CASE ANALYSIS: WONG LOH CASE

Objective:
The objective of this problem is Wong Loh manager of Andy’s chicken Restaurant receive some
complaints from customer about slow service and how to Improve and solve this problem. By
planning properly, one will devise a proposal for Organizational activities necessary to reach
due objectives.
During process, one need to Address a few straight forward questions:
1. What does the manager want to do to run the restaurant better?
2. What are the best alternatives?
3. Which factors can help or delay the business in reaching the goals?

QUESTION:
A Manager’s Dilemma
Restaurant managers work in some of the most glamorous, exciting environments you can
imagine. Being a restaurant manager is a lifestyle, not a job, but many successful environments.
Andy’s chicken restaurant in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, is one of the many fast-food chains in
Malaysia that serves fried chicken, sandwiches, salads, drinks and side orders. The prices are
reasonable and affordable. For the past few weeks, Wong Loh, the manager of the restaurant,
has received several complaints from customers about slow service. Although Loh did not want
to compromise the quality of the food, he needed to increase service speed, particularly during
the busy lunch hour. Moreover, competition from nearby restaurants has intensified. Loh
realized that he was facing a serious problem when he found out that customer numbers were
decreasing. How could he run the restaurant better? Put yourself in Loh’s place.

Answer :
A manager’s most basic responsibility is to focus people toward performance of work activities
to achieve desired outcomes. A manager wears many hats. Not only is a manager a team
leader, but he or she is also a planner, organizer, cheerleader, coach, problem solver, and
decision maker — all rolled into one. All managers at all levels of every organization perform
these functions, but the amount of time a manager spends on each one depends on both the
level of management and the specific organization. In these case, Wong Loh, the manager of
the restaurant, have to play certain roles in order to increase the numbers of customer and run
the restaurant better. In this situation, if I’m in Loh’s place, I will take some responsibility to
achieve the goal of the restaurant. The ways to achieve the goals are:
* Hire more employees
In the restaurant, employees are more important to run the restaurant. If the employees not
enough hire more good employees for fast service. They can do their work easy and can
manage the customers a restaurant manager may be in charge of hiring new staff and
terminating undesirables, especially for the front of the house. Kitchen positions may be filled by
the head chef, rather than general manager.

* Training the employee

It does not matter if a particular fast food restaurant has the most amazing training program in
place if the team does not take it seriously. Often times in fast food, employees are hired and
simply thrown into the mix without any training because of lack of employees and the high
volume that some fast-food chains experience on a daily basis. Furthermore, management is so
overwhelmed with the responsibilities and volume of the restaurant, that they simply do not have
time to devote to employee training. Additionally, if management did attempt to focus on
training, the employee turnover is so high in fast food, that the training would almost be a waste
of time and money. The result of this lack in training for employees is simply poor customer
service. A lack in training can cause long waits for food and slow service in Loh’s restaurant
when an employee is not familiar with equipment. Poor training could cause an employee to be
very impersonal if they are not taught how to “interview” the customer at the time of the order,
which includes reading back the order for accuracy. An ultimate service issue would be an
employee being abusive to a customer complaining because of a lack in training and slow
service. So that, as a manager of Andy’s chicken restaurant Wong Loh must train the employee
to run the restaurant better and achieve goals.

* The performance evaluation

In great extent, the performance evaluation criteria involve employee traits such as honesty and
dependability, while the performance evaluation criteria that employee behaviors such as
punctuality and timely completion of tasks, as well as objectively quantifiable result and
outcomes such as sales figures, in very great extent. When their performance is good, they do
their work in best way.

* The staff attitude Everyone has heard of the saying that it takes one bad apple to spoil the
whole bunch, and this is very true when it comes to fast food restaurants. If there is one
particular employee that has absolutely no work ethic or cares nothing about the product or
what customers might think, there is a great opportunity for the staff to follow that person’s lead.
This can also be the case in Andy’s chicken restaurant. As I mentioned before, the performance
and their behaviors is more important to a employees when they face a customer The obvious
result of this type of behavior infecting the rest of the team will cause carelessness when
dealing with consumers. Employees won’t really care about order accuracy or whether or not
the customer is happy with their service. It seems like more and more, employees display a lack
of work ethic.

* Staff Scheduling As restaurant manager Wong Loh is must charge of making the weekly
schedule and making sure all the shifts are covered particularly during lunch hour because in
that time only they facing the problem. They also need to approve requests for days off and
decide which staff is going to work the busy or slow shifts. Moreover, work also must divide to
each employee to work together. To make the staff scheduling the manager Wong Loh’s must
finding the staff balance. A manager has to keep in mind that a restaurant schedule needs to
reflect the business needs first. This includes the quality of service restaurant provides its
guests, as well as keeping labor costs under control and can manage the customer as well. A
big part of this balance is achieved by appropriately scheduling staff members. As a manager
can meet with each person individually and talk about the person’s expected schedule and how
a restaurant works. Working at a restaurant, in terms of hours worked, is completely different
than most other types of businesses.
* Division of work
Work should be divide among individuals and group to ensure that effort and attention are
focused on special portions of the task. Loyal presented work specialization as the best way to
use. In Andy’s chicken restaurant, each job and work should be assigned by the restaurant
manager Wong Loh to specialist of the employee’s job. Division of work promote efficiency
because its permits an organizational member to work in limited area
reducing the scope of workers responsibility.
* Motivate and understand the employee
As a manager Wong Loh’s must motivate to their employee and also understand the employee.
As a restaurant manager walk the floor frequently and pay attention to each employee’s
performance, if the employee wrong thing go over and motivate to the employee and also
understand the situation. It can help the employee to correct.

* Create reward
As a managers create rewards for their workers for executing the job well and following
employee policy. Basically, those who consistently do well get rewarded. Rewards might include
a gift card to the restaurant or a raise in pay. Then the employee can work with enthusiastic and
responsibility. Moreover the employee enjoy to works in Andy’s chicken restaurant.
* Give discount at morning and night session
In this case, customer numbers were increase at lunch hour only. So Wong Loh can give
discount at morning and night session. Because the workers and the manager can handle the
customer smoothly. Sometime, when the customers increase the workers will panic and
confused about the order and the food ordered by the customer may chance to give wrongly
food to customer.
* The conditions of restaurant
If when the condition of the restaurant can result in poor service. If equipment is outdated or
rundown, customers might have to wait longer for their order, this can cause to customer
complaints about slow service. Employees might feel that the owner does not care enough to
spend money on new equipment, and, in turn, the employees adopt the same attitude toward
the customer. An employee views the restaurant walking into work, just as a customer would
when walking in to get an order. If the restaurant is rundown and filthy, consumers can easily
perceive that the restaurant as a whole is not up to par and this includes service. At lunch hour,
number of customer increase so if there is not enough facilities it become disappointed. As a
restaurant manager Wong Loh can increase more counters, extra tables and chairs and
moreover for kids can build a small playground, for adult can arrange news paper reading and
access internet free wireless connection (Wi-Fi).

* Readymade food
Your to-go containers and bags should make it easy to store and reheat the food. Wong Loh, as
a restaurant manager can prepare a readymade food for customer. It helps to employees for
delivering the food. And also by this way the customer don’t need to wait for long time.

* Drive-thru
Fast food that lives up to its name gains more business than fast food that is actually slow like
Andy’s chicken restaurant. Many people grab fast food on the way to work or to another
destination. The reason that drive-through windows are popular is that people don’t even want
to take the time to get out of the car. The faster a restaurant can deliver the ordered food, the
happier the customer is. Setting up efficient and standardized kitchens and focusing on foods
that can be cooked quickly.
* ‘Made for you’ system
As a manager Wong Loh can use this system. Because it very useful for fast service. In this
system when a customer places an order, the sandwich item will immediately appears in the
computer monitor in the kitchen and a tone sound to alert the kitchen staff, so that they can
purchase the food in few minutes. By the way, the customers don’t to wait.
* Home delivering
Andy’s chicken restaurant is one of the many fast-food chains in our country that serves fried
chicken, salads and side orders. So the manager Wong Loh can takeout and delivery menus.
By the way the customer can get food in front the house. It’s easy for house wife for buy the
food in their house.
Conclusion
Management has been identified as a systematic body of knowledge based on general
principles, concepts, theories and techniques which are variable in terms of business practice.
These are embodied in the managerial functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing and
controlling which form the job of a manager.