Hi, I’m Claire from Delaget. I’m going to share with you some common ways that your employees might be putting your restaurant’s cash into their pockets, and how to spot this activity.

Most losses to employee theft can be prevented, but first you need to know what to look for. You and your store managers should be well versed in the many ways that employees can steal from you so that you can spot a questionable act when you see it. While employees continue to get more and more creative in how they steal, there are 5 common things to watch out for when it comes to stealing from the cash register.

#1: Collaboration. Misery loves company, and if you have one disgruntled employee, he or she is likely to seek out others with similar opinions, which can more than double your losses.

#2: Excessive discounting. Employee meal and open discounting are often used to feed employees, friends, and family for free, or at discounted rates. Make sure your entire team knows your policies and thresholds for discounting, and pay attention to the documentation – often times, missing register receipts can be a red flag.

#3: Deletes, voids, and cancels. Altering tickets before and after total is most often used when a customer changes their mind. But it can also be used to steal by deleting an item – or the entire order – after the guest has presented cash. Know and track your cashier performance at each settlement.

#4:  Refunds. Correctly used, refunds reimburse guests for a bad experience. But they can also be used to steal cash and cover for cash shortages. The manager-in-charge should perform all refunds and collect the documentation per your brand standard.

#5) Carelessness. Cash shortages can be created by managers and employees who aren’t paying attention to specific procedures; like tendering $50 and $100 bills per brand standard, issuing the wrong change, or leaving cash left unattended. Be sure every cashier is trained to properly tender all cash amounts. Avoid loss due to accepting counterfeit bills by having the manager-in-charge double check and change all $50 and $100 bills. Finally, don’t make it easy to grab unattended cash – always secure cash in a drawer, safe, or office.

Following these tips will help you spot and stop the most common ways that employees steal from the cash register. If you’re looking for even more ways to prevent employee theft quickly and easily, check out a loss prevention tool like Delaget Detect, that can identify these suspicious activities for you and tell you exactly how to handle them, making it super easy for you to save time and money.