Question

You are working as a consultant for a chain of sitdown restaurants such as Chili's or TGI Friday's. Based on external events, top management is considering to change the strategy so that these restaurants will only be pickup and delivery restaurants. They will no longer offer dine-in facilities. Do you think a BPR (Business process Re-Engineering) approach to changing the Service Operations would be appropriate in this case? Explain how service processes such as placing and order and delivering an order will be radically changed because of this change in strategy, and describe the "before" and "after" process.

Answer 1

Do you think a BPR (Business process Re-Engineering) approach to changing the Service Operations would be appropriate in this case?
In the given situation of Chili's or TGI Friday's the applicability of BPR or Business PRocess Reengineering requires us first to understand the concept of business process re-engineering.
The Business Process Re-engineering or BPR is a process where we want to bring about a transformation in the current setting by applying the aspects of re-thinking & a radical re-designing of the business processes in order to help in achievement in the form of the dramatic improvements on the parameters like cost, the business quality,level of service and the efficiency of the service.
In the present situation we want to transform our organization i.e Chili's or TGI Friday's in order to gain the competitiveness to serve meeting the current needs of drive in and takeaway . For this BPR is the best approach as fundamentally our business doesnot change but there is a change int eh way we serve our customers. In a pursuit to maintain the level of flexibility and to gain more competitiveness, BPR is the best possible way. Since we have an objective here in the present case to improve the cost of quality, the service offerings, and the rate or the speed at which we operate. We can bring about this by changing the entire working process by shifting from the dine in to the drive in takeaway system and by using the approach of BPR we can bring about the change efficiently.
Explain how service processes such as placing an order and delivering an order will be radically changed because of this change in strategy, and describe the "before" and "after" process.
The service processes such as placing the order and delivering will become automated with little involvement of human beings . Most of the ordering systems are computerized where in the customer entered the details of his/her order and gets it delivered in some time through the take away window . While in a dine-in restaurant the human factor plays a major role in ordering and delivery of the order which is done by the waiter who interacts with the customers offers suggestions and engages in a conversation however, in the drive-in or the takeaway system this is human factor is almost negligible.
The Before and After scenario can be accurately represented as below :
Before :
Step 1 : Reservation of the tables and their allocation
Step 2: Welcoming and seating the customers
Step 3 : Presenting the menu card to the customers and pouring them water
Step 4 : Taking Orders , Offering Menu Suggestion
Step 5 : Serving the food order
Step 6 : Clearing the table and presenting the check
After :
Step 1 : Customer arrives at the ordering gate
Step 2: Taking the customer order through a voice communication device or a computerized system
Step 3 : Taking the order payment
Step 4 : Providing the Order