How to Plan Security Cameras for a Catering and Commissary Kitchen

A catering company or commissary kitchen prepares food in bulk, stores it cold, loads it into vans and delivers it to events. Equipment, chafing dishes, rental inventory, linens, alcohol and expensive ingredients move in and out constantly. A commissary may also be shared by food trucks, bakers and caterers who rent time and storage. The risks include theft of ingredients and equipment, losses from rental inventory that never comes back, access by people who should not be there, break-ins at the loading door and disputes about what left for an event. Cameras help the business track inventory movement and protect the kitchen, but must respect the staff and members working there. This guide explains how to plan cameras for a catering or commissary kitchen in New York and New Jersey: what to cover, how to handle shared use and what a sensible system costs.

This is general information, not legal advice. Food businesses are regulated for health and safety. Talk to your attorney, insurer and the relevant health agencies about requirements.

1. The Short Version

2. What Commissaries Face

Typical problems include missing ingredients and equipment, rental items that do not return from events, unauthorized people in shared kitchens, loading mistakes, vehicle theft and break-ins. Event days are chaotic, with many hands and a tight schedule, which hides loss. Our guide on camera placement explains how to plan coverage.

3. Entrance and Access

Control the entrance with key cards or codes, and issue personal credentials to staff and members. Remove access when someone leaves. A face-level camera at the door records who comes and goes. Post a sign that video is in use. Our local pages on commercial camera installation in Queens and business camera installation in the Bronx describe typical kitchen and warehouse entrances.

4. Prep and Cooking Areas

Use wide cameras on the main work areas. The goal is safety, training and incident review, not constant observation of cooks. Tell employees and members where cameras are and why. Our guides on employee camera notice and on employee theft and cameras explain how to do this fairly. Do not place cameras in restrooms, changing areas or break rooms.

5. Cold and Dry Storage

Ingredients are a major cost. Lock dry storage and cover the walk-in and freezer doors with cameras. Use a sign-out log, label shelves by member or event and count high-value items. Cold storage cameras must handle low temperatures and condensation; choose rated housings. Video helps when counts do not match invoices.

6. Equipment and Rental Inventory

Chafing dishes, serving ware, linens and tents leave for events and sometimes do not come back. Use a check-out and return sheet for each event, photograph loads and put a camera on the staging area. Compare return counts with the load list. Clips show where the loss occurred, whether in the kitchen, in the van or at the event.

7. Loading Door and Van Staging

Cover the loading door inside and out. Load vans in view of a camera and with a checker holding the list. Lock vans when loaded. Secure keys in a cabinet with a log. Add lighting. Our guide on contractor yard cameras covers similar vehicle and equipment planning.

8. Shared Kitchen Members

In a commissary, members rent time and storage. Give each member a labeled shelf or locker. Cover shared corridors, entrances and common storage, not each member's private work. Write the camera policy into the membership agreement: what is covered, how long footage is kept and who can see it. Our guides on camera laws in New York and New Jersey and on audio recording laws explain why aim and notice matter.

9. Food Safety and Cameras

Cameras do not replace food safety practices, and they can help document them, for instance by showing cooler doors left open or access to restricted areas. Follow health rules for temperatures, cleaning and storage. Do not use cameras in ways that reveal customer or member confidential recipes.

10. Back Door and After Hours

Cover the back door inside and out and keep it locked. In July 2026, according to Hoodline, NYPD Crime Stoppers released images of a suspected serial burglar tied to 11 commercial break-ins in Brooklyn, entering through basement-level doors. Use door contacts, motion alerts and local recording after hours, and decide who receives alerts. Call 911 for emergencies.

11. Power, Cold and Moisture

Kitchens are hot, humid and greasy. Use cameras rated for the environment, mount them away from steam and grease and clean lenses often. Use PoE switches in a clean, dry room and a UPS. Our guides on how cameras are wired and on IP and IK ratings explain the basics.

12. Retention and Storage

Keep at least 60 days of video, since rental losses and member disputes may surface late. Storage planning: total GB = cameras x Mbps x 10.8 x days. Twelve cameras at 3 Mbps for 60 days is about 23,328 GB, or roughly 23 TB. Keep clips tied to open disputes longer. Make sure the clock is correct. Our guides on how long to keep footage and on storage planning explain the math.

13. Common Mistakes

• No check-out and return log for rentals.
• Shared credentials for members.
• Cameras in steam or grease.
• No loading door coverage.
• Recording audio.
• No member notice.
• Short retention.
• No back-door camera.

14. Cost

Planning ranges in 2026: eight-camera system for a small kitchen, $3,000 to $7,000; twelve-camera system, $4,800 to $10,000; sixteen-camera system, $6,500 to $15,000; access control, $1,500 to $15,000; cold storage cameras, $500 to $1,500 each; recorder and storage, $1,000 to $5,000. These are planning ranges, not quotes.

15. A Second Data Point

NYPD reported burglary down 19.5% citywide in May 2026 compared with May 2025 (NYPD). A commissary's exposure is inventory, rentals and shared access, so plan around those.

16. Questions to Ask Your Installer

1. How will cameras fit a shared kitchen?
2. How will you cover storage and staging?
3. Which cameras suit cold and steam?
4. How will credentials work for members?
5. How much storage do I need for 60 days?
6. Can the work be phased?

See our local pages for commercial camera installation in Queens, business camera installation in the Bronx, commercial camera installation in Newark and our services page.

Running a commissary? Revolvis will walk the property with you and mark the spots, from the loading door to the walk-in.

17. A Hypothetical Commissary

A 3,000-square-foot Bronx commissary kitchen installs twelve cameras: an entrance camera, a corridor camera, three kitchen cameras, a walk-in camera, a dry storage camera, an equipment room camera, a loading door camera, a van staging camera and a back-door camera. Members use personal fobs. Footage is kept 60 days. After a caterer's chafing dishes fail to return from an event, the staging clip shows them loaded, and the issue moves to the event.

18. Daily Routine

Open by checking cameras and the door. Review the day's loads and returns. At closing, lock storage, check coolers, lock the back door, set alerts and verify logs. Wipe lenses weekly. Test an export monthly.

19. Working With Members and Clients

Share relevant clips with members and clients under a clear policy. Keep communication factual. Tell members about cameras in the agreement and at the entrance.

20. Annual Review

Once a year, walk the kitchen with an installer. Check coverage, lighting and access control. Review losses for patterns. Update procedures and training.

Wired Versus Wireless Cameras

Wired PoE cameras are the steadier choice here: one cable carries power and data, and the picture does not drop when many devices crowd the Wi-Fi. Wireless cameras and point-to-point bridges fit a temporary spot or a long run where trenching is impractical. Keep the recorder in a locked, dry room with a small UPS, label every camera on the recorder and check the system weekly so a dropped link is found before an incident, not after it.

Seasonal Patterns

Busy seasons, holidays and bad weather change how a site is used. Review footage from a busy day once a quarter to see whether any entrance, row or door has a blind spot, then adjust angles and lighting before a loss exposes the gap.

More From Revolvis

Cameras are one layer of a secure property. The same in-house crew also handles the rest:

• Keyless entry installation and smart lock installation
• Access control systems and commercial access control
• Video doorbells and intercoms
• Alarm system installation
• Complete unified security

Learn more about Revolvis, meet the team, see all services, browse the blog or contact us.

Areas We Serve

Revolvis installs residential and commercial camera systems across the New York metro area. Every borough and county has its own building stock, rules and wiring challenges, so the plan for a Queens two-family is not the plan for a Manhattan co-op.

• Staten Island: houses, detached garages and shop fronts. See security camera installation in Staten Island.
• Brooklyn: brownstones, row houses and storefronts. See security camera installation in Brooklyn.
• Queens: attached brick homes, two-families and busy commercial strips. See security camera installation in Queens.
• The Bronx: pre-war buildings, bodegas and warehouses. See security camera installation in the Bronx.
• Manhattan: co-ops, condos, offices and retail. See security camera installation in Manhattan.
• Long Island: Nassau County and Suffolk County.
• New Jersey: Jersey City, Newark, Hoboken and nearby towns.

The full list is on the service areas page.

Get a Custom Quote After a Site Visit

Revolvis prices every job after a site visit, because the building sets the cost as much as the equipment does. A few things make the estimate faster and more accurate:

• The address and property type: house, apartment, co-op, condo, storefront or warehouse.
• Which doors, sides and areas you want covered, and what worries you most.
• Photos of those spots and any spots where you already have cabling or power.
• How many days of footage you want to keep and whether you want to watch on your phone.
• Any landlord, board, lender or insurer requirement.

Call 347-258-9165 or use the contact page to book a site visit. The quote you receive is written and itemized, so you can compare it line by line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where should cameras go in a commissary kitchen? Entrance, work areas, storage, equipment room, loading door and back door.

How do cameras help with rental losses? They show what was loaded and when.

Can cameras cover shared members? Yes, with notice and a clear policy.

Can I record audio? Usually not without legal advice.

How long should I keep video? Often 60 days.

Do cameras work in cold storage? Yes, if rated for it.

Ready for a custom quote? Call Revolvis at 347-258-9165 for a site visit and a written, itemized estimate.

Safety note: A camera system supports, but does not replace, good locks, lighting, alarms and everyday habits. If you are in danger or witnessing a crime, call 911. Prices and legal summaries in this guide are general information for the New York metro area, not an offer or legal advice. A written quote after a site visit governs your actual price, and for legal questions you should confirm with the agencies linked in the article or a licensed attorney.