Protecting Fast Food Restaurants at Night

Criminals often strike at night. They know that their chances of getting away with their crimes are higher if there’s less light and fewer people around. Common targets for late night criminals are fast food venues. There are several reasons why. One is that these locations are open at night when most other businesses are closed.

Late night food venues are popular amongst people at the end of a night of drinking. As a consequence, large numbers of people arrive at fast food venues at the same time. A busy restaurant and potentially intoxicated customers require manned security support such as access supervision, conflict resolution and additional customer service to ensure restaurant procedures are followed. Security presence at late-night fast-food venues is an effective tool to ensure that the restaurant can operate smoothly as well as deter criminals.

The time and nature of the venue means they are susceptible to a busy venue, creating opportunity for criminals. This means criminals don’t need to break in. They can simply enter the property just like everyone else. There’s also a higher-than-average chance that there is cash in the building. Since fast food meals aren’t very expensive, people are more likely to pay with cash than they are at other businesses.

This makes it easy for criminals to walk into a fast food location, threaten then staff, demand cash or other valuables, and leave. Having the right security is critical for preventing these crimes. However, not all security options are created equal. Some do a significantly better job than others. Finding the right tools will keep your property safe while making the wrong choice can be an expensive mistake.

Fast Food Restaurant Security Tools

Most criminals don’t break into fast food restaurants when they’re closed. Smash and grab robbers usually focus on other businesses that have more valuables. Fast food robberies usually happen late at night, but while the business is still open. This way, cash is still in the registers instead of locked in a safe. Criminals can then threaten staff, steal the money, and leave the scene.

For this reason, alarm systems are not especially useful. They alert people to a crime in progress, but most fast food robberies don’t need this alert. Even in situations where alarms immediately contact the police, police don’t typically arrive quickly enough. A criminal can enter a restaurant, commit a robbery, and leave in just a few minutes. This means they’ll be gone long before police get there.

Security cameras aren’t very effective either. Criminals can easily hide their faces with sunglasses, hoods, scarves, or masks. This makes it nearly impossible to identify them on camera and, therefore, it doesn’t deter them from striking.

Physical security tools such as bars or gates don’t help either, since criminals strike in public areas while the restaurant is open. However, manned security guards provide the protection that fast food venues need.

Using Manned Security Guards at Fast Food Venues

Criminals aim to get in and out of a property as fast as possible. Obviously, they don’t want to get caught in the act committing a crime. Therefore, they strike locations where they think they’ll be able to leave quickly. If criminals see that a professional security guard is working at a fast food restaurant, they’ll think twice before committing a crime. They know that their chances of leaving the site without being caught are incredibly low.  For this reason, security guards serve as a very strong crime deterrent. Many criminals won’t even attempt anything at a site protected by guards.

However, in some cases, robbers are especially erratic or dangerous. In these situations, they may threaten staff or customers or attempt to physically harm them. If this occurs, security guards can act immediately to deescalate the situation and restore calm and order. They will quickly prevent the situation from getting worse and stop the criminals before they can cause serious problems. This prevents theft, injury, assault, property damage, and much more.

Security guards are also trained to actively watch for possible threats, security flaws, or potential issues and act on them immediately. This proactive behaviour keeps fast food restaurants safe, protecting staff and customers. When you can operate a safe business, you raise the reputation of your company. Customers are more likely to visit if they feel safe and that boosts their opinion of your brand.

You can trust Professional Alert Security to keep your site safe. Since 2005, we have provided security in Manchester, London and throughout the UK, protecting people and property and significantly reducing crime. To learn more about our manned guarding services and how they can keep your fast food venue safe, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

For more information on Protecting Fast Food Restaurants at Night talk to Professional Alert Security Ltd