So the restaurant I work at recently installed all these cameras because we have had a problem with certain individuals taking steaks and other food. Recently someone took a 1500$ jar of caviar and my owner has had enough and installed these cameras.
I personally thing it’s a great idea for theft, workplace accidents, etc.
What would you think if your owner installed these in your kitchen?
by coebeezy
44 Comments
hello restaurant owner how are you today
“1500$ jar of caviar”
I hate camera usage, but in this case, it needs to be address.
Kinda bullshit, however, the caviar thief needs to be fired
This is illegal in my country. That being said, I can perfectly understand when people are stealing steaks and jars of caviar…
I think it’d be better to address the situation with those “certain individuals” than tell your employees that you distrust them all.
If you are serving such high priced items then you should have had cameras from the jump.
I never had a problem with cameras in kitchens I worked in, and from a safety/liability standpoint, it’s not a bad idea.
HOWEVER, I noticed that when employers pay properly and show respect, (**not**) surprisingly there seems to be a lot less theft!
How do you know someone stole the caviar….maybe it was an excuse to get the cameras..
I worked at a place without cameras and it was a nightmare. That being said my rule is not to punish petty shit via the camera. Only serious incidents.
Even if I sold only $0.05 gumdrops I’d have cameras. Theft is rarely the actual problem. (In fact as a manager at one store I continually argued against camera upgrades because it would take five years of shrink to begin to pay for the new system’s installation.)
Workplace incidents are more common. If an employee gets hurt by faulty equipment, a customer, a landlord’s lack of care, etc., the cameras can help them out. If the employee is the kind every business *occasionally* gets then the cameras can help protect the business, the other employees and possibly all our jobs, too.
I thought this was gonna be uptight owners trying to stop kids from eating leftover fries. Stealing a $1500 jar of caviar though? This is justified.
1500?! Yeah i’m siding with the owner for once. Shame its ring camera, this isn’t what they are designed for and it not going to help.
Cameras aren’t an issue unless you’re doing shit you shouldn’t be. Owners who micromanage their employees with them can be, though.
I had one boss who would watch us from his car on coffee runs. How do I know? Had a regular come in, chill dude, wanted some steaks cut, wasn’t picky on it being exactly a certain weight, just, like, ‘that big’, y’know? Go to help him out and the phone rings. “Wtf are you doing? I’m on my way back, just ask him to wait.” “…um…k…” (I had been in the industry for maybe 5 years atp? I wasn’t a butcher by any means, but I sure as shit wasn’t incapable of cutting an already trimmed striploin we were selling by weight)
Also, the audio recording capabilities of a ring camera *might* be illegal, depending on where you are. I think they would be here in Canada but I’m not 100% on that.
I’d prefer a method that doesn’t share footage to Amazon and to law enforcement.
We have cameras in our kitchen and food storage areas. Insurance gives us a cut rate because of them, and typically we have key drops for products and like to be able to see the theft, or even injury, if it happens. We’ve only had to watch them for staff twice in a decade. One we suspected of drinking on the job, the other was pocketing meat and cheese when using the slicer. Both we were able to clearly see and deal with the issue immediately.
Always had cameras in the kitchen. Less so for theft more for employee interactions. And definitely not a thing we constantly monitor but I’ve had to use kitchen cameras multiple times in career to fire creeps who touched women inappropriately. Unfortunately that’s the reality.
Why wasn’t the caviar locked in a cage inside the walk in? We always kept steaks and caviar locked up for this reason exactly. Only managers had the key
A $1500 jar of caviar and steaks go missing and no one can find the culprit? Not buying it.
At first I was like damn.. how many fires yall sneaking on line lol but nah taking steaks and a $1500 jar? Naaahhhh fuck that dude
What do you even do with a jar of caviar? It’s not like your drug dealer is going to take it in trade. Can’t pawn it. No person in their right mind is going to buy it. That’s so weird. I actually make paddlefish caviar every year and I’m aware that there is a black marker for it but you’d really have to know the right person. I was in the drug game for like 15 years and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who could fence a jar of caviar.
Visible cameras deter theft. Hidden cameras find thieves.
As there is a known thief taking seriously expensive stuff, I’d opt for the hidden camera to get the current culprit, catch him, fire him, remove the hidden cameras, explain what I did to the staff, then put the visible cameras in place if I needed everyone to have a constant reminder. Sadly, this shows a lack of trust of your staff and that’s not great for culture and morale, but it also keeps everyone in their jobs because losing $2000 in theft every month is a fast way to shut down a restaurant.
Hit management with sick dance moves
Sucks if the lenses we to get splashed on
Sometimes accidentally a little bit of Pam ‘accidentally’ gets sprayed on the lens, doesnt really damage the camera, just makes everything a little blurry.
we had this type of a problem once at a restaurant we worked ( massive theft sometime superbowl weekend.) shit was way out of whack, Owners lost it on the manager fired him in front of everyone, and brought in a new manager.. he put in Cameras , he was not well liked.. (and he kept distant)
Eventually over time the ice broke and he got to know the staff and we him.. but it was still more distant and guarded than with the old manager ..
then it happened , the Cameras finally caught someone stealing from the Walk it was Super Bowl weekend again.. after closing on the sunday.. the owner and a few of his friends drunkenly came in raided the bar.. (left a fucking mess this time) then headed to the walk in and stole a whole bunch of shit.. and left with it.. presumably to BBQ..
‘**I** have no Idea how it happened , but apparently the entire thing was emailed and shared with the staff..including a bartender we had who was still close with the fired EX manager.
the NExT time the owner came in, the manager met him in the dinning room before he could make it to the back of house and said he needed to talk to him upstairs in his office.. they came down about 20 minutes later.. the owner left without so much as a word to staff..
he was a little quiet for few months.. he did not yell at anyone for the rest of the time I was there.
The issue is you *know* some dipshits gonna be staring at the feed from a back office or their couch at home just to show up and give a “got time to lean got time to clean” lecture because they thought you looked like you were slacking
ring cameras too lol. now bezo’s knows your 11 secret herbs and spices and he wants to sell you another dozen
The kitchen I worked in had cameras throughout the restaurant and property. Ours were in the ceiling corners.
I didn’t really care. They didn’t use them to be micromanaging pricks.
Get the evidence you need to fire, then take the cameras back down. That’s basically what we did with someone stealing coworkers personal items.
Give the staff free burgers or they will steal the steaks. $1500 caviar should be locked in a closet
These cameras are also stealable.
That camera would see my whole ass every single shift
People have cameras at their house nowadays ALMOST ubiquitously, some go as far as having them IN their house. Why anyone would be upset there are cameras in a work place in 2025 is just regarded. Strictly from a liability standpoint owners have to take care of themselves. Anyone that doesn’t understand that: has never had to sign an employees paycheck, has never paid for workman’s comp insurance, has never dealt with their inventory being stolen, has never had a manager that gets a little “loose” at work, or a bartender that “takes care” of their friends. The surveillance state sucks, but we’re all already there.
People complain but I worked as a cashier and every once in awhile someone would tell me they paid with 100 dollar bill or I gave them incorrect change. Cameras can see all
My opinion flipped real fucking quick when I saw a whole ass jar of caviar went missing. Yeah that dude ruined it for everyone and I don’t blame the owners.
Not a problem as long as you’re not a thief and boss doesn’t use it to micromanage.
I wouldnt be surprised to find out there was no caviar theft and they just wanted an excuse to install cameras. Hope you get paid more for all the BS you are going to have to put up with because the cameras are there
TBH there should be cameras in any setting where there is sufficient potential for injury or risk of other big issues. It should never be used for live monitoring or micromanaging though. Just to review incidents after the fact.
The place I work at has cameras covering almost every square inch of BOH and FOH. But it’s a bar at least as much as a restaurant, and there have been issues of both theft and fighting in both BOH and FOH.
IMO it would suck to be there when the cameras are put up, because it feels like a culture shift of trust -> no trust. But having come in to this place with all the cameras already established, frankly I’m glad they’re there. I’m cool with the KM who is kinda the security guy too, and he has a “wall of fame” of crazy shit that’s been caught on camera that he will show us sometimes. Fights between employees, theft by both employees and customers, hit and runs in the parking lot, etc., and frankly it feels nice knowing that I can’t ever be framed for some stupid shit because it’s all on camera.
If someone stole something worth $1500 from them, I would say it doesn’t matter much what anyone feels about the cameras. That’s way the fuck over the line. But personally, I’ve never minded working in surveilled places anyway. If the place sucks to work at, it’s going to suck to work at regardless of camera presence because of shitty management or culture.
Ia that 1500 menu price or is that cost price? Either way thats insane imagine putting your future at risk for a jar of caviar 😂
Why not invest in ceiling ones. Most places have them. One time a hibachi owner caught a cook walking out with whole beef and salmon.
ive had cameras in the kitchen but not a ring lmao
I was annoyed at first bc what are they stealing potatoes? But $1500 caviar is camera worthy.
I don’t blame them tbh. They didn’t put it in there to scare or be creepy, $1500 is a significant loss and they are trying to deter further thefts. I mean, I get it.
If nothing else it’s a deterrent. I have the same camera and there’s 0 chance they are watching all clips. In the event something happens they will look. Otherwise , it’s there to keep folks honest