Set out to help food and beverage managers to identify and respond to opportunities for performance improvement, improved quality and profitability, by assessing the potential for operational efficiencies.
Aim
The development of a programme of ‘health care’ for food and beverage operations. We have argued that good management is based on the effective use of objectives in order to develop suitable strategy and tactics by which to achieve this aim.
Objectives
- Improved performance, productivity, quality, value and service.
- Added benefits for customers, owners, managers and staff.
- Total customer satisfaction.
- Increased profits.
Objectives, strategy and tactics will need to be reviewed constantly. However effective we become there will always be more room for improvement. Successful strategy development must be based on continuing concern for customer care. The only enduring way to improve profit performance is by continuously seeking to meet customer needs more effectively.
The effective food and beverage manager needs to clearly understand the operating environment: the market, customer needs, wants and expectations. Thorough knowledge of resource availability, technology and system design will enable effective and economic plans to be produced. We should be ‘listening’ more effectively and ‘selling’ ourselves and our products more efficiently. Performance improvement is based on careful customer observation and examination of point-of-sale activity. Keeping existing customers can be seen to be more profitable than chasing new ones. A customer’s decision to return is assisted by the quality and perceived value of our products and services.
The competent manager must be aware of the performance potential of every aspect of the operation’s resources. Performance measurement is essential in all areas of the operation. Improvement, focusing activities on specific targets, will be impossible if the starting point is unknown. Without careful analysis of accurate data it will be impossible to sensibly identify improvement opportunities.
Staff are the focal point of effective service operations. To be successful we must invest more in people. To encourage the involvement and commitment of all the staff, managers will have to consider increasing use of empowerment. The challenge for management is to learn to manage from a distance while not distancing themselves from staff or customers.
We began by proposing the following questions:
- What business am I in?
- Why am I in business?
- Who are my customers?
- How can I remain successful?
- When should I be reviewing operational performance?
- Where can I look for further advice?
Hopefully we now know the answers. Discussion should have caused closer examination of current activity – a questioning of why and how we currently operate, what modifications can be made, where can performance be improved and who shall be involved.
One question only remains. When shall we start to take action ?
The answer is immediately, and on a regular, continuous, basis.