How to Combat the 4 Main Culprits of QSR Loss in 2021 and 2022 

This article is the second in a series of five to promote Delaget’s 2021 QSR Operational Index – an annual report that shares stats and figures from over 6,000 QSR locations for sales, costs, employees, loss, and customer experience. 

Loss hurts—And it’s extremely prevalent in the QSR space — Not surprising to operators around the world feeling the pain in their bottom line.  

Where is loss occurring the most? And what can we do about it?

2021 data reveals 4 main culprits of QSR loss:  

1. Canceled Transactions (In-store and Delivery) 
   Stores saw an average of 2,607 canceled transactions in 2021. The bottom 10% of stores saw a devastating amount—an average of 12,336.  
2. Refunded Transactions 
   The average QSR location had an average of 134 refunded transactions, totaling an average of $1,879.14 in losses. Keep in mind that’s just per store, so if you have multiple units, you’re likely losing tens of thousands in refunded transactions alone.  
3. Daily Cash Shortages 
   The average QSR store had a daily cash shortage of $10.59. That adds up to a whopping annual cash shortage of $3,800.  
4. Employee Theft 
   Theft by workers can rear its head in canceled transactions, refunds, and daily cash shortages, but it’s still important enough to get a spot on this list. According to the National Restaurant Association, 7% of sales are lost to employee theft. That’s a big chunk out of your bottom line! 

Luckily, there are easy solutions to nip employee theft and loss at the POS in the bud.  First, using software to monitor register adjustments can result in: 

• 10 times fewer register discounts than stores that were not using the software—$550 per month, per store, in savings. 
• Three times fewer voids and refunds than restaurants not using the software—$275 per month, per store, in savings. 
• Total savings of $14,000 per store, per year, over restaurants not using the software. 

If you aren't keeping a close eye on your register adjustments, you're losing money. 

Second, cameras – it’s a known fact that humans behave differently when being watched. QSR employees are no exception- A 2014 study from Washington University showed that security cameras reduced employee theft by 22 percent. Check out our marketplace for vetted video vendors that integrate with our Detect systems.  

Looking for more data on QSR loss from 2021? Get your hands on our 2021 QSR operational index for full data figures and more information.