Introduction
The business process in the snack bar involves multiple chronological steps which result in the attainment of some set goals, such as customer satisfaction, profit maximization, quality service, and so on. The process that is involved in this café can as well be represented in a business process map. The business Process map is a visual representation of a café’s process which entails various steps. This map can be used by the management of the café to take remedial actions, as it gives an extensive impression of the business inefficiencies and bottlenecks. Indeed, snack bar café can use this map to carry out any of their productive processes (Kawalek and Kueng, 1997).
The café’s operations
The value-adding process that takes place at the café’s kitchen involves the actual preparation of hot food for the clients. The kitchen has 5 chefs who assist in the preparation of different types of dishes. Besides the chefs, 5 more employees help in ordering and preparation of kitchen inputs. The kitchen inputs are sourced from some particular suppliers, who are contracted to do so and paid on monthly basis. The process of making hot food starts with the people who are responsible for the preparation of raw food, including cleaning, flaking, slicing, and so on. Subsequently, raw food that is ready for cooking is handed over to the chefs. The chefs then follow a particular recipe, depending on the type of meal being prepared, to prepare the food. The quantity and the proportion of different dishes depending on the pattern with which the food is being ordered by the waiters. Most of the food is prepared and then ordered later, but some are cooked only when an order has been placed by the customer. Essentially the process that takes place here involves the addition of value to raw food by preparing it ready for serving (Jaklic Groznik and Kovacic, 2003).
Business processes (The processes or steps that the staff goes through from the time they take an order to the time the sale is completed)
When the customers visit the café, the attendant gives them time to feel comfortable with the café environment. After a couple of minutes, the client is presented with a menu and then given time to decide on what to order. At the same time, the person who is responsible for this tries to understand the client, especially when they are ready for an order. When the waiter feels that the client is finally ready to order the food, they approach them and extend a courteous request such as “what can I serve you with?” (IWEMMSAD, 1997).
As the waiter takes the order, he makes sure he has a pen and a writing pad in case anything needs to be jotted down. At this point, the waiter tries to remain focused on the client’s order so that he may not forget some details, and maybe make the client frustrated. When the guest is not sure of what to order, the waiter is expected to demonstrate some expertise, for example by giving the client some options to choose from, such as “would you like to have some snacks with coffee?” At the same time, the waiter puts down everything that the clients request.
Thereafter, an identification number is given to the client to understand who orders what. When the order is placed on the table for the client, the waiter asks the client whether he would like to be helped with anything else. Finally, the client is given time to enjoy their meals. When the clients complete taking the meals, they hand over the identification number to the cashier. The cashier totals up the bill and presents the client with a receipt after the payment has been made (Indihar, 2004).
Customer handling aspects (How from your perspective is that done, the customer service and after-sales impression)
Snack bar has applied the principles of putting the customers first. The café has achieved this by involving everyone in the organization and through integrated efforts to ensure the expectations of the customers are met or even surpassed. Snack bar achieves this goal by first identifying the customer needs, and then meeting them accordingly. In this respect, the management of the hotel recognizes that the organizational services and products have got no value if they do not constitute what the customer wants. Nevertheless, the identification of the customer’s need is not an easy task. This is especially because the customers’ needs and preferences differ, especially considering that the cafe operates in a metropolitan, making the needs and preferences of the customers even more diverse.
Also, it is not easy to meet customer expectations since varied customer exhibits varying levels of expectations. To counteract these challenges, Snack cafe persistently draws together information that helps the cafe remain at par with the customer’s wants. This is achieved through data collection methods such as market surveys, focus groups, and customer interviews just to mention but a few. The snack bar is guided by the principle that they are in business because of their customers, and as such, they must focus on their interests and ensure that they are satisfied (Graham, 2004).
Conclusion
If the management of snack bar café can understand the process of its business, then they can be able to manage the business more successfully despite having many challenges. With detailed process charts and descriptions, the resources of the café can be used more productively and bottlenecks fixed (Hunt, 1998).
References
Graham, B., 2004. Detail Process Charting: Speaking the Language of Process. New York: JohnWiley & Sons.
Hunt, D.V., 1998. Process mapping – How to reengineer your business processes. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Indihar, M., 2004. Suitability of process maps for business process simulation in business process renovation projects. Proceedings of 16th European Simulation Symposium, Budapest, pp.197-205.
IWEMMSAD., 1997. International Workshop on Evaluation of Modeling Methods in Systems Analysis and Design. Barcelona: Spain.
Jaklic, J., Groznik, A. and Kovacic, A., 2003. Towards e-government – The role of simulation modeling. Proceedings of 15th European Simulation Symposium, (2003), Delft, the Netherlands, pp. 257-262.
Kawalek, P. and Kueng, P., 1997. The usefulness of process models: A lifecycle description of how process models are used in modern organizations. Proceedings of the Second CAiSE97/IFIP8.1.