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Aimee Takamura
Date
9/9/14
Entre
Macaroni and
Wait
Observations &
time
Distractions/Hold-ups
(min)
20
time to serve
themselves; many
Cheese
Recommendations
scoop, causing
holdups (and a lot of
9/10/1
Fried Fish
Sandwiches
13
spills).
Minimal hold-ups.
Serve sandwiches
more frequently
Beef Chili/Bean
Chili
15
17
quickly.
No one was picky
when serving
made it more
difficult than
others to serve.
Since it is a buffet
9/12/1
Chicken
Nuggets and
Fries
is nothing stopping
taking as much
Aimee Takamura
9/16/1
Baked Potato
Bar
9/17/1
12
18
potentially
distractive
chatting, there is
current set-up) to
perhaps because it
was Friday.
This lunch was faster
Individually
portioned out
best (sandwiches,
potatoes) in terms
themselves form
of speeding up the
lunch lines.
While the nature of
chicken and
more complex, it is
vegetables on the
girls seemed to
enjoy. Pre-
portioning out
servings might
chicken filling
staff
Turkey and
Cheese
12
well.
Like the fish
It is definitely a
sandwiches, the
Aimee Takamura
Sandwiches/Veg
sandwiches
gie Sandwiches
sandwiches were
offered throughout
the week so
resulted in a shorter
wait time.
option of grabbing
something quick if
they are short on
9/19/1
Greek Lemon
Chicken
17
time.
This is a very
certain pieces of
some, it might be
Having another
sandwich station,
girls to serve
themselves.
Aimee Takamura
hot food since there is only one hot well. The other three pans remain empty
or filled with fresh fruits most of the time.
Aimee Takamura
The graph above depicts the average time (in minutes) spent waiting in line
versus the daily entre. Based on data collection, it is evident that the line
moves faster when there are finger foodslike sandwichesor when the
service lines are spread over two locationslike the baked potato bar. The
times spent in line varied throughout the weekthere was no apparent
trend. Of course, it is unrealistic to serve sandwiches or similar foods five
days a week just for the sake of speeding up the lines. Since Madeira is a
boarding school, there needs to be variety with the daily entres. Also, based
on observations, many students and faculty enjoy items like the Greek lemon
chicken. Even though this day experienced a longer than average wait time,
it would not fair be to remove this item from the menu. Indeed, removing
these types of entrees from the menu would leave many diners dissatisfied
as well as affect the quality and creativity inherent in the current menu. A
longer-term solution is necessary.
During lunchtime, no cell phones or other electronics were out. The only
distraction was the girls talking to one another. However, this did not appear
to slow them down in regards to serving themselves from the buffet or cause
any other obvious holdups. What did cause the most holdups was the actual
act of serving the food. As noted in the table above, the macaroni and
cheese, chicken potpie, chicken nuggets and fries, and Greek lemon chicken
took longer to serve due to the nature of the food or serving utensils used.
For example, the chicken potpie was difficult to serve due to the way it was
presented in the pan. Two scoops were often needed to get a biscuit and the
chicken stew part. For the chicken nuggets, the tongs could only grab about
2-3 at a time; many girls took 6-8 nuggets.
Service appeared to be the main issue with the long lunch lines, not
distractions from other students or electronics. Certain entrees,
therefore, worked better than others regarding this problem.
Aimee Takamura
Once this main cause was identified, the layout of the kitchen was further
considered. It was discovered during data collection that there was only one
hot well unit installed. The other well was unutilized most of the time. It was
suggested that a second hot well unit be installed so two hot buffet lines
could set up. This would allow for two lines to form, thus cutting the wait
time in half. Having different serving stations worked well for the baked
potato bar, so this setup would ideally work just as well, if not better.
Additional data was collected regarding this task, such as the equipments
manufacturer and make and model number. We contacted Alto Hartleythe
distributor for Atlas Metal Company that serviced the greater D.C. areato
get a quote for a new unit. It turned out that a hot unit could not be added to
an already existing unit; a new hot/cold well would need to be installed. A
quote was requested and sent to the financial department at The Madeira
School for their evaluation. Quote from Alto Hartley is attached.
PES statement: Insufficient time to eat lunch R/T long wait time in line AEB
inadequate serving space
Recommendation
The recommendation was to install the new heating/cooling drop-in well unit
upon approval of the financial department. While menu revisions might have
alleviated the problemlike offering sandwiches or finger foods dailyit
would have affected customer satisfaction, hampered chef creativity and
overall been more of a short-term solution. Reconfiguring the set-up of the
service area is a more permanent solution that would have no impact on the
types of foods served.
Results of Action
The Madeira School is still waiting for approval from the financial department
to purchase and install the drop-in unit. In the meantime, more sandwiches
Aimee Takamura
have been added to the menu. However, favorites like the Greek lemon
chicken and chicken nuggets still remain.
Alto-Hartley Quote
Aimee Takamura