POS Security

Kitchen Printers Are a Theft Deterent

When designers think of placing a remote printer in the kitchen or bar they are probably thinking of increasing speed of service or accuracy in food and drink preparation. They are probably not thinking of these printers as a deterrent to theft.
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You are the business owner cannot be everywhere at once. As much as you would like to keep a close eye on your operation the fact remains that you are not able to watch the kitchen, the bar and take care of the floor. Having a reliable Point of Sale system is a vital part of your overall operation, especially with regard to security.

When people think of places to steal in your business they automatically think of the cash register. That is the obvious choice since that is where the majority of the cash is kept. However, the next most obvious place people will steal is your kitchen or bar. That is where a good Point of Sale system with remote printers can really help deter theft and point out obvious problems.

No Receipt, No Food
It really is as simple as that. No food or drinks are prepared unless there is a receipt from the remote printer. In order to get this receipt the order must be placed by the server or cashier.

This simple concept can mean thousands in lost revenues due to dishonest employees not collecting for food that was prepared by the kitchen. Even in kitchens where the owner is the chef theft is a daily occurrence.

Dishonest employees will pass a hand written ticket to the kitchen. The food is prepared and served to the guest. No where is anything that closes this loop by requiring that the server or cashier actually record the sale.
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In a Point of Sale system the food is rung up first, then the ticket is printed in the kitchen on any of several remote printers. No ticket is printed until the order is entered by the server or cashier. The loop is closed, and the margin for theft is dramatically reduced.
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Multiple Remote Printers Close the Loop Tighter
Most Point of Sale systems have the option for multiple remote printers. 6 is not an uncommon amount to have. As the business owner you should be thinking of how many preparation stations that you have in your kitchen. You should strategically place remote printers at each of these stations to help secure that portion of the kitchen.

The Point of Sale system can be programmed to split the order by preparation station. This will allow the person working that station to prepare that portion of the overall order.

For you as the business owner, you should be paying attention to what is being prepared at each station and if there is a receipt that matches that item. If no receipt has been printed by the remote printer then no food should be being prepared at that station.

An expeditor printer should also be a consideration to print the entire order on a single receipt. This will allow the kitchen manager to know what each piece of the order is and what station is preparing it. The expeditor receipt will be essential in bringing the entire order together for delivery to the table. This too is a great theft deterrent in that the kitchen manager will know what stations should be preparing food and if a station is preparing something that was not ordered.