My first genre is a tri-fold poster board that has the 3 prepared food businesses on each one of the panels. Each panel contains a picture of an example of each type of business. They also contain the pros and cons of each. Some of these pros and cons are accompanied by a picture that matches the pro or con. At the bottom of each panel, there is a final thought explaining why i believe the fast-casual businesses are exceeding their fast food and casual dining counterparts.
...
Wendy’s Inc. Workplace Evaluation
Location: ***** ****
Cleanliness: Because of the constant movement and the need to fulfill food orders, work stations are only cleaned and sanitized every thirty minutes on average. The same incident occurs with the floor too. The kitchen floor is only swept when a “rush” is over with. This can give customers a negative outlook at the stores cleanliness because the store’s kitchen is usually visible from the front counter. Fast food restaurant cleanliness is already looked down upon by the general public. Small things like a dirty floor or work station can hurt our image as a decent fast food restaurant.
Quality: The food is only good if it is sold within its allotted hold time. With so many foods that “expire” after an allotted amount of time, the employees are having problems keeping fresh, good quality food readily available. Fries seem to be the food that is constantly being criticized. Customers often bring the fries back up to the counter asking for fresh fries.
Speed: The employees are able to take the order, make the order, and serve the order at a quick and effective pace. While the food is not made 100% fresh, this allows the customer to get their food quick. This is also a factor when the prices are determined. While the quality of the food is still quite fair, the lack of 100% freshness is made up for by the price.
Overall: The restaurant is certainly nowhere close to being a sit down restaurant, but the store is for the most part clean and functional. The food is of average quality and is quickly and effectively made and given to the customer, which is the ultimate goal of a fast food restaurant.
Panera Bread Workplace Evaluation
Location: ********
Cleanliness: The work zones are cleaned after each preparation of a sandwich, bread, soup, etc. The kitchen cannot be seen from the front counter so the appearance of the kitchen is not extremely important, though the kitchen is still kept fairly clean. Eating utensils and trays are cleaned after each use. Since we use silverware and not plastic utensils, the dishes are not limited to just cooking pots and pans. It is important to maintain clean utensils because customers will not accept dirty ones.
Quality: All of the food is made fresh. The bread for sandwiches and sides is made hourly and no bread is kept longer than a couple hours. Soups are made as needed and are heated not to cook but to keep fresh.
Speed: Because all of our food is made fresh, it takes a few minutes to prepare it. The customers are given indicators that inform them when their food is ready. This is very affective and allows customers to get their drinks and a seat to eat before their food is ready.
Overall: The store is very popular and provides good quality food at a reasonable pace. Speed can always be improved upon, but the quality and freshness of the food always comes first. Customers choose Panera Bread over the others because they prefer and enjoy or fresh food. This store is a fine example of our goal.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Very Short Essay Assignment
I am choosing to stay with my research topic of why fast-casual restaurants seem to be out selling their fast food and casual dining counterparts. My research will useful to those interested i the subject and the people who work in any of the restaurant businesses.
Possible genres:
1. Recipe
2. Advertisement
3. Poster
4. Magazine feature
5. News article
Possible genres:
1. Recipe
2. Advertisement
3. Poster
4. Magazine feature
5. News article
Monday, February 25, 2008
Interview Reflection
My interviewee was my general manger at Wendy's. She was able to give me a great overview of how the store is run at different times of the day and her responsibilities as a store manager. Many on my questions gave me a look into what she has to do everyday. A lot of this was repetitive for me since i am an insider in this community. However, i was able to see things through a managers eyes rather than through an employees or researchers eyes.
A manger not only has to work as if they are an employee, but at the same time must think ahead and plan accordingly. Food that takes a while to cook must start cooking early enough to be ready for when a rush hits. They must also deal with unsatisfied customers and try to fix whatever problem they have.
She also pointed out the importance of keeping the customer happy. When a customer comes in with a complaint, she always tries her hardest to make them leave happy. While the problem is being taken care of she apologizes to the customer and talks to them, trying to make them more comfortable with her. When this doesn't work, she pulls out some manager techniques like giving refunds and coupons for future orders.
My manger is 100% an insider in this community. She runs the store with confidence and is able to fix many problems within the store. Her techniques used to run the store make her a great leader and she gives the store stability.
A manger not only has to work as if they are an employee, but at the same time must think ahead and plan accordingly. Food that takes a while to cook must start cooking early enough to be ready for when a rush hits. They must also deal with unsatisfied customers and try to fix whatever problem they have.
She also pointed out the importance of keeping the customer happy. When a customer comes in with a complaint, she always tries her hardest to make them leave happy. While the problem is being taken care of she apologizes to the customer and talks to them, trying to make them more comfortable with her. When this doesn't work, she pulls out some manager techniques like giving refunds and coupons for future orders.
My manger is 100% an insider in this community. She runs the store with confidence and is able to fix many problems within the store. Her techniques used to run the store make her a great leader and she gives the store stability.
Final Research Question Proposal
I have decided to stick with the same question i presented in my "Tentative Research Topic Proposal": What aspects of fast-casual restaurants make them more appealing to customers when compared to fast food and casual dining restaurants? Because this week is our break, i will be able to put more time into studying fast-casual restaurants and i will hopefully be able to make a CRJ for 2 different fast-casual restaurants. I understand that i must focus more on the fast casual restaurants and less on the pros and cons of the fast food and casual dining restaurants. I will still take that into consideration though when comparing them to fast-casual restaurants.
Annotated Bibliography #3
Thorn, Bret. "Good service for bad guests." Nation's Restaurant News. 42.4 (January 28 2008): 86.
This article talked about the importance of good customer service in the casual dining restaurant community. The author incorporates several interviews with restaurant workers. These restaurant workers tell their stories of how they showed good customer service to those who did not show the same respect back. Most of these stories had positive outcomes, showing the importance of good customer service.
The is a informative piece but is also an opinionated one. The author seems to be trying to show that good customer service is important. While this is arguably the view of many restaurant workers out there, i am sure there are many out there who do not believe in customer service. This article could be focused towards both restaurant owners and workers. Customer service is especially important in casual dining restaurants. For a waiter or waitress, customer service could be the difference between a 5 dollar tip and a 1 dollar tip.
The author protrays this all in a smooth, gently flowing tone. The author i believe is trying to persuade the reader that good customer service is important but is not forcing the idea upon them. I found this reading useful because it shows the level of importance customer service has in the casual dining community. The interviews give a great overview of how restaurant workers dealt with their customer issues.
---
York, Emily Bryson. "Double cheeseburgers working triple time at fast feeders." Advertising Age. 79.1 (January 7 2008): 1, 25.
This article talks about the ever growing popularity of the 1 dollar double cheese burger popping up everywhere. Mcdonald's has been the head runner in the race for the best valued items. Wendy's has recently took a stab at the double cheese burger market, trying to compete with Micky D's. The author interviews franchise owners on the success of the double cheese burger and finds that the price the Wendy's burger is being sold for is less than what many believe it is worth. The franchise owner also goes on to say that the price of this burger will eventually go up to cut losses.
This article is an informative piece taking a look at the battle for the best value in the fast food market. This is directed to those who are interested in the sales of the fast food restaurants and those interested in the success of the new Wendy's product.
I did not find this as useful as i though it would be. It talks about a the fight going on between fast food restaurants for the better value in food. But my research is not studying the competition between different restaurants within the fast food business, rather it is studying the competition between different kinds of restaurants (fast food, casual dining, and fast-casual).
This article talked about the importance of good customer service in the casual dining restaurant community. The author incorporates several interviews with restaurant workers. These restaurant workers tell their stories of how they showed good customer service to those who did not show the same respect back. Most of these stories had positive outcomes, showing the importance of good customer service.
The is a informative piece but is also an opinionated one. The author seems to be trying to show that good customer service is important. While this is arguably the view of many restaurant workers out there, i am sure there are many out there who do not believe in customer service. This article could be focused towards both restaurant owners and workers. Customer service is especially important in casual dining restaurants. For a waiter or waitress, customer service could be the difference between a 5 dollar tip and a 1 dollar tip.
The author protrays this all in a smooth, gently flowing tone. The author i believe is trying to persuade the reader that good customer service is important but is not forcing the idea upon them. I found this reading useful because it shows the level of importance customer service has in the casual dining community. The interviews give a great overview of how restaurant workers dealt with their customer issues.
---
York, Emily Bryson. "Double cheeseburgers working triple time at fast feeders." Advertising Age. 79.1 (January 7 2008): 1, 25.
This article talks about the ever growing popularity of the 1 dollar double cheese burger popping up everywhere. Mcdonald's has been the head runner in the race for the best valued items. Wendy's has recently took a stab at the double cheese burger market, trying to compete with Micky D's. The author interviews franchise owners on the success of the double cheese burger and finds that the price the Wendy's burger is being sold for is less than what many believe it is worth. The franchise owner also goes on to say that the price of this burger will eventually go up to cut losses.
This article is an informative piece taking a look at the battle for the best value in the fast food market. This is directed to those who are interested in the sales of the fast food restaurants and those interested in the success of the new Wendy's product.
I did not find this as useful as i though it would be. It talks about a the fight going on between fast food restaurants for the better value in food. But my research is not studying the competition between different restaurants within the fast food business, rather it is studying the competition between different kinds of restaurants (fast food, casual dining, and fast-casual).
Sunday, February 24, 2008
CRJ #2
Overall Time: 4 pm - 6:15 pm
Left Side of Paper: Observations = "-"
Right Side of Paper: Thoughts and Questions = "*"
Location: Rio Grande - restaurant
Time: 4 pm - 5:30 pm
- we are seated in a 4 person booth. There are 4 place mats, 4 sets of silverware, condiments, and specials menu. Table is clean.
*At fast food restaurants you must grab all your own condiments from a condiment stand. Tables are not always clean.
-There is Spanish music playing. It sounds like polka music with Spanish lyrics.
*Does the music ever get to the employees? They work 6+ hour shifts and must listen to this "theme" music the whole time.
-Our waitress brings out chips and salsa. There are 2 kinds of salsa. one kind is in a red cup and the other in a white cup. The red cup holds the hotter of the two salsas.
*These chips and salsa are free, something that is not offered at fast food restaurants.
-The restaurant is nicely decorated with objects of Mexican culture. This makes the restaurant more inviting and adds a sort of fun factor to the place.
*This is another thing usually found in only sit down restaurants, for the most part. Many Macdonald's are taking on themes of their own. This is determined by the owner. Could decoration and atmosphere be a major condition customers look at when choosing a place to eat?
-There are numerous fliers hanging from the ceiling advertising different Mexican made beers.
*This type of advertisement can also be seen in many fast food restaurants.
-The food is brought out fairly quickly. The different parts of the meal are neatly placed on the plate.
*This is very different from fast food. Fast food items are individually wrapped and placed on a tray. When the food is open and presented properly it just seems more appetizing. However it took about 10 mins longer to get our food than it would at a fast food restaurant.
-Bill is brought out to us. The cost is $11.
*This amount is about double what I would pay at a fast food restaurant. I wonder if i can write off the dinner to my teacher, it was kind of like a business diner.
Location: Rio Grande - kitchen
Time: 5:30 - 6:15
-They are short staffed. There is one cook and the owner making the food.
*Why are they short staffed? Is it harder working short staffed at a fast food restaurant or at a sit down restaurant?
-As one order goes out another comes in. The owner and cook are moving fairly quickly.
*This is a lot like how a fast food restaurant works.
-There is one dish washing cleaning incoming dishes. I over hear a waitress say it is the dish washers first day working.
*This would explain why he seems to be moving so slow.
-As orders are filled, they are brought out to the customers by the waitresses.
*Fast food requires that you wait while your food is put onto a tray and then the customer carries their own food out and finds a table.
-The owner is losing her temper from the stress of the moment. She yells at the cook and throws lettuce at him.
*There is also a lot of stress in the sit down restaurant business. Its time for me to cut my observations short.
Left Side of Paper: Observations = "-"
Right Side of Paper: Thoughts and Questions = "*"
Location: Rio Grande - restaurant
Time: 4 pm - 5:30 pm
- we are seated in a 4 person booth. There are 4 place mats, 4 sets of silverware, condiments, and specials menu. Table is clean.
*At fast food restaurants you must grab all your own condiments from a condiment stand. Tables are not always clean.
-There is Spanish music playing. It sounds like polka music with Spanish lyrics.
*Does the music ever get to the employees? They work 6+ hour shifts and must listen to this "theme" music the whole time.
-Our waitress brings out chips and salsa. There are 2 kinds of salsa. one kind is in a red cup and the other in a white cup. The red cup holds the hotter of the two salsas.
*These chips and salsa are free, something that is not offered at fast food restaurants.
-The restaurant is nicely decorated with objects of Mexican culture. This makes the restaurant more inviting and adds a sort of fun factor to the place.
*This is another thing usually found in only sit down restaurants, for the most part. Many Macdonald's are taking on themes of their own. This is determined by the owner. Could decoration and atmosphere be a major condition customers look at when choosing a place to eat?
-There are numerous fliers hanging from the ceiling advertising different Mexican made beers.
*This type of advertisement can also be seen in many fast food restaurants.
-The food is brought out fairly quickly. The different parts of the meal are neatly placed on the plate.
*This is very different from fast food. Fast food items are individually wrapped and placed on a tray. When the food is open and presented properly it just seems more appetizing. However it took about 10 mins longer to get our food than it would at a fast food restaurant.
-Bill is brought out to us. The cost is $11.
*This amount is about double what I would pay at a fast food restaurant. I wonder if i can write off the dinner to my teacher, it was kind of like a business diner.
Location: Rio Grande - kitchen
Time: 5:30 - 6:15
-They are short staffed. There is one cook and the owner making the food.
*Why are they short staffed? Is it harder working short staffed at a fast food restaurant or at a sit down restaurant?
-As one order goes out another comes in. The owner and cook are moving fairly quickly.
*This is a lot like how a fast food restaurant works.
-There is one dish washing cleaning incoming dishes. I over hear a waitress say it is the dish washers first day working.
*This would explain why he seems to be moving so slow.
-As orders are filled, they are brought out to the customers by the waitresses.
*Fast food requires that you wait while your food is put onto a tray and then the customer carries their own food out and finds a table.
-The owner is losing her temper from the stress of the moment. She yells at the cook and throws lettuce at him.
*There is also a lot of stress in the sit down restaurant business. Its time for me to cut my observations short.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Tentative Research Topic Proposal
As my research narrows towards one topic, my research elements seem to keep on growing. After reading the two articles that i recently annotated, I came up with a few questions that led me to my main question: What aspects of fast-casual restaurants make them more appealing to customers when compared to fast food and casual dining restaurants? Statistics have shown that the growth of some casual dining restaurants and all the fast food restaurants have been declining over the past few years. In contrast to this, many fast-casual restaurants are booming and new locations are popping up everywhere.
I was initially going to compare fast food restaurants and casual dining restaurants and compare the pros and cons of each. When researching them, the first fast-casual restaurant i came across was Chipotle. This opened up a whole new view on the prepared food industry. By adding this 3rd aspect to the research, i will have to do double time and research a fast-casual restaurant such as Panera Bread. Good thing i love food.
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