WKS Restaurant Group Upgrades Physical Security with Virtual Guard Services
WKS Restaurant Group rolls out Interface’s virtual guard services across 394 restaurants to offer significantly better security coverage while reducing costs by as much as 85%.
Listen to Chris Magana, Director of Risk Management at WKS Restaurant Group on how Interface Video Verified Alarm and Virtual Guard Solutions are helping them to mitigate risks.
WKS Restaurant Group (WKS), one of the fastest-growing restaurant franchises in the United States, has chosen Interface Systems to implement virtual guard services across 394 restaurants.
Interface had earlier implemented the video verified alarm services for WKS and the virtual guard services seamlessly upgrade security coverage, leveraging the investments already made by WKS.
The virtual guard services include upgraded security cameras, network video recorders (NVRs), speakers, microphones, and discreetly installed panic buttons or wearable pendants that allow Interface’s remote intervention specialists to see, hear and respond to security threats in real-time.
By implementing virtual guard services, WKS is able to reduce the cost of securing its restaurants by 85% while offering better security for its employees and customers.
Christopher Magana
Director of Risk Management WKS Restaurant Group
About WKS Restaurant Group
Headquarters: Cypress, CA 01
Interface Services for WKS Restaurant Group:
- Virtual guard services
- Managed alarm monitoring & video verified alarms
Challenges of Security Guard Deployment
“WKS is one of the nation’s fastest-growing franchises with a portfolio of leading restaurant brands – Denny’s, Wendy’s, El Pollo Loco, Blaze Pizza, and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. The company’s acquisition-fueled expansion across several markets had opened up a variety of security challenges.
Before Interface, WKS was incurring significant costs to deploy security guards at vulnerable restaurant locations. In addition to wide variations in the cost of deploying security guards, there were a host of operational complexities.
“Performing guard duty is challenging. Security guards have limited situational awareness and they cannot be present everywhere. Also having guards at restaurants diminishes the customer experience in addition to creating potential life threats for the guards themselves,” says Christopher Magana, Director of Risk Management at WKS.
“Performing guard duty is challenging. Security guards have limited situational awareness and they cannot be present everywhere. Also having guards at restaurants diminishes the customer experience in addition to creating potential life threats for the guards themselves”
Christopher Magana
Director of Risk Management WKS Restaurant Group
Virtual Guard Services From Interface
Earlier, WKS chose to consolidate alarm management with Interface and rolled out the video-verified alarm solution.
The project was a resounding success as WKS eliminated over $100,000 in false alarm costs and penalties in addition to streamlining alarm management across all their restaurants.
“We saw firsthand the value of choosing Interface. Their focus on customer service and the transparency they demonstrated even when faced with tough supply chain challenges were eye-opening. It was a no-brainer for us to expand the Interface solution stack to implement the virtual guard services,” says Magana.
With Interface’s virtual guard services, 394 restaurants in the WKS franchise network can now benefit from a significantly better security solution that has a wide variety of applications.
“The pilot run ticked all the checkboxes we needed to see. It boosted employee morale, demonstrated a significant cost reduction, and gave us the flexibility to choose the entire solution or parts of it depending on the threat perception at every location.”
Christopher Magana
Director of Risk Management WKS Restaurant Group
Virtual tours with voicedowns
Remote intervention specialists operating from Interface’s five-diamond rated command and control centers perform a comprehensive virtual walk-through of the restaurant at regular intervals to check for potential troublemakers, and safety loopholes such as open doors at the back, loiterers, and solicitors. The virtual walk-through ends with a voicedown to check in with employees.
Opening and closing escorts
Every time restaurant employees open the restaurant early in the morning or close the restaurant late at night, they have additional security coverage. Before walking into the restaurant, the employee can call Interface’s command and control center and ask for a check on the restaurant premises to make sure everything is in order.
Similarly, employees leaving the restaurant can ask for a safety check in and around the exit doors and parking lot.
On-demand, interactive security
With the ability to see, hear, and respond to any situation across hundreds of WKS franchise locations, using security cameras, strategically placed microphones, and speakers, restaurant employees are now safer than ever.
If needed, employees can summon Interface’s remote intervention specialists with the press of concealed, panic buttons or by activating wearable panic buttons.
Interface’s intervention specialists can assess the situation in real-time and can either make a voicedown to warn threat actors to leave the property or call law enforcement. The asset protection team at WKS is now collaborating with Interface to launch a comprehensive training program to help employees get up to speed on the virtual guard services and help them get the most out of the solution in place.
According to Magana, “WKS runs a people business, and ensuring the safety of our employees and customers is our number one priority. With Interface, we are able to protect our employees with the best technology has to offer and give them the confidence to do their jobs at any of our locations.”
“WKS runs a people business, and ensuring the safety of our employees and customers is our number one priority. With Interface, we are able to protect our employees with the best technology has to offer and give them the confidence to do their jobs at any of our locations.”
Christopher Magana
Director of Risk Management WKS Restaurant Group
