H.M.S. Pinafore

Improving Service Time at Dave’s Burgers

MBA Candidates (Group 6)
Paiso, Gwen Marien C.
Shen, Huazhou Fred
Gundran, Marlon N.

December 1, 2012
Production Management (MBA 702)
Course Facilitator: Ismael C. Pangilinan

I. Statement of the objectives
Solve the continual problem caused by drive-through window and shorten the service time to regain market share and become more competitive.

II. Statement of the objectives
• To construct drive-through windows at all its locations in order to follow the lead of larger franchise restaurants like McDonald, Burger King and Wendy’s.
• To identify and solve the problems caused by the drive-through windows
• To reduce service time to at least 2 minutes and ideally 1.5minutes.
• To maintain fast service and improve service quality.

III. Relevant Case Facts/Findings
 Dave’s Burgers, a fast food restaurant franchise in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, is suffering a problem caused by its newly-built drive-through windows which results in slow service.
 Top management has selected three of its restaurants (one in each state) as test sites and has implemented a traditional TQM method like Pareto charts, check sheets, fishbone diagrams, and process flowcharts at each of them.
 The Charlotte Dave's Burgers franchise implemented a number of production process changes to improve service time at the drive-through window and provided all employees with more training across all restaurant functions.
 The Charlotte Dave's Burgers franchise took initiatives to improve the headset system and develop clearer signs for customers, streamline the menu, initiate even-dollar (tax inclusive) pricing in order to speed the payment process.
 The restaurant installed large, visible electronic timers that showed how long a customer was at the window.
 After the improvement, service speed was obviously reduced and market share at the Charlotte restaurant increased by 5 percent.
 A statistical