Torchy's Tacos

How One of America’s Fastest Growing Restaurant Chains is Scaling Video Coverage

Matthew Lambrecht, Senior Manager of Technology; Damion Newcomb, District Manager; Hugh Tullos, Risk & Safety Manager

Cameras

Background

With countless tacos eaten, new recipes added to the menu every week, and over 70 locations, Torchy’s Tacos has become a fan favorite for taco lovers across six states.

Though each Torchy's location has its own unique and different design, the dedication to making high-quality, cooked-to-order, Damn Good tacos remains the same.

Challenges

"Our old video system was antiquated and (felt like it was) from 1983. Something that should take minutes to pull footage would take hours." Matthew Lambrecht, Sr. Manager of Technology, Torchy's Tacos

With a small team at the main Torchy's headquarters handling all footage requests, Matthew Lambrecht, Sr. Manager of Technology, realized that the existing DVR system was an evident bottleneck for multiple teams. The inability to handle incidents quickly led to increasing frustration and prolonged timelines in resolving guest and employee incidents. "I knew that the video solution that we had in place was no longer a good solution for us. I wanted to find us something that was going to be easier for the end user, something that would be scalable, and better for the long run," Lambrecht recalls.

Why Verkada?

"The Verkada system is a lot easier to use than our previous system. It's web-based so we can pull it up whenever, or wherever, we need to." Damion Newcomb, District Manager, Torchy's Tacos

Verkada's intuitive platform has quickly become a valuable resource for the team at Torchy's Tacos. From simple plug-and-play installation, to ease of use for non-technical users, the hybrid cloud surveillance solution makes it effortless for the team to find the footage they need in minutes.

Easy Installation and Deployment

"The installation with Verkada is very simple. We no longer need a power supply and a DVR; it's just a PoE line and it's plug-and-play."

Verkada's hybrid cloud solution doesn't require the infrastructural setup that is required of a traditional NVR or DVR-camera system, making installation quick and easy. "Installers say (the installation process) is a night and day difference--it takes minutes to bring the cameras online."

Find and Share Footage Quickly

"It's almost instantaneous that we can find (footage), review it and send it over to where it needs to be."

With Command, Verkada's software platform, authorized users have access to cameras across sites on any browser or device. "Verkada has a lot of features that make finding footage really easy--for example, bounding boxes--that's something I use almost every time."

Simple to Scale Indoor and Outdoor Coverage

"We cover virtually every entrance and exit of the buildings... indoor cameras cover dining rooms and POS areas; we (also) monitor back of house and have outdoor cameras (that) focus on patio areas and parking lots."

Verkada offers many options of hybrid cloud cameras, which meet the varying security needs for each location. Cameras accommodate a wide range of use cases--from 4K cameras overlooking POS systems, to fisheye cameras in general dining areas. "We're confident that we're covering all critical areas in our restaurants."

The Results

"I would absolutely recommend Verkada to any of my peers. I've actually recommended it to several different companies already."

Verkada's hybrid cloud solution has become a reliable tool for all teams responsible for guest, employee and food safety incidents. "All new locations will definitely have Verkada cameras in store. We're excited about our continued partnership with Verkada."