Restaurants can prevent crime by implementing specific measures and preparing and executing plans. Ultimately, restaurant insurance helps to protect your enterprise from fire, bad weather, and personal injury liability. But what about crime? Restaurants that hold considerable sums of cash make the perfect targets for robbers, putting employees and customers at risk.
How to Prevent Crime and Create Safety Measures
What can owners do to prevent these incidents? The key is thinking ahead.
Get the Right Restaurant Insurance
If a crime does occur, your restaurant may sustain damage, and people may get hurt. All totaled, the bill can get pretty steep:
- Medical expenses
- Court costs fighting civil suits.
- Property repairs.
- Equipment replacement.
Paying all those costs out of pocket can significantly blow your bottom line. Insurance takes on the burden so you can focus on recovering and supporting your team. If you look for restaurant insurance in Sandy, Utah, you can get a policy that covers the most common risks in your area.
Train Staff for Emergency Situations
Step one of preventing restaurant crime is training your team. People often panic in emergencies, and that can lead to getting hurt. However, proper training helps employees keep a clear head and make logical decisions under pressure.
Create a plan in case of a robbery and ensure everyone undergoes training. Yearly refreshers can work, as memory tends to fade over time.
Create Crime-Prevention Policies
Of course, third-party perpetrators aren’t the only source of crime — employees may also steal from or vandalize businesses. Employee theft is one of the most common crimes in restaurants to watch out for.
To prevent this issue, create clear policies outlining what managers should do if they suspect theft. Putting this information in writing is essential so everyone can reference it and former workers can’t claim discrimination. You can also ask employees to sign a form acknowledging that they understand the policies and agree to comply.
Invest in Security
Security systems are more powerful than ever, making them essential for commercial enterprises. For example, many smart designs allow you to access the system remotely via your phone. If you get an alert from the system, you can log in and see what’s happening.
Visible security can also be a deterrent. Criminals usually scope out targets beforehand; if they see cameras, they may choose easier prey rather than take the risk. If they break in, you’ll have plenty of footage to help police track them down. An alarm can also keep them from doing too much damage, as they’ll have to move quickly or risk arrest.
Review Environmental Design
The design of your restaurant can make it less of a target. For example, a well-lit parking lot and maintained bushes make it more difficult for perpetrators to hide and ambush customers and employees. You should also limit access to the roof and trash bins, as they can make excellent hiding places.
Update Your Restaurant Insurance Policy as Needed
As circumstance change, your restaurant’s needs may change. For example, if you open a second location, you’ll need coverage for that space. You may also need to increase coverage as you accumulate new and more valuable assets. Any time your business undergoes a significant change, talk to your agent about adding or upgrading your restaurant insurance.
About BTC Insurance Services
Founded in 2011, BTC Insurance Services has proudly served Utah businesses with comprehensive and custom-tailored insurance coverages for a decade. We pride ourselves on fostering long-term client relationships with a personalized and hands-on approach, and have established a reputation built on quality and transparency. For more information about our products and services, we invite you to contact one of our reputable agents today at (855) 944-3457, or send us a message here.
