Kevin S. Murphy

Multi‐unit management key success factors in the casual dining restaurant industry: A case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the job characteristics or key success factors of current multi‐unit managers (MUMs) in a large casual dining restaurant organization.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a case study methodology which was used to survey a group of 71 MUMs in one organization regarding characteristics of their job. There were a total of 53 respondents for a 74.65 percent response rate. Factor analysis was used to determine whether any of the 24 characteristics could be condensed into “factors”.Findings – The paper finds that the eight factors that emerged as key success factors were: single unit operations, standard operating procedures, multi‐unit strategic planning, interpersonal and social responsibilities, travel and visiting units, human relations, effective leadership, and unit level finances, which explained 75 percent of the variance among the individual items.Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that the current study is limited in its gener...

Dimensions of a high performance management system: an exploratory study of the US casual restaurant segment.

Purpose – The objective of this research is to conduct an exploratory study that will gain consensus among restaurant industry professionals, academics and outside industry experts on the set of work practice dimensions in a high performance management systems (HPMS) for restaurant managers in the US casual restaurant sector.Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory case study method was employed that used a combination of data collection techniques: interviews for the pilot study, the Delphi method and secondary data collection. Restaurant experts were chosen to consider the components of an HPMS construct for unit management in the US casual restaurant business. Assumptions were made based on a review of strategic human resource management literature, then experts were interviewed and a Delphi was conducted to gain consensus.Findings – The authors find thirteen dimensions of an HPMS, which are common to unit management in US casual restaurants. Three work practices that were not considered relevant d...

The Role Demographics Have on Customer Involvement in Obtaining a Hotel Discount and Implications for Hotel Revenue Management Strategy

This study attempted to focus attention back on identifying consumers based on certain demographics. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of gender, age, education, and income in influencing consumers level of involvement in obtaining a hotel discount. The results showed that females and consumers with less education tend to demonstrate higher involvement in obtaining a discount. There was not a significant difference between age groups, and younger consumers were found not statistically associated with higher levels of involvement. Interestingly, consumers with different incomes tended to respond comparably to discounts, unless consumers were very affluent. The findings are helpful for hotel management in designing discounts.

An Exploratory Case Study of Factors That Impact the Turnover Intentions and Job Satisfaction of Multi-Unit Managers in the Casual Theme Segment of the U.S. Restaurant Industry

Multi-unit restaurants or “chain” restaurants represent the largest portion of the

Multi‐unit managers: training needs and competencies for casual dining restaurants

537 billion U.S. foodservice industry (NRA, 2007). Turnover is the most serious issue facing these employers today; operators have consistently identified recruiting and retaining employees as their number one challenge. There is a need to identify the factors that impact turnover for a multi-unit manager (MUM) so employers can respond appropriately. Additionally, turnover factors must be identified in order to be able to develop human resources practices and policies that can help to prevent MUM turnover. This study investigated the factors that impact the turnover intentions and job satisfaction for MUMs in the U.S. casual restaurant. A survey was distributed to MUMs during their annual conference. The results indicated that MUMs needed training in the areas of human resources management, employee development, and leaders skills.

Using Service Blueprinting to Analyze Restaurant Service Efficiency

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine differences in perceived needs of training among multi‐unit managers (MUMs) in a large casual dining restaurant organization.Design/methodology/approach – Case study methodology was used to survey a group of 71 MUMs in one organization regarding characteristics of their job. There were a total of 52 respondents for a 74.65 percent response rate. A pair‐wise comparison was used to measure the difference in perceived training needs, followed by a stepwise regression to indicate the relationship between the perceived need for training and the MUM competency levels on their current jobs.Findings – This study found significant differences between the perceived need for training in the current job or to get promoted in areas such as finance and control, marketing and promotions, and human resources. In addition, the perceived need of training in human resources influences how competent and confident multiunit managers feel with regards to doing their job or in...

The impact of discounting room rates on in-house restaurant sales.

A time and motion study of 152 transactions at six restaurants operated by a full-service casual chain in Florida illustrates the use of service blueprinting as a method for analyzing service process efficiency. At management’s request, the researchers conducted the time and motion study to observe the extent to which individual servers followed company-mandated policies and procedures, and how well those procedures worked. Although this is a case study only and the observations cannot be generalized, the researchers noted a mixed picture with regard to policy observance and service efficiency. The restaurant chain uses a wine presentation process as a suggestive selling technique on greeting guests, but in this study the wine presentation resulted in a smaller than anticipated number of glasses sold. Moreover, unlike most suggestive selling, the wine presentation was a separate process that did not mesh with the meal order and delivery. In addition, rather than follow policy and drop checks when they check back on entrées, servers were waiting until the end of the meal to present the check, often when guests requested it. This policy omission may have added time to the table occupancy and reduced table turns. One procedure that was regularly observed—and worked successfully—was the “food ready” policy, in which any server would carry food to any table when that food was ready (instead of having the food stand until the “official” server could get it). These examples demonstrate how a comparison of actual performance to the service blueprint can show areas of inefficiency, both in terms of failure to follow policy and in terms of policies that are not as effective as expected.

A proposed research agenda for the refinement of the high performance work system construct in the U.S. restaurant industry.

This study investigates whether discounting hotel room rates during low seasons of demand influences in-house hotel restaurant sales in a positive way. A linear regression function was utilized to assess the relationship between discounting room rates and the hotels in-house restaurant sales. The model summary provided results indicating that the discounting of room rates during the low season did not significantly influence in-house restaurant sales. The value of this study lies in the empirical results that may provide guidance to the revenue management practices of hotel managers.

There is No 'I' in Recovery: Managements' Perspective of Service Recovery

Abstract The current research proposes a framework for the investigation and conceptualization of high performance work systems in the U.S. restaurant industry. The projected U.S. restaurant industry sales for 2006 are

Human Resource Management High-Performance Work Practices and Contextual Setting: Does Industry Matter? A Comparison of the U.S. Restaurant Sector to the Manufacturing Industry

511.1 billion according to the National Restaurant Association (National Restaurant Association, 2005). Because of its size and impact on the foodservice industry and the hospitality industry in general, improving the performance of the restaurant industry could help increase overall revenues and guest satisfaction in the foodservice and hospitality industry. By identifying a list of high performance work practices in the industry, a more in-depth exploration of these practices and then organizational policies can be aligned together to help improve overall performance in the U.S. restaurant industry. The current study provides theoretical background and support for the high performance work systems theory.