Kudler Fine Foods Management Problem

Kudler Fine Foods Management Problem

Kudler Fine Foods is a premiere gourmet grocery store chain established in 1998 by Kathy Kudler. Kathy recognized there were no fine food grocery stores in the area and filled the need with Kudler Fine Foods. After success with the first store in La Jolla, California, Kathy opened two additional stores. One store is in Del Mar, California, and the other is in Encinitas, California. Kathy is overextended because she is very involved in every aspect of the stores. Not only is Kathy overextended, but her current management team is also overextended. Kathy must recognize her limitations and the limitations of the management staff she has in place. Kathy must expand her management ranks, delegate more tasks, and automate much of the day-to-day work so she can achieve her vision of expanding Kudler Fine Foods into more markets.

Kathy Kudler manages the existing chain of three stores the same way she ran the first store. Kathy has to work seven days a week because she has so many responsibilities. According to the Kudler Fine Foods 2003 Strategic Plan, “Kathy not only has the vision of the organization, she has established the culture and is the main management person. She hires new people, fires those not working out, finalizes the inventory numbers, places the weekly orders and controls the finances making sure all of the vendors get paid.” (p 12) Even though she is doing all these things, she also has a management staff that is overworked. Due to running so many aspects of the business and not delegating, Kathy and her existing management staff risks failure of the current chain of stores, and ultimately, failure of the planned expansion stores and catering.

To maintain the current and future success of Kudler Fine Foods, Kathy Kudler must make immediate management and process changes. Kathy must begin a talent search to hire one general manager for each store. During that talent search, Kathy must review the...