Security becoming standard for area fast food stores

by Aaron Reincheld
Staff Writer

Patrons hungry for a midnight snack on Friday and Saturday nights might walk into a couple Uptown fast food restaurants and find security guards on patrol.

Burger King, 28 S. Court St., and Taco Bell, 41 S. Court St., have two guards from St. Moritz Security Services, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based security company, on duty after 10 p.m. on the weekends, said security guard Howard Cobb.

The number of guards on duty varies each night, depending on whom the company decides to send, Cobb said. He is from the company's Parkersburg, W. Va., office.

But the two-guards-a-night policy does not always happen, Cobb said. "The first night I worked at Burger King, I worked alone," he said. "The other guy didn't show up."

A security presence can be beneficial. Many students drink alcohol before coming in late at night and might cause a disturbance in a store, Cobb said.

Brent Hawk, Taco Bell area supervisor, said he had similar reasons for having the guards at the store.

"We did it for the security of our people, to cut down on destruction of the store and to curb any violence or anything that may go on in the store," Hawk said. "But our main concern was for the security of our people."

The security program at Taco Bell has been in place since 1989, when the Athens location opened, Hawk said. There have been no major incidents while the guards have been on duty.

"With their presence here I think it does curb people getting out of line," he said. "If there's an argument or something that comes up, it's taken outside instead of taking place in the store."

The guards also do a full search of the site to make sure no one is hiding inside after closing at 3 a.m., Hawk said.

Security guard Rick Lewis said Saturday night was his second time at the Burger King. Lewis said he has had no major situations to handle. Most of the duties include asking people to take their feet off the chairs.

Despite the security measures, Hawk said, problems still exist. The restrooms have been damaged on some nights.

There also has been a mixed reaction to security at Burger King, said Angela Fisher, assistant manager. She said the guards help prevent disturbances that arise, but she does not think they have any major effect on business at the store.

"I don't know that they've hurt business in any way, but I couldn't tell you that they've drawn any in either," Fisher said.