The customer - a moving target in hospitality
Those who work in the manufacturing industry may not be aware that the production of an item that ends up spending time on a shelf or display counter to be sold, is far less complex than what goes on into the preparation of a product in the hospitality sector. Most products lie in wait to be picked up by the customer – be it a designer watch on display at the shop window, a tub of ice cream inside the freezer cabinet at a supermarket or a power drill at the hardware store.
Production follows a ‘Make-to-stock’ (MTS) approach which is based on demand forecasts where final products are assembled before customers have ordered them. At the other end of the spectrum is the ‘Make-to-Order (MTO) – which produces items to customer specifications after they are ordered. While MTS is less flexible than MTO, it enables customers to pick up their requirements faster than when the MTO strategy is adapted.
Take for instance, the manufacture of a bar of soap. Like most other product manufacturing It usually is a case of designing (operations), arranging (layout), installing (equipment) and implementing (standardized processes), whilst ensuring a work flow utilizing a skilled labour force (employees). All this is done within an enclosed facility (factory).Many manufacturing plants may also stick a ‘No Entry’ sign on the door or at the entrance to prevent the public including customers walking in so that there is no disruption to on-going.
Bottom-line: Until the ‘finished’ product is packaged and transported to the store for sale the customer is not in the picture.
In the restaurant and foodservice industry, a ‘Make-to-Assemble’ (MTA) system, which is a hybrid of MTS and MTO, is usually followed, where the customer (diner) orders his food and / or beverages, then waits for the product until it is be prepared, plated and served – all in a matter of minutes.
For example in a restaurant, the ingredients for an entrée may be available in the eatery’s refrigerator, awaiting assembly when a diner requests the item. The degree of assembly may vary, as certain items of the dish might be premade or precooked. For instance, a quick-serve restaurant may use some frozen food items that simply need to be heated before being added to other items that go together to make up the order. In Fine dining restaurants, the steps may be more as the emphasis is on using fresh – not frozen items.
However, despite embedding standardized procedures, and operations to maintain efficiency, quality and control costs in the MTA process, there are myriad challenges faced by restaurant operators, where the preferences of certain diners can cause ‘production disruptions – leading to near heart break.
People are different and have varying capabilities and they can found within a group or family, all seated at the same table. Some diners need more hand-holding than others, which means the cost and time of serving different customers can be quite different. This variability can take contrasting forms including specific requests and preferences - such as two people ordering grilled chicken on the menu – but each wanting it done / served differently.
Imagine the pressure that service staff have to handle when, in a restaurant that seats 100 people and is full, nearly 25% of the diners keep asking for changes to their orders. Not only must they cope with it well – but do it gracefully.
Bottom-line: Unlike in manufacturing, customers in hospitality usually come in contact with some aspect of the operation and that makes them a moving target.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier
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