Restaurants benefiting from CCTV

Story link: Restaurants benefiting from CCTV by Jan Harris

Fast food restaurants such as Subway and McDonald’s in the US are increasingly benefiting from the use of CCTV systems – a trend that other food service companies are expected to follow.

Surveillance experts believe that the food industry will be the next big industry to take-up the use of CCTV in order to combat increasing levels of theft.

A sharp fall in the cost of cameras means that the food service industry is more easily able to bear the cost of surveillance systems. Restaurants are also increasingly investing in high-speed telecommunications lines to allow customers to pay with credit and debit cards. These lines can also be used for remote video surveillance.

With digital equipment and an Internet connection, restaurant owners can monitor numerous sites from anywhere in the world. Systems can cost as little as $500, while a system for an average McDonald’s restaurant would cost around $10,000.

As well as deterring crime, cameras can be used to monitor food-handling procedures and employee skills to see if additional training is needed. CCTV can be used to identify and correct inefficiencies in store and kitchen layouts, and can protect companies from bogus accident claims.