A case study of IP video management software in use by Restaurant Brands to reduce theft and aid operations across New Zealand’s KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl’s Jr and Starbucks locations.
Restaurant Brands is the parent company in New Zealand for KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl’s Jr and Starbucks, Restaurant Brands has installed Milestone Systems’ XProtect video management software (VMS) across their chain of restaurants. The first use in 2010 led to management rolling it out the nationally: thefts dropped measurably and day-to-day operations became more efficient, according to the restaurant chain.
Milestone Partner Lexel designed and fitted XProtect Corporate software that manages more than 1300 AXIS network cameras in about 180 sites. Cameras are installed in all KFC and Carl’s Jr. restaurants and select locations for Starbucks and Pizza Hut. System operators use the XProtect Smart Client interface and Milestone Mobile client. Geoff Holton, pictured, is Commercial IT Manager at Restaurant Brands Limited (RBD).
He said: “Although there was no target set for loss prevention, there was a remarkable increase to the net profit after the installation of the Milestone video system. The main benefits of the software included user responsiveness and the open platform architecture that will enable us to integrate with other systems in the future.”
Loss prevention was improved by monitoring the food preparation processes at the restaurants and managing waste. Theft was lowered among dishonest customers and staff. At the same time staff safety increased and more efficient day-to-day operations became the norm, according to the user.
“The Milestone solution has made day-to-day operations much easier. Prior to this all managers were only able visit one or two stores at a time, but now they look remotely at the foyer area of their stores using the XProtect Smart Client interface,” said Geoff Holton.
Managers can remotely see how many customers each branch has, how many cash registers are open and how many employees are operating the counters. The software also helps them keep track of peak hours and check restaurants’ performance.
Holton said: “We are also using the Milestone solution to ensure the quality of the food that is made. Now we can go and have a look at how the pizzas are made at Pizza Hut or see if standards are followed when breeding chicken at KFC stores. This is all about securing the quality of our products, making sure our staff are safe while working with the hot deep fryers, managing waste and staffing levels. Both IT management and supervisors can remotely check on the stores with Milestone Mobile 24 hours a day.”
The Milestone VMS also helps to avoid theft at the restaurants, according to Geoff Holton: “We have just over 5,000 staff, and in the first 20 weeks of the financial year we actually detected 16 people that were stealing. The majority of our employees are honest and hardworking but unfortunately all businesses have theft issues. We did not have a previous surveillance system, which made it difficult to catch thieves and provide evidence of their misdeeds. Now we can monitor the stores and provide video footage of an incident to the police if necessary.”
Holton added that uses of the software might expand: “We are thinking about integrating with a point-of-sale (POS) system in the future. The Milestone open platform allows us to integrate with analytics which is a big advantage – it is one of the main reasons we chose the Milestone open platform.”
The installer, Lexel, recommended RBD to go with the Milestone software, and Lexel Systems trained the users in how to work the product. “Lexel is a trusted partner that was able to provide good support during the purchasing, installation and follow-up process,” added Holton. Visit: www.milestonesys.com.
