7 Unauthorized Activities Occurring at Your Back Door

1. One day I caught a dairy company driver exiting the walk-in box in one of my family-style restaurants. Generally, the delivery drivers were given carte-blanch entry to refrigerated storage areas for convenience purposes. Since the cost of dairy products represented approximately 3% of gross sales, most of us didn't worry much about small errors.

This particular driver appeared to have a "bulge in his pants" far in excess of what would be considered normal. I asked him if he was carrying anything out of my walk-in that he was not entitled too? His answer was no! However, I told him to wait in my office as I called the supervisor of his company, who then instructed him to drop his pants and hand over the unauthorized items - (6) 10 oz. NY steaks! He was dismissed on the spot and a replacement driver was called in.

2. This example involved a bread company driver who also delivered tortilla shells in extra long cardboard boxes. Again, a driver who has traditionally been allowed to enter and exit our premises at will. This story was told to me by the unit manager of a Mexican/American fast food restaurant.

As the manager turned the corner leading from his office to the kitchen, he accidentally slipped on the wet tile floor and knocked the top box of 4 from the hand truck of the delivery driver's dolly. The driver was headed toward the back door after making a $47 dollar tortilla delivery.

The driver had been given permission to place the product on shelves in the walk-in instead of placing them on the traditional bread rack. The top box contained six, 10 lb. rolls of taco meat valued at $20 each. Each of the subsequent boxes also contained 6 rolls for a grand total of 180 pounds, or $360.00. Immediate action was taken and an audit was made of the balance of the items on his truck.

3. A grocery driver, who's cousin was owner of a restaurant, managed to leave at least one of pre-ordered items on his truck from each of his stops each day. Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of this story is that the "buyer" was a manager in the same chain of restaurants, and much of the "take" was actually private-labeled for that chain. The receiver of the goods paid 50 cents on the dollar out of "petty cash", thereby lowering their food cost and qualifying for a bonus!

4. This happening disturbed one of my clients beyond belief, because the person who was caught was her son-in-law. Since he was the "head bartender" he had total access to liquor storage. Each Thursday, for three consecutive weeks, he was observed carrying a case of nixed bottles of liquor out the back door to his car. Needless to say, not only was the mother-in-law upset by this news, but her daughter (his wife) also.

5. This situation requires a little collusion between the sales person and the purchaser. It can happen at your back door when deliveries are being made. It is a simple transfer of your product from the salesman's car to the purchaser's car made without your authorization and occurs when "forgotten items" are requested by the purchaser.

6. This scenario actually occurred! The name of the company and location will remain secret for obvious security reasons - mine. The president of this wholesale meat distribution company managed the final packaging and invoicing of all deliveries on a daily basis from the dispatcher's desk. What disturbed me was that his "receiver information sheet" was filled out and given to him by his drivers as they returned to the plant, especially after the first delivery or whenever a receiver or habit change occurred.

What questions were on the "receiver information sheet"?

1. Who received the product? Owner ___ Manager ___ Chef ___ Dishwasher ___
2. Can he/she read English? ___
3. Did he/she actually identify each and every box or item? ___
4. Did he/she open a multi-item box to identify each item on the invoice? ___