Description
The owner of Oliver’s Diner in Grand Bend, Ontario, was confident that his new venture would be a success. His diner had become an instant hit with local cottagers and tourists, often leading to long waiting lines at peak periods. However, the popularity of the restaurant had led to some “growing pains,” and the owner wanted to improve his operation. In particular, he was concerned the high volume of customers had placed a strain on his staff, particularly on weekends. He was also discouraged to hear customer complaints about the long queues to get a table, and longer than expected wait times for meals. It was early July 2016, and the owner was reviewing data from his first two months of operation. He needed to identify opportunities to improve operations and customer service.
Learning Objective
This short case is suitable for use in an undergraduate or MBA operations management course, where it provides a familiar context for a class discussion of basic operations principles. After completion of the case, students will be able to: ·Discuss process flow and capacity analysis in a service business setting. ·Use operations concepts to diagnose and resolve common business problems. ·Understand the challenges related to managing variability. ·Discuss the qualitative impact of variability on operations performance. ·Debate the merits of short- and long-term alternatives to improve operations and overall business performance.