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Dinner and surveillance

More than 20 years in the restaurant industry has provided The Baron Group with clear guidelines for running a successful operation. Adequate surveillance is one of the prerequisites to upholding these standards. The limitations of the group’s existing analogue system compelled management to consider a more effective solution.

An Axis Communications Channel Partner was approached to quote on a new digital surveillance system for The Baron restaurants. Their proposal consisted of a complete turnkey solution that included an integration of the point of sales software in order to increase managerial control over all of the processes within the restaurants.

The installation allows management to track and reduce shrinkage at the bar and in the kitchen. It also ensures that the quality of service at the various customer touch points is constantly monitored. The superior resolution of the footage and the ability to access these images from a tablet or a smartphone provides a security solution that is both flexible and highly effective.

Customer service through a lens

From its beginnings as a traditional English-style pub, the Baron has recently reinvented itself as a contemporary dining establishment that incorporates a wine room for vintage wines and a more conventional bar area. This new generation style is modelled on the Manhattan grill house concept and provides an entertainment venue that appeals to a much larger clientele.

“The Baron’s motto, ‘nothing is too much trouble’ indicates the group’s commitment to providing excellent customer service. The upgrade to the surveillance solution is as much about monitoring this service as it is about keeping an eye on stock levels,” Brenden Tyne, operating partner of The Baron. “Axis has a broad range of network cameras. This allows us to select a specific camera for a specific application.”

Compact and capable

An Axis Channel Partner installed a combination of AXIS M3004 and AXIS P3354 fixed dome cameras above each point of sale and specific areas in the kitchen, bar and entrances as per The Baron management’s requirement. The AXIS M3004 is designed for quick and flexible installation. It has a 3-axis camera angle adjustment and can be mounted on walls or ceiling.

“The AXIS M3004 is affordably priced, easy to install and offers HDTV resolution. The 400TVL quality of the previous analogue system was no longer sufficient in terms of the clarity and detail necessary for this busy establishment,” says Tyne. “A palm-sized network camera has the added advantage of providing a video management solution that is discrete and suits any interior design.”

The AXIS P3354 integrates Axis’ Lightfinder technology. Lightfinder technology is a combination of Axis’ expertise in image processing, in-house system-on-chip development and selection of the best optical components. Cameras featuring this technology are extremely light sensitive. This allows the cameras to give more life-like colours even in less-than-ideal light conditions.

One of the problems that The Baron faced with its analogue equipment was the lack of communication between the various systems. The Baron selected NUUO VMS to interface between the Axis network cameras and the point of sale system. This allows management to search for any transaction via the transaction value, the operator, time, date or any other specific field and access the transaction with the relevant high definition footage attached for review.

“Real-time transaction monitoring can now be observed on the VMS terminal, review stations or even from designated tablets or smartphones,” says Tyne.

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