The food service industry is tough. The challenges of the industry range from food costs and quality, to customer service and effectively using labor. To create the perfect experience, owners must find a delicate balance with these challenges. But to add to those challenges, in today’s digital environment, customers are engaging with social media, which has its own challenges. As an example, the industry estimates customers add approximately 45 minutes to their dining experience through the use of their smartphone. Waitstaff are delayed taking orders because customers are answering emails or texts. The meal time after being served is extended because customers like to take and share images of their meals on social media. Then after the meal, there is another round of texting, emailing and interacting on social media. These delays are expected to increase.

Six Sigma Serves Up Quality For Food Service

Now, if you stop and thinking for a moment, these challenges in the food service industry are really no different than any other industry. They all revolve around product costs, labor challenges and customer service. Just like any other industry that has experienced great success with Six Sigma practices, the food service industry can achieve resolution to their buffet of challenges. From kitchen to table, food service is about process and procedures.

Preparing the food revolves around exact recipes and precise skills used to prepare the food. There are food costs involved and they must be precisely managed. They also require precision and accuracy in recipe measurements, oven temperatures, cook times, food temperature, and discipline around hygiene and health standards.

This also applies to the preparation and service of beverages. Getting the right mixtures for alcoholic drinks, and getting the right sugar and cream mixture in coffee can make or break the customer experience.

If you look at the front of the house, from door to table, it is all about customer experience and service. There are processes and procedures involved that impact every second of the customer experience. Forecasting the number of customers that will arrive each hour and day of the week, along with predicting what they will order can make the most experienced Black Belt throw up their hands in frustration.

Just like other Six Sigma industries, food service requires precision and attention to every detail.

Success For The Future

Food service professionals are starting to embrace Six Sigma practices to create a better industry for their customers and employees. Leaders must look at the core practices and understand how easily they can benefit from Six Sigma.

One of the most crucial opportunities for food service in their customer experience is the Voice of the Customer (VOC) programs. Every second a customer spends in a restaurant is an absolute opportunity for success or failure. If they find service, food and the environment exceptional, their digital raving will bring success. If they fail at any point in the customer experience, that digital transmission will cause significant pain to the business.

One of the templates we offer for free is the Customer Journey Map, which helps you capture the process, moments of truth, and emotional dimension of the customer’s journey.

These food service professionals must find ways to deal with their routine challenges of their industry, along with the new environment of the digital age. Six Sigma can bring great relief and success to this industry.

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Is It A Good Fit?

Before deploying an effective Six Sigma program, the biggest consideration leaders must consider is whether or not it is a good fit for the organization. While moving through the decision-making process, leaders sometimes lack a complete understanding of what Six Sigma really is, what can it really accomplish and is the organization properly prepared for the process. Reality is that there are serious considerations that must be discussed and a firm commitment to the change process must be acceptable. There is a quote that illuminates this point:

“I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.”

-Georg C. Lichtenberg

When implementing Six Sigma, we seek permanent and continuous change to achieve the best possible result.

Measure Yourself For a Fit

As leaders move through the due diligence process leading up to Six Sigma implementation, there are six questions that must be considered:

1. Does your company leadership team understand and embrace their role, and are they willing to learn what lean and Six Sigma are all about?
2. Does your company utilize cross-functional, multilevel teams to get things done?
3. Have you mastered the basic problem-solving tools throughout the company, driving to root-cause corrective actions?
4. Do you have accurate data systems (gauge repeatability and reproducibility) that are easily accessible to the workers closest to the process, and does this data drive your improvement actions?
5. Are the employees empowered to shut a process down if an out-of-control condition occurs, and are there resources instantly available to help the employee identify and implement corrective actions to get the process back up and running?
6. Is the financial community willing to participate in the improvement efforts, assist in the calculation of the financial impact of the improvements, and help reshape the accounting systems to more accurately reflect reality?

How Does It Feel?

Now that you have considered the questions, leaders must ask — is it a good fit? The fact is, without being able to 100% answer affirmatively each of these questions, it just may not be a great fit for your organization. Belief and commitment to a change process of any kind is crucial. The good news is that leaders with open minds and a commitment to quality find these six questions easy to answer. They also lead organizations that are open and willing to make permanent changes in the corporate culture and process. Now that you have a good fit with Six Sigma for your organization, doesn’t it feel good?

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How many times have you heard those statements or, something very close, in your organization when it comes to making a change? The change was carefully analyzed by every expert in the organization and the rewards clearly outweighed the downside. The change would increase customer satisfaction, productivity and cash flow. The C-Suite was fully behind the change and it was announced at staff meetings across the organization.

Once word traveled through the organization, the ground swell of resistance quickly grew and opposition quickly grew. Leaders met with staff and heard their concerns, then regrouped to understand the challenges. The only objections that could be identified were simply related to change, both in process and culture. But, because of the volume of the adversity, the decision was quickly made because it wasn’t worth rocking the boat.

Unfortunately, this scenario plays out every day across all industries, within numerous organizations – even with organizations that profess to employ improvement methodologies like Six Sigma. The fact is, change is disruptive to the status quo! It is basic human nature to resist change in their surroundings. The further the change removes them from a comfort zone, the louder the protest.

Implementing an improvement methodology such as Six Sigma requires buy-in and full support of senior leaders. Typically, these leaders must understand that the process will initially be disruptive, as it will take people into the uncharted waters of change. Leaders must have 100% commitment to the process and ensure that it is clearly communicated. Leadership needs to be in a position to engage in very frank and open communication to ensure concerns are addressed while ensuring their focus is clear.

Training is required to implement Six Sigma. Everyone in the organization should be familiarized with the methodology and the outcomes expected. This will begin the change in culture and buy-in within the organization. Leaders must ensure they stay engaged with staff and encourage established conversations. As staff become more comfortable with the methodology, Leadership must stay focused on communicating support and vision for success. For some, Six Sigma will feel like SWAT teams, swooping in and raiding departments within the organization, causing significant disruption. These misconceptions must continuously be addressed by leaders. The end result will be a growing support for Six Sigma across the organization and success will be achieved.

This is a simplistic analogy, but one that cuts very close to the bone of organizations daily. Be encouraged that change is positive for your business and an improvement methodology like Six Sigma can make significant improvements across the organizations. Leaders must be champions of Six Sigma and staff must find ways to embrace change for the good of the organization. Disruption, much like change, can be a good thing. Embrace it.

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