Online ordering makes ordering accurate and convenient for customers. Restaurants can increase sales without adding many additional shifts, square footage, or clean-up time. How perfect is this?

I don’t particularly like technology, and I get confused and apprehensive. Learning to text message was an overwhelming sense of accomplishment for me 5 years after everyone was texting. For those of you like me, technology is here and it’s not that bad. Its application can greatly increase your sales. I hate it and I love it.

Large parties. Is there a way to attract and retain more large parties? For example, a partially or completely closed off room keeps the noise down and feels more intimate for someone needing to give a speech. A new grill in an upscale area of Austin has a dining room section with large doors. When you walk into this important looking room, there are tastefully decorated shelves along the wall.  This is where your concept and theme can shine.

Atmosphere. I recently went to another over-the-top restaurant that had black folding table tops to easily accommodate more guests. How clever is that? During off-peak times, it felt roomier. I hate being cramped in like a sardine. They skillfully closed off several party rooms, had an expansive entrance way, and an outdoor patio. A more intimate area near the bar had smaller tables, soft dim lighting, and was festively decorated. It was wow, wow, wow.

There are so many many ways to be creative and enhance the fun atmosphere and concept of your restaurant. Attention to detail and excellent service will keep your customers coming back for more. As your restaurant becomes increasing well known for excellent food and service, word of mouth will continue to increase sales.  Enjoy.

Preparing Restaurants for Food and Energy Inflation

Commodity price increases will make their way into the American economy during the next 6 to 9 months according to Ephraim Leibtag, Senior Economist at the Department of Agriculture. He commented “…the forecast for right now is that beef and pork products specifically will be on the higher end of the range. There are going to be impacts down the road as well for cereals and grains. It just takes longer to get through the system.” Inflation is partly due to the U.S. Federal Reserve stimulating the economy by an economic strategy referred to as quantitative easing (QE). QE2, the most recent quantitative easement, represents the purchase (through printing money) of $600 billion in U.S. Treasurys. Economists generally agree QE2 will weaken the dollar and fuel inflation─by how much and exactly when is unknown. Growing demand for food in China, India, Korea, and other emerging markets have driven up grain prices, which in turn, boost the cost of chicken, steak, bread, and pasta. Wheat production was lower than expected in Russia and American Farmers have cut the number of cattle to the lowest level in decades. While the USDA has stated: “

It seems like every agency has an angle to promote so care must be taken when looking at statistics. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that from October 2009 to October 2010, that beef prices increased 7.3%, pork increased 12.8%, and poultry increased 3.5%. In general, the USDA is forecasting food prices to rise 2-3% in 2011. The cost of oil, which affects growing and delivering food, rose approximately 13% during the past six months.

How will inflation affect your restaurant’s profitability and what steps can managers take to hold food costs down? Let’s look at a few steps to boost profits.

Food Inventory. During high inflation and a slower economy, customers may order fewer appetizers and desserts and less expensive entrées. By comparing your restaurant’s inventory and sales reports, you can determine what items are selling less and then compare your inventory for affirmation. For example, premium seafood or steak entrées may not be selling as well as chicken and salads and the chocolate s’more brownie may be accumulating in the cooler. You may be able to cut back on these items by placing partial orders at no additional cost.

Food Costs. Many managers budget restaurant food costs between 30-35%. If your food cost hovers between 45-55%, you may want to shop around. Pricing, payment terms, delivery schedule, and minimum order requirements should be considered. Could you negotiate a lower overall price by having a prime vendor who would be willing to drop their cost for more volume? Being a higher volume customer may also result in less paperwork and better service. For some restaurants, steak can represent half of the restaurant’s cost of goods. It may make sense in this case to purchase a portion of the beef from vendors at spot market prices instead of long-term contracts. Are there local farmers who could supply fresh meat and dairy products to your restaurant? With rising fuel costs, this may be a viable cost savings and quality strategy.

When I lived in Houston, many prestigious restaurants purchased fresh produce from the Farmer’s Market. Because of their volume, the restaurants had the best selection, their own loading docks, and Farmer’s Market loaded the truck. As another restaurant discriminator, would featuring locally produced entrées be a hot button for your customers?

Another hopefully not so obvious way to cut costs is serving smaller portions and disguising this with smaller plates and liberal garnishes. Do we really need to super size portions?

Menu Costs. Could your chef use secondary cuts of meat (i.e., flank or skirt steak), lesser-known fish varieties, and seasonal produce to reduce food costs? Chefs can make fantastic dishes out of food that tastes bad when I prepare it. Could costs be cut by featuring chef specials on secondary cuts, locally grown, and seasonal entrées? How about featuring a black bean soup or something similar? The Ritz Carlton’s black bean soup is fabulous. How about quinoa? Mankind has been eating quinoa for 6,000 years and it is being considered in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System, that’s how healthy this seed is, and it tastes great. People in general and foodies in particular often like something a little unique. Could your chef incorporate different grains, soups, salads, chili, croutons, potato skins, or stir fries into the menu selections to use every ounce of food purchased?

Are there items on the menu that are time consuming to prepare? Prepared foods generally cost more, but the increased cost may be negligible compared to the cost of the Chef’s time and food waste. Are some menu selections competing with better margin selections? Could a selection be eliminated that results in food waste or having to order additional items? I loved a well-known sandwich shop franchise, but I found the menu so diverse that it was time consuming to order. I use to wonder how they could offer so many combinations and make a profit. The franchise filed for bankruptcy not too long ago. Their diverse selections may have added cost and caused them to drift from their original concept.

A well-designed menu can highlight higher margin selections through page position, color, pictures, fonts, call outs, or stars. For whatever reason the third item on a menu list is often a better selling selection. It is also an established practice to vary the placement of prices to make it a little harder to compare prices.

Non-food Items. Is it possible to cut the costs of take-out containers, trash bags, cups, and other paper products to spend more on food? Could sodas and water be self-serve? Many cities offer free energy audits. Perhaps it would be time well spent to participate in one of these. If you see food costs significantly increasing each month, perhaps raising your prices more often and printing fewer copies of your menu makes sense.

Communicate and Streamline. Treat your employees well. Train, communicate changes in a positive way, and be generous to your employees. They are your first contact with the customer and their attitude, smile, and service often make the difference between a returning customer and someone who drifts elsewhere. Not to mention they cost a great deal to replace.

Benefits of Joining a Restaurant Association

Restaurant Managers make many business decisions across a wide range of areas from soup to nuts (pun intended). By joining a restaurant association, management has access to unbiased, reliable answers to their questions. Questions range from hiring, accounting, federal and state regulations, buying and managing supplies, sanitation and safety, training, marketing, software and technology tools to name a few. In addition, local, state, and national associations offer resources, discounts on goods and services, information to better establish processes to be successful. Common discounts apply to payroll and credit card processing, music services, insurance, and benefits. Training programs are also included in some packages. Through restaurant associations, you can learn current economic challenges, workforce and consumer trends, and menu ideas. Your exposure to new and emerging trends is greatly enhanced. Joining a restaurant association gives management the tools they need to evaluate statistics, trends, and technologies.

Networking. By participating in networking opportunities, you can establish friendships with persons facing many of the challenges you face. These local and national friendships can help invigorate and freshen your resolve to meet your goals. Through membership in a restaurant association, you can gain access to online directories and businesses in your area. A membership also affords you free admission to the National Restaurant Show, which attracts 2,000 suppliers and over 70,000 participants.

Restaurant Membership. Food service establishments are eligible to join both their local or state restaurant association as well as the National Restaurant Association for the price of one membership. Membership is open to restaurants, suppliers, distributors, educational facilities and students, nonprofit food service facilities, and international food service operations. Visit http://www.restaurant.org/states/ to learn more about what associations are available near you, as well as how you can join.

Membership costs vary. A restaurant earning between $300,000 to $600,000 in food and beverage sales may pay $320/year for a local and national level membership. Costs vary from state to state as well as membership benefits desired and can run into the thousands of dollars.

Our suggestion is to consider contacting your local restaurant association and joining them at one of their meetings. That way you get a sense of what they can offer your restaurant and whether you would benefit from a more comprehensive industry overview.

Methods to Curb Restaurant Theft

We surveyed a number of restaurants to get ideas on how to reduce theft in the restaurant industry. Should you be worried about theft in your restaurant? We tried to break down the solutions into 13 categories for you. Happy hunting!

Hiring. A driver’s license check may reveal reckless violations. Persons under financial stress with a history of not following rules are often under more pressure to steal. Let’s face it, this takes time so maybe focus on management since they often have the ability to steal proportionally larger amounts. Consider running a credit check and a background check for criminal and civil history.  Not everyone has a good criminal or financial record, but knowing someone’s past can open an honest discussion. A quick check for your part-time employees is to verify past employment and references. A good indicator of trouble is there lengthy gaps in employment that cannot be explained.

Most restaurants say that the best to reduce theft is to be clear with employees that your company has a zero tolerance for employee theft, falsifying time cards, not showing up for work, coming in late, leaving early, or taking long breaks. By documenting these policies, getting all employees to sign off, and create an environment of random audits every so often it will not be perceived that you do not trust the employee.

Managing. Statistically, happier employees are far less likely to steal from their company. The better you employees feel treated, the less likely they are to feel the restaurant owes them compensation. Here are some suggestions from surveyed restaurants on how management can increase employee satisfaction: 1. Treat employees with respect, 2. Appreciate and reward your employees for the pride and extra contributions they make to the team. 3. Offer opportunities for employee growth and give them the training and assistance they need to do their jobs. 4. Provide more flexibility for your employees, restaurant scheduling solutions are a great way to offer flexibility and stay in control at the same time.

Management bonuses. My father always told me “Don’t penny pinch when it will most likely cost you dollars at the end of the day.” Sounds obvious, but we’ve heard a number of lessons learned on not financially rewarding employees, coming through with raises, or not paying for training just to have that employee leave. Food for thought: Finding good staff is always difficult, and on average it takes $5500 in training/ramping-up to replace a $10/hour employee. There are going to be slower months where sales volume will not be as high, but it might be worth rewarding more than profit by basing bonuses partly on store cleanliness, employee competence, and return on equity (ROE), managers can receive bonuses without the temptation of leaning on their employees.

Auditing containers. Count your delivered containers and number every box. Make sure all of the boxes from the truck make it into your locked storage areas. Let employees know you inventory your larger items like steaks, beer, spirits every day. This will curb BOH employees placing food items in a garbage bag inside another garbage bag and having the “garbage” retrieved later from the dumpster. You may consider periodically checking the garbage or assigning different persons to take the garbage out. Each time the back door opens, there is potential for containers of food to exit the restaurant.

Auditing wait staff. Randomly pull up checks on your POS and validate that everything you see on the table is on the check. This audit will curb wait staff to ring up every item ordered (i.e., sodas) in hopes of receiving a higher tip. If you don’t have a “ring it before you bring it” policy, surveyed restaurants recommend create one.

Auditing bar. The bar seems to be vulnerable to theft because of the fast pace and room for discretion (i.e., build the business). In an effort to receive a larger tip, bartenders may over pour or give away free drinks to friends. By auditing tips, you may see a trend that possibly liquor is being given away. Extra services (i.e., garnishes, mixers) should be agreed on and is often good for business. The balance between give/get should be understood so that employees are not giving away your profit but truly building business. Some questions to ask: Are all of your drinks being rung up? Is it possible to charge the customer and put cash into the tip jar? Could wait staff be collecting cash, getting free drinks, and splitting the cash with the bartender?  Could the bartender be swapping free drinks for free dinners with the cooks? If you have a happy hour, is there run up to pay for drinks right before happy hour ends, allowing patrons to pay happy hour prices long into the evening?

The restaurant may not be the only victim from bartender theft. Customers are often cheated. By using shot glasses that are one ounce instead of an ounce and a quarter or using less liquor in blended drinks, bartenders can pour less than a shot (short-pouring) to cover up drinks given away or sold on the side. Even with computerized dispensers, one shot can be poured into two glasses. Bartenders may also charge the customer regular prices for spirits and appetizers, but ring up the happy hour price. The bartender can also pour a lower quality liquor and charge for the premium liquor. Not much advice here except to balance your bartender’s cash drawer in the middle of the shift, inventorying your bar items, keeping consecutively order tickets, and watching your regular customers, you will curb theft.

Wait Staff. Wait staff can charge the customer full price but ring up the sale at a discounted child or senior citizen price or even ring the sale on the training key. They can void sales and keep the cash or short ring the meal to pocket the difference. Have order pads with sequential numbers on every ticket and require workers to turn in all tickets at the end of each shift. A common suggestion is to have a policy of wait staff not closing out their own cash registers at a shift’s end. If this is not possible, you can try auditing closing cash registers at regular intervals.

BOH/kitchen. Inventory your food closely (There are a number of POS tools that can help automate this). Kitchen managers need to document food waste (dropped, remakes, old food). The FOH and BOH often make it possible to have a dish made with the FOH pocketing the money. One suggestion is to have a ticket for every item. If there is no ticket, food cannot be made.

Tips. Keep tips separate from the register so that money is not confused. By auditing server tips, you can have a good idea what normal is on a given shift. If employees’ tips are excessive, this may signal there is theft. High tips hopefully are a sign of excellent service, but clarify with regular audits.

Cash register. Friends have been known to ring up each other’s purchases at significantly reduced prices. Friendships are a wonderful thing and part of a restaurant’s culture, but you may want to watch friendships to be sure you aren’t helping to produce them. One suggestion to curb this is to require that management ring meals or other items up. I have also seen cashiers ring up coupons when no one is looking. Watch to be sure that coupons are not run all at once. Accumulated guest checks can also be rung up when no one is watching so retain and check all of your guest checks.

Customer complaints. Look into customer complaints when they have not received credit for payments, amounts on credit card slips have been changed, or a credit card has been run through twice.

Surveillance cameras. You may want to consider installing surveillance cameras by the cash registers, office safe, POS, dumpsters, and other areas. Having surveillance cameras installed may reveal additional theft and/or solve employee harassment claims. Some restaurants have said it helps even if they don’t actually take video – obviously you wouldn’t want you staff to know it wasn’t being recorded.

Secret shoppers. If employees know secret shoppers will be rating their work, they are less likely to steal. Talk about secret shoppers and what they have found at your restaurant.

Let us know what you do to reduce theft at your restaurant by leaving a comment with your suggestion.