Security survey of a fast food restaurant

As with many consumer-oriented businesses, fast food restaurants need to maintain a strong but unobtrusive security profile. Their structures and access points need to remain accessible while still preventing malicious behavior. This security survey of a fast food restaurant provides an example of how to perform a total security audit, identify weaknesses and risks particularly with regards to customer and employee safety, and offer suggestions for improvement.

Property and Perimeter

The outermost boundaries of the fast food restaurant are the limits of the company’s locus of control. There is a lot the fast food restaurant can do to improve its perimeter security, without deterring customers. In fact, making upgrades to the perimeter security can serve a dual purpose as improving aesthetics. The current perimeter is empty, dark, and exposed. These weaknesses open the possibility for criminal behavior, as the access points are “obscured by low light,” (Locknet, n.d., p. 1). Darkness is the criminal’s best friend, which is why the fast food restaurant needs to upgrade its lighting to cover the entire grounds including the outer perimeter. The restaurant does, however, keep on interior lights after hours to prevent property crimes including break-ins and vandalism.

Additionally, the owner is advised to plant hedges around the perimeter to strengthen the outer barrier to entry. The hedges serve as additional boundaries that reduce opportunities for criminals to easily wander onto the property, and would also improve the appearance of the facility to achieve the additional goal of improving business. Theoretically, the more popular the restaurant, the safer it will be because crowds would deter opportunistic property crimes, but this would not necessarily reduce the likelihood of an armed robbery. Therefore, an armed security guard is recommended only if there is a genuine need for an additional layer of protection. The building does have security glass installed.

Security Cameras

The proposed hedges would offer one type of physical barrier, but to welcome cars and pedestrians into the restaurant, it is necessary to keep open points of entry to the property. Without resorting to gates and other hard barriers that would impede business, the owners could instead improve safety by installing additional security cameras at each entry and exit point. Currently, the external security cameras are only installed in a few areas closer to the building: at the drive-through area and at each doorway. Installing two more security cameras where pedestrians and cars enter the property, and an additional two in the parking lot would prevent crime. Improved lighting along the outer perimeter is also necessary for ensuring the quality of the camera footage (Reynolds, 2015).

The parking lot cameras are essential for reducing property crime, while the access point cameras would allow guards to detect suspicious behavior and react accordingly. Inside the restaurant, security cameras are strategically placed to improve employee and customer safety. There are several interior cameras, strategically placed to protect employees and customers. However, these are not continually monitored cameras. If the restaurant cannot afford real-time monitoring, then the monitors could also be placed behind the counter so that all employees can share in the responsibility of safeguarding the premises.

Locks

Primary door locks are commercial grade, and only shift leaders have the keys. Locks are in good working order, with no sign of tampering. However, there are no current safeguards against former shift leaders having duplicated the keys. The locks have not been changed since the former shift leader received a promotion. There is also a cipher lock between the main part of the restaurant and the back office. The security code is changed regularly, and any time there is a change in personnel. Although the restaurant does cover the basics of standard lock security, some improvements could be made. One improvement would be upgrading the cipher lock to an e-cylinder or smart key using biometrics (“E-cylinders & Smart Keys,” n.d.). In fact, upgrading all locks to smart key systems would prevent former employees from potentially having access to the restaurant after hours.

Drive Through Security

One of the more vulnerable areas of this fast food restaurant is the drive through circuit. There are several potential points of weakness with the drive through. Although CCTV cameras are placed at the windows, there is no way to prevent an armed robber from threatening staff. The only way to prevent this problem from occurring would be to have a guard on staff at all times during operating hours. If this is not feasible, then employees should be trained on how to respond to a potential armed robber at the drive-through window.

Restaurant Design

Design elements have a strong bearing on security. Staff needs a clear line of sight throughout the restaurant to monitor suspicious behavior. Currently, there is an entire section of the restaurant that is cut off from the staff. With no guard in place, this area is vulnerable. The only safety feature reducing vulnerability is the lack of access from the outside to this section of the restaurant, and the presence of one CCTV camera. A malicious individual or group could, however, operate outside of the range of sight of the camera. It is therefore recommended that This restaurant hire a full-time security guard to patrol both interior and exterior spaces. The security guard would make up for some of the weaknesses in the current security array, helping to provide an additional layer of protection and also a much faster response time to any incident that may arise.








References

“E-Cylinders & Smart Keys,” (n.d.). http://areasafe.com/products/category/e-cylinders-smart-keys/
Locknet (n.d.). Physical security audit checklist. https://www.locknet.com/newsroom/physical-security-audit-checklist/
Reynolds, E. (2015). Video surveillance lighting 101. Security InfoWatch. http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/12103875/video-surveillance-lighting-101