McDonald's franchise

Introduction

Fast food restaurant chain McDonald's franchise has locations all over the world. Ray Kroc founded the chain, which commenced operations in 1955 (McDonald's, n.d.). According to several business assessments, McDonald's is the world's most popular fast-food chain restaurant (Shaymo, 2014). KFC and Subway are two franchise competitors (Shaymo, 2014). McDonald has systems in place that provide information about the procedures its items must go through before they are delivered to customers. For instance, the ambiance, service, and cuisine of a McDonald's restaurant influence the dining experience (Krow, n.d.). The food undergoes through various processes right from the supply to the restaurant to when the customer receives his/her order.

Procurement of Supplies

The first process in a restaurant set up like McDonald's is the procurement of supplies. Procuring these items includes making an order to the suppliers for the ingredients required for food production. For instance, in McDonald's the procurement officer would order for bags of potatoes, beef, eggs, lettuce and other components which they use to make their food products. Once all the procuring is through the phase that follows is to assemble all the ingredients and make them ready in preparation for customer orders. Usually, the ingredients supply occurs at the back end of the restaurant.

Customer Service and Order Placement

Meanwhile, at the front end, the service team that includes the waiters and hostesses receive and greet the customers. They usually locate an appropriate seating place in the restaurant and notify the clients of any wait times. The individual in charge of service then takes the client’s order informing them of any allergens present in the foods served. The host or hostess then takes the requests to the kitchen so that the chef can start processing the order.

Food Preparation and Serving

The third phase involves the preparation of the order by the chef and other kitchen staff. The chef quickly assembles the customer’s request. For instance at McDonald's for French fries, the potatoes are usually blanched prior so that when a request comes up, the chefs can quickly fry the potatoes thereby reducing the wait time for the clients. They also precook and prepare their beef to increase efficiency when during peak eating hours when the restaurant is fully packed. After the meal preparation is complete, the waiter or waitress then picks the meal and serves the customers at their tables. When the clients are through with their meal, a server then presents their bill indicating the cost and also notifying them of their payment options. Usually, the cashier at the counter is the one that accepts payment on behalf of the outlet. If the clients are not done with their food and would like to carry some leftovers home, the server usually packs for them.

Improving the Payment Process

For this particular McDonald's outlet, the process involves the procurement, receiving the client, taking orders, food preparation, serving the client, and payment. The process looks efficient as it follows a step by step approach. However, it requires improvements at the final stage of payment. Payments after a meal in a fast food restaurant are dangerous as it could lead to overcrowding at the counter and some of them could sneak without settling their bills. So that the restaurant works efficiently, it would make the cashiers work more relaxed if the clients paid as they ordered their meals. The servers would then receive a receipt indicating the order which they could present to the chef for preparation. The order processing at the cashier’s counter could also be automated such that it is transferred electronically to the kitchen and the food preparation starts immediately even before the customers take their seats. Consequently, the outlet would reduce the wait time for its clients.

References

Krow, S. (n.d.). Restaurant Service Procedure. Retrieved December 5, 2017, from Small Business Chronicles Website: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/restaurant-service-procedures-58941.html

McDonald's. (n.d.). Our History. Retrieved December 5, 2017, from McDonald's Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/about-us/our-history.html

Shaymo. (2014, June 25). McDonald's Business Process. Retrieved December 5, 2017, from Future State Website: http://www.futurestate.ie/index.php/mcdonalds-business-process/