Legendary Roadside Diner Deploys Avigilon High Definition Surveillance System
Opened by the Redamak family in the late 1940s and purchased by the Maroney’s in 1975, Redamak’s is known for its excellent food, family atmosphere, and exceptional service, feeding more than 400,000 customers its legendary hamburgers from March to November each year. Located in New Buffalo, Michigan, a popular tourist spot next to the I-94 Interstate Highway, Redamak’s is a landmark destination for locals and travelers alike. But like all restaurants, Redamak’s faces challenges ranging from theft to fraud to employee safety. To boost security, ensure health and safety compliance, and manage inventory and food quality, the diner upgraded to the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system for its improved image clarity, ease of use, and scalability.
Avigilon Sells Itself
After seeing an ad for Avigilon and visiting the website, Chuck Maroney, general manager at Redamak’s, was immediately impressed.
“I was intrigued by the difference in image clarity and pixel count compared to my old analog system,” said Maroney, who contacted Vermillion Systems, Inc, a local provider of surveillance system design, installation and support recommended by Avigilon. “After an impressive presentation, we were quickly sold on the system’s performance, reliability and ease of use. We didn’t even look at other systems.”
According to Greg Payne, head of project development at Vermillion Systems, the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system was the right choice for the restaurant because of its superior image quality and usability.
“After personally meeting with Chuck several times and assessing his needs prior to the installation, we determined that the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system was the best fit,” said Payne. “The system delivers the peace of mind that the restaurant is well monitored both day and night, and is easy to manage – critical in such a fast-paced environment.”
Vermillion Systems was not only instrumental in the planning and designing of the installation, but assisted Redamak’s with the training and maintenance of the Avigilon system after the deployment.
Smooth Operation
“There is no comparison between our old analog system and the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system,” noted Maroney. “We had a small, ineffective monitor, fewer cameras, and an exterior camera that was connected through a transmitter, causing all sorts of reliability issues.”
With Avigilon, the installation was seamless, training successful, and the 24x7 support from Vermillion exceptional. In addition, Redamak’s has had no bandwidth issues since adding Avigilon to its network.
“The Avigilon Control Center software continues to run smoothly,” said Maroney.
Managers view the system from their computers or the 50-inch monitor located in the main office, and can control access to their back door using Avigilon footage.
“To improve employee safety and verify deliveries, we installed an Avigilon camera inside our back entrance and grant access after we’ve viewed footage of the individual in question,” explained Maroney.
Redamak’s stores 30 days of continuous video footage on an Avigilon HD Network Video Recorder (NVR), and several managers use ACC Mobile for remote monitoring from their Android phones.
Keeping it Simple
Managing a popular restaurant and staff of 155 employees is time consuming, so finding a surveillance system that is easy to use and manage was key.
“The Avigilon system is definitely easier to use than our previous system, because we can search for footage and save to a thumb drive in minutes,” confirmed Maroney. “After switching to Avigilon, we realized how ineffective our old system really was. Our managers are thankful we made the upgrade.”
Peace of Mind
The Avigilon high-definition surveillance system has improved safety at Redamak’s, giving managers’ greater peace of mind that should an incident occur, it can be easily investigated and resolved.
“We recently dealt with an incident in which two patrons left without paying, and we caught their image on four different cameras,” explained Maroney. “We provided footage to the police, who are currently investigating the crime.”
And, with immediate access to footage of the restaurant, Maroney can review allegations of sustained injuries, helping to avoid potential liability claims.
With greater coverage of the loading dock and parking lot, employees also feel safer when closing the restaurant late at night.
“Our goal is to deliver the best food and service possible – the Avigilon system enables us to better ensure inventory and food quality control, and monitor employee performance to help us achieve our mission.”
Health and Safety Compliance
The Avigilon high-definition surveillance system has also become a valuable tool to help Redamak’s monitor for health and safety compliance for both staff and delivery personnel.
“A couple of years ago, a delivery person fell off the back of his truck and unfortunately, our old system was unable to capture a clear image of the incident,” Maroney shared. “With the upgrade, we added an extra Avigilon camera for greater coverage and improved image clarity, which we rely on to ensure safety procedure compliance.
Great Expectations
“From start to finish, Avigilon has lived up to our expectations with regards to installation, technology, and support,” concluded Maroney, who trusts that he has invested in an advanced surveillance infrastructure that will facilitate expansion as required. “With Avigilon, we have invested in a future-proof surveillance system that can easily scale to meet our needs as we continue to find new ways to enhance the dining experience.”