Drexler's Bar-B-Que Summary

Summary

The only thing constant in Texas is the people’s love for Texas-style barbecue. There are more than a thousand BBQ establishments in the Houston area alone. Some of these are large chain restaurants competing with small neighborhood businesses.

Drexler’s World famous Bar-B-Que is located in an area of Houston called the Third Ward-an economically disadvantaged neighborhood not far from downtown. It has been in the area since the late 1940s. It was a small establishment around 1500 sq feet but relocated to a 13,000 square foot located in 2003. It features traditional fare and healthier menu items.

Drexler’s continues to be a family business with strong underlying values. It is in the neighborhood and is of the neighborhood.
The menu has remained the same for many years. The restaurant is always closed at 6:00pm and on Sundays and Mondays.

Clyde “The Glide” Drexler is one of Mrs. Scott’s sons who was an exNBA player. Drafted in 1983 in the 1st round of the NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He finished his career as a ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame; the NBA named him one of basketball’s fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and an NBA championship in 1995 with the Houston Rockets. Since his retirement, he has been more involved in the daily operations of the restaurant.

1. What role do values play in how the Drexler’s restaurant interfaces with its neighbors and
Their involvement within the African-American community helped them create regular customers and help their business grow.

2. Is Drexler’s an effective organization? Why?

Drexler’s is a very effective organization. This family business has survived in a highly competitive BBQ restaurant market in Texas since the late 1940s. Located in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood starting at 1,500 square feet, it has relocated in 2003 to a 13,000 square foot location. Following the same values Mrs. Scott used to raise her family; she ran her BBQ restaurant successfully the same way. Drexler’s also learned to give back to the surrounding African-American community, which help them develop loyal clients and strong relationships with the community.

3. Apply the systems model to illustrate how Drexler’s Bar-B-Que operates within its environment.

Systems theory is used to integrate organizational effectiveness and time. Two main conclusions of systems theory are:

1. Effectiveness criteria (e.g., productivity, quality, adaptiveness) must reflect the entire input process, output