Sign up for the IP 4.1 Webinar

Sign up for the Video Insight Newsletter

Upgrade to the New Version 4.1 IP

Case Group Subway

Case Group Subway operates 22 subway restaurants in and around Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Fourteen of these subways have high speed connections to a central office where company management and regional managers monitor the store's activities.

The Problem

Until recently, Case Group Subway had VCR systems in their subway shops. They had the normal problems with tapes that are so common: relying on store personnel to change the tapes; transporting the tapes to the central office; and, because they had purchased a variety of brands from Costco and Sam' Wholesale, the systems even had different tape formats. To improve the management of their locations and to implement a comprehensive loss prevention program, the Case Group implemented a sophisticated Point of Sale system. This system recorded all transactions and monitored inventory, food costs and sales. The implementation was a complete success and eliminated losses of several hundred thousand dollars in the first year. However, they needed to upgrade their video surveillance system to track activities at the stores as well as the sales. They also wanted to monitor their staff at the shops, including ensuring that the personnel are in uniform, ensuring proper staffing levels, and monitoring store activities to prevent food giveaways and employee theft.

The Solution

The Case Group had first investigated replacing their VCR's several years ago but the prices of the new systems were prohibitive. A few years later, they again looked at a DVR system but were not satisfied with the product. Recently, Case Group asked its system integrator, Edge Data Solutions to find a video surveillance system. Edge researched various products and recommended the Video Insight suite of products. The system was PC based and the price was right. Joel Edge demoed the system to Will Cutler, one of the Case Group partners, and Will was impressed with the extensive functionality and gave the implementation the green light.

The Implementation

The Case Group, with the assistance of Edge Data Solutions, then installed the system in the fourteen stores with high speed connections. Each store had four to six cameras watching the food preparation areas, the cash register, the drive through area, and the seating areas. The systems were placed in an inconspicuous storage unit surrounded by other storage cabinets. Two weeks of recording are kept at each locations and some locations record audio as well which is synchronized with video using Video Insight capabilities. All systems are monitored in the central office using the Video Insight Network Client. Each regional manager, also located in the central office, monitors their own stores. Using the Video Insight security, regional managers can only view video from stores in their region. In addition, Case management views live and recorded video from home over VNC connections or using the Video Insight web browser version over the internet. VNC is also used to login to the servers at the stores to troubleshoot network problems and update utility software such as virus protection. Edge Solutions uses the Video Insight Health Monitor to monitor the status of the servers and the cameras. If a camera or server malfunctions, the Health Monitor notifies Edge and they can address the problem quickly and reduce the risk of lost video.

The Results

Using the Video Insight products in conjunction with the POS system has proven to be very effective at preventing product losses and employee theft. For instance, they might see a store that has very high food costs without the corresponding sales volumes. This alerts them to a problem that needs to be investigated. They can then view the video to determine if the store employees are giving food away on a regular basis. The easiest things to give away are the chips and cookies. But they have also caught complete sandwich giveaways as well as direct theft of cash from the cash registers. When a break-in has occurred, video clips were provided to the local police to assist in the apprehension and prosecution of the suspects.

The Future

As the Case Group installs high speed access to its remaining stores, they will implement the Video Insight products. The Case Group also purchases an additional 2 to 3 stores per year and as they are purchased, each will have Video Insight installed. The Video Insight products have become an integral part of the successful management of their network of Subway locations.

Return to Retail Case Studies