Biting into Better Cash Management - Brink's US

The Challenge

Before Creative Foods adopted their current cash management solution, managers physically left the store up to three times a day to deposit money at local bank branches and pick up coin orders. “Sometimes they’d be making deposits at eight or nine at night,” said Lanciotti. “They had to leave the store and go to their local branch.” 

This routine increased exposure to crime. With managers transporting cash and limited safeguards on the safes, the stores became easy targets, and some were robbed during that period. Meanwhile, back-office operations were bogged down by fragmented banking. “Every location deposited at a different branch,” said Lanciotti. “I had to make sure the money made it to our main account. It was a lot more challenging.”

In addition to safety concerns and administrative strain, the process drained time and labor. Between bank runs, drawer reconciliations, and coin order tracking, each location was losing 8 to 10 hours a week. That was time that could have been spent serving customers or managing operations.

The Solution

When Creative Foods acquired 13 Burger King stores in Nassau County in 2012, they got more than new locations. They inherited a cash management system far more advanced than the one they had been using. Those stores were already working with Brink’s, and Lanciotti quickly recognized the opportunity to simplify cash handling, gain clearer visibility into cash flow, and strengthen security.

He saw how these advantages could scale across the entire business. What started as an unexpected find soon sparked a company-wide transformation in how cash was handled, monitored, and secured. “We transitioned from what we were doing to the Brink’s system for all our stores going forward,” Lanciotti explained.

That transition meant adopting Brink’s Complete, an all-in-one cash management solution built for busy retail environments. As part of the rollout across all stores, a smart safe was installed in the back office of each store.

These smart safes accept and validate bills, automatically record the amount secured, and get the cash credited to Creative Foods’ bank account within two business days, without anyone having to leave the store. Also, the need for managers to make trips for deposits or coin orders was eliminated, freeing up time for more important tasks.

A smooth implementation

From the start, the installation process for Creative Foods was well-managed and efficient.

“[My Brink’s sales representative] did a great job coordinating [the installation],” Lanciotti said. “The [existing] safe would be removed, the new safe put in, and no stores were down anytime without a safe. It all ran like clockwork.”

Getting managers familiar with the system took a little time, especially around support tickets and coin orders. But with a bit of training from Brink’s, everyone got the hang of it quickly.

Conclusion

Looking Ahead

For Lanciotti and the Creative Foods team, Brink’s Complete hasn’t just solved old problems, it’s set a new standard for how their business runs. What began with 13 locations has scaled to all 24. The right solution can streamline operations, improve safety, and give managers and finance leaders time back in their day.

“It‘s made my life that much easier,” Lanciotti said. “And it‘s made our stores more efficient, more secure, and easier to manage.” With Brink’s, Creative Foods now has the tools to run smarter today and stay ready for whatever comes next.



By the numbers: Savings with Brink’s Complete