How to investigate a restaurant missing-item claim
When a customer reports a missing item, start with the order and the specific item they expected. Match the receipt to the correct restaurant, time and recording, then review packing and handover separately. The aim is to understand what happened and give a useful response.
This guide is for managers reviewing takeaway, delivery pickup or drive-thru orders. You can use the checklist with your existing records; the ClipPack section explains how to review an available recording in the app.
Find the clip. Understand the claim.
Follow a drink reported missing from the receipt to the customer response. The recording helps you review what happened at the restaurant.
Scroll through the workflow, or choose a step.
- 01
Start with the order and the missing item
The customer reports a missing drink. Check the receipt: two meals and two drinks. Record the restaurant, date, approximate time and order number before looking for footage.
The receipt defines what you need to check
- 02
Match the order to an available recording
Open Recordings and enter the complete order number with a start and end date. Narrow by device if you have access to device details. Numbers can repeat, and a clip can carry several labels. If OCR missed the number, clear the order search and look by date, time and device.
Date, time and order number identify the relevant clip
- 03
Watch packing, then check handover
In this example, the footage shows meal containers entering a bag and one cup beside it. The drinks area and final handover are outside the frame. A cup beside the bag does not establish that it was collected.
Separate what is visible from what the camera cannot show
- 04
Record the finding and respond to the customer
Note what you saw and what remains unknown, with the device and recording start time. This clip does not establish whether both drinks were collected. The person handling the complaint decides the next action through your usual customer-service process.
A person reviews the evidence and decides the next action
Illustrative order details and simplified app views. Packing and handover depend on the camera’s coverage. Keep findings in your existing case notes; the customer response follows your usual service process.
Five checks before you draw a conclusion
Work through these checks in order. Keep what you can see in the recording separate from what you cannot.
Identify the order and the exact claim
Record the restaurant, order date, approximate preparation or pickup time, order number and ordering channel. Check the receipt for the item, quantity and any substitutions or customizations. A missing drink, a missing side in a meal and an entirely wrong bag are different problems. Write down what the customer reported without converting it into an assumption about staff or the courier.
Match the recording to the order
Use the restaurant and time as well as the order number: short order numbers can repeat. Compare the recording time, visible ticket and order-number labels against the receipt. Check that the camera covers the station where this order was prepared. If a clip includes more than one order, identify the relevant sequence before reviewing its contents. A matching label helps you locate footage; it does not establish what is visible in it.
Review what went into each bag
Watch the relevant packing sequence from the beginning. Compare visible items and quantities with the receipt, including drinks and items packed separately. Note the moment the reported item is visible, which bag it enters and whether the bag stays in view until it is closed. If a hand, wrapper or container hides the item, record the uncertainty. Seeing a closed container does not establish its contents, and an item being placed beside a bag does not establish that it went inside.
Check collection separately
If handover footage exists, check how many bags or drinks were collected and whether they match the order you reviewed. Look for a second bag left at the station or another order entering the same collection area. Packing footage and handover footage answer different questions. A complete packing sequence cannot show what happened later in a delivery vehicle or at the customer’s door.
Document the finding and the next action
Separate direct observations from gaps in the record. Note the order reference, recording time and the point in the clip that supports each observation. Respond through the restaurant’s usual customer-service process; do not make the customer wait for a perfect recording. If a platform charge is involved, use that platform’s current merchant process and requirements. Afterwards, review any recurring packing or handover issue with the team.
Review an available ClipPack recording
Open Recordings and search the complete order number with a start and end date. Use the device filter when you have permission to view devices. Compare the date, Started time and Order numbers, then choose Play recording for a Ready clip. If a number is missing or incorrect, search by date and time without it. You can also open the relevant device’s Recordings list.
For a recording with Ready status, open its row menu and choose Play recording. Review the video and its displayed start and finish times. If an order-number label needs correcting, staff with permission can use Edit order numbers. Correcting a label changes the association; it does not change what the camera recorded.
Uploading and Failed recordings do not offer playback. Check the device health information, including queued uploads and failed uploads, before concluding that no recording was made. The available history also depends on recording coverage and retention. If you cannot find usable footage, document that gap instead of treating it as proof that the claim is right or wrong.
An investigation note you can reuse
Use these fields in your existing case notes. Keep the customer’s report, what you observed and the action taken distinct.
- Order reference
- Restaurant, date, time, ordering channel and order number.
- Reported issue
- The item and quantity reported missing, checked against the receipt.
- Recording reference
- Device, recording start time and relevant point in playback.
- Visible facts
- What enters each bag, what stays in view and what is handed over.
- Not established
- Obscured items, missing camera coverage or events outside the recording.
- Response and follow-up
- The customer response, person responsible, follow-up date and any changes to packing or handover.
Print a blank incident log
A free A4 sheet with the fields above. Complete it after your review and keep it in your existing case records. Playback links expire, so record the device and recording start time.
Download the incident log (PDF, A4)What a recording can and cannot establish
Footage can help establish visible actions within the camera’s view and recording period. It cannot recover an unrecorded step, reveal the contents of an opaque container or show what happened after the order left the covered area. A missing clip is not evidence of a missing item. A clear clip can inform your investigation without guaranteeing a refund or dispute outcome.
ClipPack playback links expire shortly and are not permanent sharing links. Keep a reference to the recording in your internal notes so an authorized teammate can reopen it in the app. Follow your organization’s access and retention process when handling recordings.
Check coverage before the next claim
A recording only helps where the camera sees the step in question. Use these guides to check your handover, camera view and packing routine.
Platform guidance for further reading
DoorDash and Uber Eats publish guidance on packing checks, handover and reported order errors. These links describe their US merchant guidance; requirements can differ by market and account. Check the guidance for your own restaurant before submitting a platform dispute.