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McDonald is a very well-known brand and is considered as the master of fast-food service. One of the main reasons for the success of McDonald’s is its careful design of the fast-service system.
You can expect the same quality of product and service (for most of its products) at all McDonald’s locations across the world – the burgers and fries are consistent across locations, the service is good, the restaurants are clean.
Considering that there are thousands of McDonald’s restaurants all over the world, its amazing that they achieve such a high consistency.
Production processes include assembly lines for creating standardised products, detailed instructions for staff to carry out certain job tasks, as well as processes related to selection and training.
As the marketplace becomes increasingly competitive, firms have realised the importance of effectiveness and efficiency in organisational operations for survival and for continued prosperity.
Nothing Left to Chance
On of the main reasons for McDonald’s success is its management system that leaves nothing to chance.
The entire process of producing the products is carefully designed by the organisation’s management to make sure the same high standards are achieved every time. McDonald’s has worked out the exact standards that each item on the menu has to meet.
- Raw burger patties are pre-measured (they are of the same size and quality and have the right fat content) and are delivered to the restaurants in a frozen form.
- The same applies for the fries which are delivered frozen in partially cooked form to reduce the time taken to deep-fry the fries in the restaurants.
Cooking the Burgers
McDonalds developed its own cooking technology that ensures that both sides of the burgers are cooked at the same time to ensure the burgers are cooked to perfection (and not burnt on one side and under-cooked on the other).
This improved consistency in the cooking process and also drastically reduced the time taken to cook a burger.
With millions of burgers cooked each day, management understands that it is important to refine their cooking technology and create the most efficient way of doing the burgers.
Cooking the Fries
French fries have to be freshly made just before serving else they become soggy and unappetising. So, these must be freshly made just before serving. There is a standardised process for production of french-fried potatoes as well.
Similar to other fast-food outlets, McDonald’s provides its outlets with pre-cut, partially cooked, frozen potatoes that can be quickly made in an outlets’ deep-fry facility.
The McDonald’s fryer is of the optimum size – not very large that produces too many French fries at one time allowing them to become soggy, nor very small that requires frequent and costly drying.
Serving the food items
McDonald’s also has standardised processes to ensure the most efficient way to serve items from its menu.
For example, McDonald’s has designed a scoop that speeds up the process of filling the bags with fries and also ensures a consistent quantity of fries goes into the bag.
Storage and preparation
McDonald’s has standardised everything related to foods, beverages or services.
Outlets have to sell the same food items (some customization of the menu is allowed based on local eating preferences). So, there is minimal discretion regarding what the outlets can sell.
The employees have no discretion when it comes to preparing and serving any item of food; they all follow set procedures.
Staff Training
McDonald’s training program is one of the best in the hospitality industry and is designed to ensure the staff have the necessary skills related to food preparation and service.
Careful selection and training of staff ensures the organization is able to offer consistent high standard in their service.
McDonald’s training also helps develop other skills such as communication, time management, relationship building and leadership skills.
To Summarize
McDonald’s standardised production related processes that were designed to achieve highest efficiency and to maintain consistency in quality, is today used by many other firms in many other industries as well.
By looking at the management history to understand what worked and what did not work helps us to better understand today’s management theory and practices.
It is important for firms to keep pace with new technology and new trends when it comes to menu offerings. Customer service, innovation and sustainability are issues which firms like McDonald’s must manage as they grow.
External Links
Mcdonalds: How Do We Control Our Quality?
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