According to the National Restaurant Association, over 75% of a restaurant's food inventory losses are attributed to employee theft. This can really throw off a Chef's food costing and will ultimately lead to reduced profitability if the situation is not corrected. Here are a few tips on how to prevent employee theft from happening in the kitchen.

 Do not rely on surveillance cameras:

Unless you have an HD camera in every corner of your kitchen, you ain’t gonna catch a seasoned thief in the act of stealing. Keep the surveillance camera for monitoring the money safe and the outside perimeters of your property.    

Regular inventory:

I prefer to do my inventory every other week, however my high ticket items are monitored daily.  I know exactly how many portioned steaks, halibut & lamb racks are on hand at the beginning of every shift.  The following day I check the sales report to determine how many of each were actually sold and then I cross reference this with the inventory on hand.  When your culinary team sees this much inventory activity they are very hesitant to remove anything without asking. 

Hire trust worthy employees:

Easier said than done! It’s not like a thief is gonna say “yeah I’m probably the type to steal from time to time” in the interview. But reference checks from reliable sources is a good practice. Also hiring people that are connected to your trust worthy staff is another good practice.

Provide Staff Meals:

Make sure your staff meals are not “bubble and squeak.” I’m not talking about the classic British dish made from holiday left overs. I’m talking about putting a bunch of random stuff into a pot and turning up the heat until it bubbles and squeaks. I’ve been guilty of creating a few bubble and squeak staff meals due to time constraints. Consider rotating the staff meal duties and schedule that person to come in a bit earlier to prepare a quality meal for their peers.

Now this is a list that will help you with kitchen theft, but don’t think for a second that your front of the house staff are perfect angels. Does anyone have any experience preventing front of the house theft? Drop a comment below and let's continue the conversation.