Security Systems for Restaurants

Security Systems for Restaurants: Keep Your Business Safe

In the foodservice industry, the top priority is the safety of employees and customers. Restaurant security systems and safety procedures are essential to making sure employees can come and go safely while customers enjoy their time in your business. While alcohol sales and late hours bring more profits, they also make businesses more vulnerable. The quick serve segment is especially close to violent crime, making it all the more important that franchises and chains institute safety programs. Locally owned establishments also benefit from taking security precautions.

But with so many different options at your disposal, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of information. To keep it simple, these restaurant security tips are a great place to start on your search for a fool-proof system.

Plan for Deterrence and Response

Security Systems for Restaurants: Protect your Staff, Guests and Assets.

Of course, the best way to maintain a safe establishment is to prevent crimes from happening in the first place. But sometimes even the most rigid preventative measures can’t stop erratic behavior and crime, so it’s important to have a response plan.

  • Deterrence – Sometimes called the “threat of consequences,” deterrence means that it’s difficult or inconvenient for someone to get away with a crime. It makes potential criminals think twice before they act and is usually enough to keep most of your customers and employees on good behavior.
  • Response – In the event your business, employees, or customers are victimized by a crime, working together with police is the fastest and most reliable way to see justice is served. For less urgent safety threats, a response can cover anything from having a bouncer remove a belligerent customer to reviewing surveillance camera footage.

By practicing both deterrence and response, your business will be well equipped to handle virtually any criminal situation either by keeping people safe or ensuring guilty parties are brought to justice. And enacting these principles is surprisingly easy — you just have to do your research on security systems and security personnel.

Set Up Restaurant Security Systems

Use modern technology to your advantage by investing in Security Systems for Restaurants that will react to, deter, and even record crimes or other incidents in the most effective and efficient ways possible.

  • Alarm Systems – A good old-fashioned alarm bell is still an effective method of scaring off crooks. Many security systems these days can also be hooked up to a telephone line that can alert both you and the authorities in a matter of seconds rather than relying on neighbors to call 911. Even if crime isn’t a huge concern for you, accidents can happen to anyone. For example, if someone leaves the deep fryer turned on overnight, you’ll want a smoke detector that can call the fire department right away so that damage is minimized.
  • Audio and Video Surveillance – Positioning restaurant surveillance systems with microphones in discrete locations throughout the premises makes it easy for you to keep an eye (and an ear) on problem customers while also maintaining an accurate record of the evening’s events. This can especially come in handy during worst-case scenarios, like fist fights and other violence, but restaurant security cameras are most often used as a deterrent. Making it clear that someone is on film — or even placing a dummy camera in an obvious location — is a great way to make them reconsider their actions.
  • Proper Lighting – In addition to surveillance, it’s important to keep your business’s interior and parking lot illuminated at all hours of the day. Vandalism and other crimes are far less likely to occur in a well-lit area. The cost of electricity is well worth the peace of mind you give to your customers and employees, not to mention the value that safety contributes to your reputation. It’s also smart to wire your interior lights to motion-sensitive switches that turn on when someone enters a room. This deters wrongdoers from going through with whatever they may have had in mind and can even prevent your staff from being injured or tripping over something that wouldn’t be visible in poor light.

In the event that your restaurant does fall victim to crime, surveillance footage becomes invaluable. And motion-sensor lighting can discourage crime in the first place.

 

Internal Threats

Employees — present or past — have the potential to become intelligent criminals. While the vast majority of workers are not criminally inclined, making off with cash from the register or pulling off an elaborate scheme becomes significantly easier when someone knows your security systems inside and out.This makes it all the more important that your employees are loyal. It is also part of the reason why it’s so critical to listen to disagreements and other issues your employees may have while they’re working. By keeping them on your side, you effectively minimize the possibility that they’ll exploit what they know about your business.

In the event a disgruntled employee does take action, your other security measures (including cameras, audio surveillance, and staff) should be enough to keep your business safe. If those precautions fail, having a few extra security systems that only you know about can be a great help in making sure an upset worker doesn’t become a major hindrance. Other possibilities include changing the combination on your vault or safe on a regular basis and periodically checking up with employees to gauge morale. Keeping all of your players on your team is critical — especially when the outcome could damage your livelihood.

You work hard for your business to succeed.  Cal Renin Alarm today at 610-544-5755 to schedule a consultation.  Or visit us online at https://rendinalarm.com

It happened in broad daylight! Daytime Burglaries.

Did you Know that most burglaries are daytime burglaries and occur between 10am and 3pm?

Protect your Family with a home security system from Rendin Alarm Company!

Typically people are away from their homes at this time.  Weekdays especially.  Home occupants are typically either at work or at school during this time.  You may think it’s brazen, but it is actually easier in many cases for a burglar.  Very often they live nearby and know the area’s traffic patterns, home owners’ tendencies and who is going where and when.

The Stats

Each year, there are over 2.2 million burglaries in the US, which means that every 15 seconds, a burglary is committed. Home burglaries account for 70% of these crimes and typically spike during the summer months (July and August have the highest number of home burglaries). The majority of burglaries don’t involve violence or the use of a weapon, but victims can still feel traumatized for months after a break-in, not only for the loss of their property but the uneasy feeling that a criminal was in their home and the fear that he or she may return. Most “burglars” just want to break into your home, find something of value and get out as quickly as they can. In fact, the timeframe within which a burglary is committed is between 90 seconds and 12 minutes, according to the FBI! But the typical commission time is between 8 and 10 minutes.

The average dollar loss from a burglary in the United States is just over $2,000, and the most common items stolen include cash, jewelry, guns, drugs and small electronics (such as I-pads, smart phones, I-pods, etc.). These items can be carried away easily, immediately used by the criminal and/or fenced to another criminal or to a pawn shop; hence, their attractiveness to the bad guy. Because most burglaries are not witnessed and many burglars don’t leave behind fingerprints or other physical evidence, the average arrest rate for burglaries in the United States is only 13%. This means that if your home is broken into, the chances of recovering your stolen possessions or of the perpetrator doing time for the breakin are small.

Beware thy Neighbor!

The typical burglar lives within 2 miles of the victim, and, in fact may know the victim. This is one more reason to be careful about whom you let into your house.  Strangers who ask to use your bathroom or phone could be looking for valuable or casing your property for layout, alarms and dogs. Be mindful of questions you may be asked such as where do you work, do you have kids at home, do you have any pets, etc.  These could be innocent, but could also be part of a plan. Most burglars are male and are under 25 years of age (usually mid to late teens).  Most use ordinary household tools to break into a home including, screwdrivers, channel-lock pliers, small pry bars and hammers. Many times, they just use brute force to go through a door or window.

Protect Your Family

Call Rendin Alarm Company today at 610-544-5755 to set up a consultation and see how easy it is to protect your Family – Your most valuable asset!  or email us at [email protected]

Total Connect Remote Alarm Access

Remote Alarm Access

Total Connect Remote Alarm Access

Total Connect Remote Alarm Access viewed from your Tablet.

Now more than ever, safety and security are issues in all our lives.  There is virtual theft, like what we saw last week at Equifax and then there is the old standard – theft of property.  The intellectual theft is born from today’s technology.  The World Wide Web has forever changed the way we think, research and communicate.  But it has also changed the way people steal.

But now YOU can use the power of the internet to combat theft and to ensure the safety of your loved ones, your business and your property.  With Total Connect you have access to your property from anywhere, anytime, on your Smart Phone.  Want to see how a storm is effecting a vacation property?  Log in and look.  Received a point-of-entry- breech alert?  Log in and look.  Want to make sure your daughter’s boyfriend is being a gentlemen while you are out to dinner with your spouse?  Log in and look! With the tap of a finger, the Total Connect Remote Services apps let you operate your security system, receive text messages and e-mail alerts – even view live video and control your thermostats, lighting and locks on your iPhone®, iPad® or Android™ devices. What could be more appealing than that?

Vehicle Tracking

Want to know where your child is with your vehicle?  Or was it stolen and you need to locate it fast?  Total Connect Tracking Services puts you in the driver’s seat – letting you know where your vehicles and assets are and where they’ve been 24/7 – anytime, anywhere, from any web-enabled smart device! You’ll have real-time GPS location information at your fingertips – a great way to keep tabs on teenage drivers and elderly loved ones, recover missing vehicles and monitor or recover lost or stolen valuables. You can even get email or text alerts when vehicles exceed speed limits or predetermined geographic boundaries.

 

Video Doorbell

The doorbell: Then and now

The ring of a doorbell. For previous generations, this was a welcome sound, notifying homeowners that someone had come to call. Unexpected guests were welcomed with a smile, and often invited in for food, refreshments or just to visit.

Today, it’s a different story. The doorbell is an interruption, and an unexpected ring can send homeowners scattering. “Shhhh…hide! We don’t want them to know we’re home.” I’m sure each of us has done this at some point in our adult lives.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Doorbells are now being made for the way we live, and the Skybell video doorbell is a prime example.

The Skybell video doorbell saves Halloween

Every Halloween, my wife and I juggle taking our three kids out trick-or-treating and handing out candy to all the neighborhood kids. Inevitably, we head out with a large group of neighbors and leave a large bucket of candy on the porch with a note saying “Happy Halloween! Take two and please leave some for the rest.” There is some level of trust associated with this, and I’m sure in past years greedy trick-or-treaters have taken advantage and done a full bucket dump into their goody bags.

That may have happened in past years, but not in 2016. This past Halloween, I turned up the motion detection on my SkyBell video doorbell to high, all right through the Honeywell Total Connect app. I even turned the LED color to Orange; why not keep with the holiday, right?

The family and I ventured out with our neighborhood crew. As we began canvasing, my SkyBell immediately began sending events. I saw Captain America at least seven times, and more princesses than there are in England.

As expected, about two hours into our adventure, I received another event. Curious as to which Avenger character was now visiting my home, I opened my Honeywell Total Connect account to find several teenagers gathered on my porch. And yes, they were scooping handfuls of candy.

I immediately started a voice session and asked “Are any of you planning on leaving some for the little kids?” I wish I could have captured the looks on their faces…surprised, startled, frightened, all of the above. I then said “how about everyone put some back and we all use this as a good learning experience?” One of the three apologized, and they seemed appreciative at how I handled the situation. My parting words were “Happy Halloween and we’ll see you next year.”

The many faces of Skybell video doorbell users

This is just one unique way SkyBell can be integrated into a homeowner’s life. Want some more creative ways to qualify customers for a video doorbell camera solution? Here are some quick tips for identifying potential users.

  • New Mom or Dad: Has the baby ever been sleeping and your doorbell rang and woke them? Wish you could turn the sound off temporarily and still know if someone was at the door? SkyBell and Honeywell Total Connect are for you.
  • Shopaholic: Have the executives for online shopping site friended you on social media because of your buying habits? Are you constantly looking outside for that next package, or worse… wondering all day at work if it arrived? SkyBell and Honeywell Total Connect are for you.
  • World Traveler: Do you travel frequently for pleasure or work? Do you wonder if anyone has stopped by your home while you’re away? SkyBell and Honeywell Total Connect are for you.

    Video Security

    Video Doorbell

  • Lazy Bones: Never want to get up from that comfy easy chair to answer the door? Now you can shoo solicitors without ever leaving that chair. SkyBell and Honeywell Total Connect are for you.
  • Movie Buff: Don’t want to press pause on your movie night unless it’s the pizza delivery guy at the door? SkyBell and Honeywell Total Connect are for you.

Skybell and Honeywell Total Connect

Honeywell Total Connect users can enjoy convenient, single-app functionality right within the Honeywell Total Connect iOS app for full SkyBell compatibility. Users can speak to visitors at the door directly through the Honeywell Total Connect iOS app without the need to download the SkyBell HD app. Plus, they can arm/disarm, lock/unlock all from one screen, and they can also access all SkyBell activity in the events log.

The SkyBell video doorbell now also comes in a new, rectangular model. Sometimes, the doorbell mounting area is positioned very closely to the molding around the door, making it difficult to install the original round version. This new smaller, more compact version, the SkyBell DBCAM-TRIM, offers an option to homes with slimmer door frames. It can be installed on any home that has existing doorbell wiring and is available in silver (DBCAM-TRIM) and bronze (DBCAM-TRIMBR).