Developing Good Business Sense

Lawrence O’Brien

University of Phoenix Online

For this assignment I have chosen to observe the Operations and Material Management processes of three different fast-food restaurants. It is often joked that if a person cannot perform the job that they are currently at, they can always get a job at McDonalds, Wendy’s, etc. I believe this comment has a basis in the fact that due to the OMM processes of these types of restaurants, just about anybody can perform the lower level functions associated with providing a quickly prepared, good tasting burger.

As one looks at the entry level through management positions at these companies, you will see a lot of similarities in how their job functions are organized. In all cases you have a team of people on duty (crew) that are assigned specific tasks to perform based on their individual training and capabilities. Many times you will have a crew member that is trained in several different functions, thus increasing the company’s ability to reduce their labor costs during slower times of the day or week. During peak hours they are required to have a crew member on each station performing their specific tasks such as the order taker in drive-thru or at the front counter, several people on the “grill” preparing different types of food (chicken sandwiches, hamburgers, fries etc.), the person assembling the order and bagging it, the person making drinks and finally the person passing the order out the window to the customer in their car. During non-peak hours they may only be required to have the order taker in drive-thru or the front counter, one person on the “grill”, one person assembling, making drinks, and handing the order to the customer. Often times the assembler will be a member of management, thus decreasing the overall labor even further. This type of organization is standard through all three fast food restaurants.

This type of organization is made possible by the Standard...