The famous Soda Pop Game is played with a POS system, by splitting tickets. Only instead of splitting the cost between two people at a table, the drinks are split off to an open ticket. This server theft works when patrons are paying with cash.
Let’s say Table #1 orders two meals and two sodas. Before the server presents the ticket, he casually asks whether they will be paying with cash or credit card. If they answer “Cash”, then the server puts his game into motion. He presents their real ticket and collects the cash. But then the server can split off the drinks to a new open ticket and close out the first ticket that now only has food on it. The cash that was paid for the drink portion of the total goes into the server’s pocket.
When the next table orders food with two sodas again, the food is added to the open ticket that currently only has the sodas on it. This table pays by credit card and the server closes the table out. The first ticket is closed out without drinks because the cash for the drinks is in the servers pocket and the second ticket is legit.
One busy bar and restaurant in Ft. Worth, Texas, was victimized by a group of servers working together conniving this scam. They pilfered $30,000 over a 4-month period!
If you are shopping for a POS restaurant system, be sure to ask if the system has programming to alert managers or owners to this scam. Our system we sell will flash “Soda Pop Game” onto the screen. The server sees it and as quick as he can, and before his manager sees the screen, corrects the situation.
With many years of experience in merchant services and POS full-service restaurant and tablet systems, we’ve done a lot of research on the various ways restaurant owners are leaking away profits.
“When I switched over to Electronic Money Company, the process was seamless, and I have been very happy with the credit card rates and service. I have had many years in the restaurant business and had many different experiences with processors. This has been a welcome change.”
~Robert Day, Santa Fe Bar and Grill, Santa Fe, NM
Learn about our restaurant POS systems at ElectronicMoneyCompany.com/restaurants or call us at 505-296-2847!