Is it real or counterfeit? – Practical tips in detecting counterfeit currency

Libby Libhart — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:08:04 +0100

“Good morning!
Thanks for calling XYZ Company; how may I help you?”

“Hi. This is Susan
down at the bank.”

“Oh, Hi Susan; How are you?”

Could be deadly, but essential for restaurant operations

Libby Libhart — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:00:29 +0100

It’s a gas consumed by millions every day. Plants need it for survival. In fact we
exhale it with every breath we take.
Virtually every restaurant uses Carbon Dioxide (CO(2)) in bulk form to
put the fizz in soft drinks. It’s used
as an important ingredient in certain fire extinguishers. Carbon dioxide is a heavy gas and displaces
oxygen, settling at the lowest levels.
It is odorless, colorless, and cannot be det...

Would YOU resist a robber?

Libby Libhart — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:29:41 +0100

The young manager knelt in front of the safe, a thousand thoughts cluttering his head. His fingers were nearly frozen with fear as he fumbled with the combination. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears. A few thoughts came into focus; “please just get through this”, as the cold steel of the handgun pressed against his temple. He couldn’t remember if he kissed his wife goodbye when he left for work, or if he grabbed the sippy cup that was lying on its side, leaking milk o...

The Secret Decoder Ring and Loss Prevention

Libby Libhart — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:42:54 +0100

Over the holidays I watched “A Christmas Story” for the
gazillionth time. One of the scenes in
the movie is Ralphie getting his secret decoder ring to unlock the mysteries of
the universe. His ring consisted of all
the tools that when utilized would transform his world. He waits anxiously for the secrets to be
revealed. He would have vast knowledge
at his fingertips. In Ralphie’s case it
was a series of letters ...

But I thought it was being done – Inspecting the expected

Libby Libhart — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:07:14 +0100

We may have too much faith that it cannot happen, or
won’t happen or we’re simply naïve.
Perhaps we don’t seek, therefore we don’t find. Maybe it’s assumptions, perhaps laziness, or
even poor work ethic. It can breed and
morph in a culture where accuracy is considered unimportant. It is commonly known as – pencil whipping,
or faking information on documents.

The restaurant industry is rife with ways to lose
profitability. Just when you think you
have things buttoned up, a new twist comes along that can threaten your
business and you may not even know about it.
Last year the restaurant industry lost an estimated $200 million to a theft
scheme called “skimming”. The cashier or
server is equipped with a portable electronic device commonly known as a
“skimmer” that can be easily be hidden in a pa...

A leopard that couldn’t change its spots

Libby Libhart — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:06:26 +0100

The adventure usually begins with a notice from the bank
that a deposit was either short or is missing.
It triggers questions of who was supposed to have taken it to the bank
and when. When the accountability for
the deposit is determined, the employee in question undoubtedly swears that
they followed deposit protocols to the letter and denounces the bank
records. Requests are made to the bank
to inspect their night depository including t...

Igniting the Competitive Spirit

Libby Libhart — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:12:37 +0100

Let’s role play. You are a restaurant manager and your supervisor is visiting your restaurant. The supervisor is reviewing your sales over the past few months and notices an alarming trend - your sales are down. Your new assignment is to increase sales. So you sit down a draw out an action plan as any good manager would do. Here are a few things you might think about in designing your plan to increase sales in the restaurant:

One is the loneliest number

Libby Libhart — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:19:44 +0100

An employee was working at a chain donut shop by herself
at 3 AM on a Saturday morning in Johnston, R.I.
She was standing behind the counter when she heard a noise and saw a man
climbing the drive-thru window.
According to police, the man grabbed the employee by the arm while a
second suspect climbed through the window holding a crowbar. The pair robbers demanded the employee show
where the safe was located.

The art of building a bank

Libby Libhart — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:24:26 +0100

It has nothing to do with concrete blocks and mortar.
Cranes and bulldozers are not involved, and it has no reference to the facility
where you make your deposits or take out a loan. The first time you encounter it, you may think
you’re ahead of the game. What it may
all mean is the foundation for a scam to steal hard earned cash from the
register. Building a bank, also known as
“padding the register” is part of a theft scheme and you may...

Don’t wait ‘til Halloween for ghost hunting

Libby Libhart — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:41:55 +0100

The assistant manager was in charge of inputting hours
worked by employees into the back office system. She was very diligent in making sure
employees were paid accurately and that the employees were punching in and out
correctly. She applied correct discipline
to those that forgot to punch in or out.
Her supervisor was proud of her that she took such care in the accuracy
and discipline of their payroll. He was
so confident in her compet...

Unusual weapon used in pizza delivery robbery

Libby Libhart — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:21:46 +0100

According to crime statistics robberies of food delivery
drivers occur daily. When we think about
those kinds of robberies, thoughts generally turn to a driver being held up
during a late night delivery by a subject or subjects with a gun, the usual
weapon of choice.

On Thursday, October 8 in Brandon, Florida there were
se...

What’s the worst that could happen?

Libby Libhart — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:26:46 +0100

Last Friday, an employee of Long John Silver’s in
Jackson, MI opened the back door to take out the trash after closing. He was confronted by two men wearing
bandanas, one with a gun. A friend of
the employee who was waiting in the parking lot for his friend to get off work tried
to help. The employee and his friend
were both assaulted. The suspects then
entered the restaurant through the back door and confronted the manager at
gunpoint. ...

Delivery driver dilemmas

Libby Libhart — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 20:00:51 +0100

The order was placed from an unsavory part of town in
Newport, RI. The eyes of the driver
delivering the pizza were sweeping from side to side as he drove down the dark
street, his knuckles gripping the wheel a bit tighter than usual. The roof of his car was adorned with the
pizza company’s roof topper. He knew it
made his car stand out. He was very
aware that several deliveries to this particular area resulted ...

When domestic violence invades the workplace

Libby Libhart — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:50:36 +0100

In Panama City, Florida a man called a local restaurant
and threatened “to drive my truck through the building and kill everyone”,
following a domestic dispute with his wife who was employed there. He made good on his promise smashing through
the Waffle House and hitting his wife with his vehicle. She was taken to the hospital with non life
threatening injuries. He was arrested
for attempted murder and felony criminal mischief. This was ...

Shop Owner Shot Confronting Robber

Libby Libhart — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Yasin Sara was robbed at his Y & S Supermarket this
past week in Tampa, FL. Sadly the
robbery turned tragic when Sara confronted the gunman and was shot in the chest. Luckily he is in critical but stable condition
and expected to recover. News accounts
quoted a customer stating “he was the type of guy who stood his ground”, and “he
was going to protect what was his.” We
love to root for the little guy, triumph over evil, and good guys o...

Amateur break-ins

Libby Libhart — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:00:21 +0100

Local TV stations are reporting on a rash of break-ins at area restaurants. The suspect has been videotaped on a least one occasion. Police suspect that the same person is responsible for the burglaries that occur after the restaurant is closed and unoccupied. These crimes are usually easier to solve because of the tendency to repeat the same crime in the same way. When police get a “break” in one of the crimes, the others are solved as well because the methods of are the same indicating ...

Driver with late night munchies ends up in jail

Libby Libhart — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Early morning hours, an injured police officer, a 100
mile per hour chase and a crash into a pole – and it all started at a
drive-thru at McDonald’s. Police were
summoned when an 18 year old passed out behind the wheel of a car in a McDonald’s
drive-thru. The officers had trouble
rousing him and when the driver woke up, the officers ordered him to turn off
the engine and unlock the doors. Instead,
the driver turned the steering wheel hard...

EEOC proposes to ban background checks

Libby Libhart — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Last week the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced a proposal to ban pre-employment background checks by employers. The proposal was in response to the heads and spokespersons of several social agencies that prepare convicts to re-enter the workforce. The EEOC chair, Amy Solomon stated in a press release, “Today, we had the opportunity to add to our knowledge of this issue and learn about the practical ways employers have be...

Blog entries