Systems In The Food Industry

In the early days of foodservices operations it was all very simple and straightforward.
Not so today. In today's restaurant climate you need systems and procedures in order to survive and stay in operation and be solvent in business.

Years ago all you had to do when you opened your restaurant or cafeteria was to have your staff cook the meals. The owner’s job, for the most part, was to hire staff, open the door in morning, greet customers and collect the cash. As long as you were polite to your customers and stayed open long hour’s business was good. At the end of the month, bills and wages were paid. What was left over was profit for the owner or owners. It was all as simple as that.

Not so today. In today’s business environment with all thee multitude of taxes, regulations and business license fees it gets much more complex. Even before a business can open there are myriads of forms, regulations and licenses to either apply for or meet. On top of that figure in credit cards, banks, accounts payable schedules, payroll taxes, vacation plans, health care plans etc and the list is endless. It’s no wonder that the whole business is much more complex and "systems "are needed to be set up and maintained. A business owner who buys a franchise does not so much buy a business but rather a proven set of systems. You can do all you can to run a good business but in the end it’s the kid , being paid minimum wage at the counter , who serves your hamburger and in the end sets the whole tone and profitability for your restaurant. You may never get a great hamburger at a major chain restaurant but you can be assured that you should always get an adequate product with consistency.

These systems in place in a restaurant system are redundant in nature. That is they cover up for errors or mistakes. The "16 year old kid" who was there yesterday may not be there today. Someone has to fill in to maintain that assured level of quality. It’s almost as if the modern restaurant with its systems in place is like Henry Ford’s old assembly line or Charlie Chaplin in the film "Modern Times". The employee has one task or a limited amount of tasks. It’s almost as if there are signs on the wall "Pick up hamburger here", "Put on two scoops of Mayonnaise here" and "Pick up hamburger here, place onions and one slice of tomato here". If the employee is new , or does not really care about their job , or the quality of the product then the system takes over with its redundancy and simplicity. If one employee does not do their job fully, well then the system generally takes care of the problems to a great extent.

It’s to everyone’s benefit that a standard level of quality be maintained. Systems are excellent for that. The very basis of control systems in the food hospitality industry is that they are reliable – you can count on them. You may never get an exceptional hamburger, food product or service, yet on the other side you never get a terrible one.
What you get is a standard acceptable level as a customer, and running, predictable reliable business that pays its bills, submits its taxes, completes government requirements and licenses and will carry a good profit. The food business is just too complex and hard to manage otherwise in these days and times.