Analyzing Operational Excellence in the Rustica Kitchen Restaurant

This report examines the application of operational excellence concepts within Rustica Kitchen, a café facing challenges in customer service. The analysis highlights the importance of operational excellence, emphasizing the need for a customer-centric approach. It discusses the current shortcomings, such as a lack of customer engagement, inadequate employee training, and inefficient operational procedures, leading to customer dissatisfaction. The report recommends implementing lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and Kaizen methodologies to eliminate waste, reduce errors, and promote continuous improvement. Furthermore, it suggests conducting customer surveys, providing employee empowerment programs, adopting new marketing strategies, and improving overall operational processes to enhance service quality, increase customer satisfaction, and ultimately improve the restaurant's performance. The report concludes by stressing the importance of treating customers with respect, implementing regular feedback mechanisms, and embracing operational excellence for sustained success.

Running head: Operational Excellence 1
Operational Service Excellence Concepts
Student’s Name
Institution

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Introduction - Operational Service Excellence
The goal of many businesses today is to earn profits and increasing productivity instead
of focusing on service quality. They forget that employees and customers are critical factors to
business success. Many adopt operational excellence concepts like lean manufacturing and six
sigma in their production system. Operational excellence is a philosophy which deals with
problem-solving and leadership in continuous improvement. Operational excellence is more of a
mindset which employees and leaders should have (Kasiri et al, 2017). Operational excellence
concepts, when correctly applied, enhance the quality of service of the business leading to
customer satisfaction and high performance. Lean manufacturing and six sigma focus on
elimination of wastes such as overproduction, inventory, waiting, over-processing, and transport
(Noori, & Latifi, 2018). Elimination of wastes is essential, but how you deliver those products to
customer’s matters. Quality services help in retention of customers; therefore, the business
should focus on how to improve their services. This paper explores the application of operational
excellence concepts in Rustica Kitchen.
Rustica Kitchen is a small café in Hawthorn which offers dine-in and takeaway. Rustica
is a well-franchised company with well-managed and efficient teams. Its operations are carried
out in small groups to fulfill customer satisfaction. Teamwork improves business productivity;
thus, the restaurant products are of high quality. The restaurant offers intangible and perishable
services. Though the company applies some of the operational excellence concepts which ensure
its products are of high quality, they forget focusing on customers. They don't focus on
understanding and engaging customers and employees in its primary operations. The company
does not offer empowerment and training programs to its employees nor consider customer
opinions in decision making (Sehnem et al, 2019).

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For example the last few weeks I went with my friends for dinner in the restaurant. We
gave orders to one of the staffs but served the wrong order. I ordered one gluten-free sandwich
but given the wrong meal. They were quick in taking orders; that's why they did not understand
my specifications. I complain, but my complaints not considered because they were busy taking
orders from other customers. I waited for so long until I gave up and walked away. The reason
they gave the wrong order is that they don't take time and talk to customers to understand their
demands well. They are more focused on making more sales instead of offering excellent
services to customers. The restaurant doesn’t conduct market surveys and in house customer
satisfaction surveys to get information about their services. Surveys enable businesses to get
feedback about customers experience in the restaurant with which they can use it to improve
their services. Customer’s complaints should be analyzed and the proper solution adopted to
enhance service quality. For my case, the staff should have said sorry and replaced the meal with
the right order (Hüttinger et al, 2012).
Service vision, design, and encounter can help enhance service quality. From my
experience in the restaurant, i can conclude that its central vision is the return on investment that
why employees were more focused on making more sales. Though the company mission is
customer satisfaction employees were not aware that why they focused on increasing sales for
more returns. The service encounter is fair with customers and unfair with employees. Just like
customers, employees determine the level of the company's service quality thus should be treated
fairly. Another reason why the restaurant fails to meet customer demands is that they use the old
marketing p's; product, price, place, and promotion. They don't use the new marketing p's like
process that why their operation procedures are inefficient (Fonseca, 2015).

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Recommendations
To enhance service quality, the company should apply operational excellence concepts.
The company should adopt lean manufacturing, six sigma, and Kaizen. Lean manufacturing and
six sigma help in the elimination of wastes in the production system. Lean manufacturing
eliminates overproduction, inventory, waiting, and over-processing wastes. Six Sigma reduces
the number of defects in processes; thus, the restaurant should adopt DMAIC to minimize errors
and mistakes (Eriksson et al, 2016). Adopt Kaizen for continuous improvement. Kaizen focuses
mainly on the participation of all employees in change implementation. Kaizen improves an
employee's motivation. These concepts will enhance service quality by increasing employee
productivity, reducing costs, and customer satisfaction. Apart from these methodologies, other
recommendations are market and in house surveys. The restaurant should conduct exchange and
in house, customer surveys to get feedback about customer experience and use the information to
improve their services (McKenna, 2017).
To improve how employees deal with customers, the company should have regular
empowerment and training programs. On these programs, employees will familiarise with the
company mission, customer complaints, and how to deal with customers, for instance, taking
time to understand customer specifications. On service marketing, the company should adopt the
new p’s, especially process. The process entails how to deal with customers. The restaurant
should improve its operations by adopting TQM to reduce errors and mistakes (Pinto et al,
2018). For example, while taking orders, customers should be respected and served the right
meal. Also, make follow-ups in cases of booking of tables. Follow up to ensure the preservation
of the right table for the right customers. The restaurant should have backups in case of
emergencies or contingencies. For example, in case one staff falls sick, there should be another

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staff to replace. On awareness, the company should use integrated marketing communication and
creating a website where customers can get useful information like the opening hours (Agnihotri
et al 2018).
Conclusion
To conclude, the restaurant should improve customer satisfaction through the use of
certain operational excellence concepts such as treating all customers as if they were VIP. It
should contact regular surveys to measure customer satisfaction, have employee’s motivation
and training programs. All customers treated with respect, humility, and integrity. Always thank
customers for their business, assist them in case they need help, listen to their complaints, and
say sorry. Keep your promises and integrity by informing customers when a particular item is
back in inventory before they find other suppliers. Rustica restaurant should adopt the new
service marketing p's, total quality management, and different operational excellence
methodologies like lean manufacturing, six sigma, and Kaizen (Basu, 2017).

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