Theft among restaurant and bar employees is our reality. It is a part of restaurant/bar daily routine, but we rarely talk or read about it in the media. In fact, theft by employees is one of the leading causes of restaurant/bars shutting down in Kenya according to KEPSA. In as a much restaurant and bar POS systems in Kenya can help to deter such theft, it’s critical that the business owner is aware of some of the ways that employees can steal in a restaurant/bar.
Theft among restaurant and bar employees is our reality.
There are more different ways how employees steal your money.
Most employees are honest and will not steal, but one naughty waiter or supervisor/manager is enough, who will into stealing together with someone and relieve you of quite a bit of money. Knowing their methods will help catch them and prevent damages to your earnings, restaurant reputation and your team.
The five ways in which restaurant/bar employees steal:
- Bringing their own drinks in the bar
- Pouring water into drinks (especially expensive whisky)
- Making smaller portions of drinks like cocktails/shots
- Using the same customer bill multiple times
- Mixing up drinks returns/exchanges
Bringing drinks in the bar
After serving and charging for a drink but not entering it into the system, a bartender can be in a position to bring in the same drink only bought from a nearby store. In that way, inventory is not disturbed, and the money is pocketed.
This is done when the rest of the team hasn’t arrived yet, several hours before inventory control, if it was not counted the previous evening. In this case, security guard needs to be watched closely as well since he/she is often involved. A team involved in this scheme can include the bartender, waiter, manager and the night guard. In this scenario, a proper implementation of restaurant and bar POS systems in Kenya can deter such theft as well.
Pouring water into drinks
Watering down drinks is one of the more frequent methods of theft in restaurants and bars. The main player is the bartender who can not bring drinks in, but is able to do the following: simply pour water into bottles that he/she previously served drinks from, charged them but did not enter them into the system, thus making up for the amount served and pocketing the cash. This directly affects restaurant’s or bar’s reputation since the customer who gets a watered down drink will certainly not form a good opinion of the place. The customer will blame the owner for not being honest and for showing disrespect. In the end, this way of stealing is very damaging and should not be tolerated.
Making drinks shorter/ serving smaller portions
This method is related to previous two methods since the main players are again bartender and server. The method is simple: not a whole measurement of drink is poured in the glass when served. Usually, an additional cube of ice is added to increase the volume. In some cases, thieves call this “technical surplus” but this is clean theft and the customer is directly affected. There are cases when an already watered down drink is shortened and filled with ice so the customer can barely taste the drink they ordered. Using a restaurant and bar POS systems in Kenya in conjunction with tamper-proof bottle sealers can help prevent this kind of theft.
Using the same customer bill multiple times
This method involves a bartender-waiter team and when the kitchen is involved as well it means that you have lost control over your employees completely. Waiters separately or together ring up food and drinks and keep the bill. They patiently wait for the next order that will be the same, and the rest is history. The customer is served; the order is paid for but has not gone through the system. Money is pocketed by all those involved. Thieves make up for spent ingredients by buying them, however in restaurant and bar POS systems in Kenya where inventory is not counted and operations are based on trust they don’t replace the goods at all.
Mixing up drinks returns/exchanges
A customer can order for a drink then request for an exchange with a different one. This should be a straightforward process but it’s often used by waiters and bartenders to steal. The theft occurs by waiters not keying in the new item requested for exchange. Often, this new item is more expensive. The customer will be asked to give the extra money to the waiter directly under the guise that they cannot change the initial bill/receipt. The customer will most likely comply as they have got they wanted after all. In the order, the waiter will share the loot with the bartender and cook-up the inventory report citing exchanges etc. To avert this kind of theft, the owner should review the inventory report from the restaurant and bar POS systems in Kenya and insist on an accurate report of exchanges.
We realize there are a lot more ways in which employees can steal and harm your business. Please feel free to tell us more ways in which theft occurs in restaurants and bars.
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