Two tips to follow if you want to put security cameras in your restaurant
If the security system you've bought for your restaurant includes security cameras, here are two tips to follow.
Purchase some anti-fog spray
It might be necessary to buy some anti-fog spray and spritz this product onto some of the security cameras' lenses after you've set them up. In particular, you may need to apply this product to any cameras you put in your restaurant kitchen or near the doors that lead from the kitchen to the dining area.
The reason for this is that your staff's cooking activities will generate a lot of steam; when for example, they boil large pots of water to make pasta, or when they steam vegetables or make sauces on the stovetops, large clouds of steam will move up towards the ceiling. Whilst some of this steam will be removed by your kitchen's extractor fan, a lot of it will still remain in the kitchen. The steam from the piping hot dishes that your wait staff collect from the kitchen and take out into the dining area may also leave a trail of steam in the area where the kitchen meets the main dining area.
Due to the fact that most security cameras need to be placed at a height so they can capture as much of the surrounding area as possible, they are very likely to get coated in this steam. If you don't put some anti-fog coating on their lenses, this steam might stop the cameras from recording usable footage. As such, you must use this product on the lenses if you want the cameras to be functional.
Keep your customers' comfort in mind
It's important to be mindful of how your customers might feel about the security system and to ensure that its cameras are not so conspicuous that they make those who dine on your premises feel self-conscious. Whilst this is something that should be considered when putting cameras on any commercial premises, it is especially important in a restaurant, as most people don't like the idea of being recorded whilst they are eating large mouthfuls of food.
As such, you should use the cameras sparingly and only put them in areas where they are truly needed. This might include the restaurant's exit and entrance, the area where the till is located, the area where cash tips are stored, the bar (if you have one) and then in one or two corners of the dining area, where the cameras can provide wide-angle, non-intrusive views of this section.
For more information on security cameras, contact a company near you.