Cash is fast, but it's also the easiest thing to lose track of in a busy restaurant, bar, or café. Most till shortages aren't theft — they're simple mistakes: a wrong change count, a drawer left open, or a shift handoff with no record. A consistent open-and-close routine removes the guesswork, so you know exactly where every dollar went and can spot real problems the moment they show up.
Start With a Fixed Starting Bank
Every shift should begin with the same amount in the drawer — a set starting bank, like $150 in mixed bills and coins. When the starting amount is identical every time, the math at close becomes simple: whatever is over or under that bank is your shift's result. If the count is off, you know it happened on that shift, not somewhere vague across the week.
- Pick one starting bank amount and stick to it across every register.
- Count the drawer into the bank at open and have the opener sign off on it.
- Keep a small, known float of coins so you never run dry mid-rush.
- Never leave the drawer open between transactions — close it after every sale.
One Person Per Drawer, Per Shift
Shared drawers are where money gets murky. When three people ring on the same till without a handoff, no one is accountable when the count is short. Assign each drawer to one person for the shift, and require a formal count-and-sign whenever it changes hands.
- Assign drawer responsibility by name, not by "whoever is near the register."
- Count the drawer together during a mid-shift handoff, then initial the log.
- Keep a written cash log with open count, close count, and any paid-outs.
- For paid-outs and refunds, always get a receipt or signature before cash leaves the drawer.
Reconcile the Drawer Every Single Close
Reconciliation is just comparing what the register says should be in the drawer against what's actually there. Do it at the end of every shift, not once a day — shorter windows make it far easier to find where a discrepancy came from. A cash drawer that balances reliably is a sign your routine is working; one that's consistently off by small amounts points to a specific step going wrong.
- Run the register's expected-cash report before you start counting.
- Count bills largest to smallest, then coins, and write each total down.
- Subtract the starting bank to find the shift's net — then compare to the report.
- Investigate any variance right away, while the shift is still fresh in memory.
Make Cash Handling a Documented Habit
The routine only works if it's written down and repeated. A simple daily cash sheet — open count, expected total, actual count, and variance — takes a minute to fill out and gives you a paper trail for taxes, audits, and spotting slow leaks. Small local businesses rarely lose cash to a single big theft; they lose it to a hundred unrecorded transactions. A consistent routine closes those gaps.
- Use a standard cash-count sheet for every register, every shift.
- Store completed sheets in a locked spot for at least a few months.
- Review variance trends weekly — a drawer that's always a few dollars short is a clue, not bad luck.
- Keep your cash drawer, rolls of coin, and extra bills in the same secure place every close.
Balance the Drawer, Not Just the Day
Cash handling doesn't need to be complicated — it needs to be consistent. A fixed starting bank, one accountable person per drawer, and a reconciliation every single close turns a vague "the register feels off" into a clear, fixable number. Start with a printed cash sheet and a count at every shift change, and the mistakes that quietly drain a till will show up on paper instead of disappearing into the week.