One of the saddest problems a restaurant faces is unnecessary loss of inventory. From spoiled food to employee theft, inventory control is a problem that all restaurants face at some level or other. Some loss is inevitable. Equipment breaks down, food is dropped, and often, some food is not used in time. Even the best restaurant inventory has loss because there is really no way to tell exactly how much food will be ordered from day to day. However, inventory theft can be controlled. A restaurant owner who is experiencing employee theft will have to spend money to protect his or her inventory. The three most common forms of inventory theft are…

1. Grazing
2. Delivery theft
3. Give away

Grazing

Grazing occurs when hungry employees nibble on your inventory. This can happen in the kitchen and even on the dining floor. Studies have shown that with this kind of theft, most of the staff members are aware of it but are reluctant to say anything to the powers that be. There are a few things that you can do to minimize your loss. Offer employee discounts on food and set up snacks in the employee break area. Free snacks and discounts help hungry employees be less hungry and less likely to steal. Those that do graze justify it by believing they are underpaid or that they work harder than others. Build a good rapport with your employees and let them know that it is not okay.

Delivery Theft

Delivery theft is bad news because it digs into your pocket much more deeply than simple grazing. Cases of food could be walking away from a delivery without anyone suspecting. Many restaurants have installed cameras that can video tape the entire delivery area to dissuade employees from passing cases of food to waiting friends in cars outside. All deliveries should be supervised by a manager of floor supervisor. Let employees know that stealing will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted by law.

Give Away

Wait staff that steal will give food to friends and family under the pretense that they are paying customers. Having a good POS system (Point of Sale) will help prevent this. Make it a rule that no tickets may be changed without the manager\’s signature. Point a camera at the registers and have check performed by the host only. This means that cashiers will not be ringing up friends and family. Most wait staff do not believe that giving food away will be missed. They either do not understand restaurant inventory or do not care. Give them the benefit if the doubt and provide a training course on exactly what restaurant inventory means to the bottom line and ultimately, their paycheck.

Be Creative

These are just a few examples of employee theft of your restaurant\’s inventory. Keep alcohol access to a minimum and make sure you know who has the key. While the preventative measures in this article will help, there is nothing more affective than building a solid rapport with your employees on an individual basis. If you know your employees, they will open up to you and may feel bad about stealing from you. Anything that you can do will help your inventory and ultimately, your bottom line.

Author Bio: For more information please visit our food inventory website.

Category: Food and Drinks
Keywords: Food,Customer Service,Restaurant,food inventory,Business Plan ,Give Away,Restaurant\\\’s Inventory