Benihana of Tokyo - Case Study Example

Benihana of Tokyo What are the differences between Benihana and that of a typical restaurant? Benihana of Tokyo isa restaurant that is unique in various fronts. According to Sasser, this firm has identified a niche within various cities in the United States through a carefully conducted market research and analysis (1). This firm has distinguished itself from other restaurants within this country in its design. In a typical restaurant within the country, the kitchen would always be located in sections far away from the dining hall.

The notion in many of these hotels has always been that a customer should not be in a position to witness his or her food being prepared as this would reduce the appetite of the customer. However, a market research done by Rocky, the president of this hotel, pointed otherwise. Through this research, Rocky realized that many Americans do not trust meals that are prepared in enclosures that are not visible for the customer. Therefore, he ensured that the meals, especially the streak were prepared from a close proximity to the dining table so that customers would be in a position to watch as their meals are being prepared.

This boosted the trust of the customers towards the firm. Unlike other typical restaurants which have 30% of their total space as back of the house, this restaurant has only 22% of the total space left as back of the house (Warner 34). This has increased the space available for the restaurant. Another factor that distinguished this restaurant from others within this locality was the fact that its chefs were all from the parent country, Japan. All of them were young unmarried individuals with high standards of training in hospitality industry.

The mannerism of the restaurant, though American in all aspects, had a touch of the Japanese culture, a fact that made it stand out as uniquely cultural. Simply put, the operation of this restaurant is positively unique.2. Examine the system in detail. Are there major design choices that generate operating efficiencies? Explain.The design choices of this restaurant have positive contributions to the general operative efficiencies. The decision to have the cooking area located close to the dining hall is not only meant to please the customers as they watch their meals being prepared, but it also enhances the efficiency.

The cooking area is very close to the customers and therefore the process of serving is easier. As the president of this restaurant admits, this has enabled the management to cut down on the operative cost because it would require a relatively lesser labor as compared to a conventional kitchen location in typical hotels (Page 76). The decision to reduce the back space of the hotel has also improved efficiency of the restaurant. This is because it has created more room for the dining room, ensuring that the movement of the workers of this hotel is easier.

The limited space at the back of the hotel also tends to discourage the temptation- on the side of employees to ‘rest’ in this place in between their jobs. This has enhanced the productivity of this restaurant by ensuring that the employees give out their maximum input. Moreover, the interior arrangement of the restaurant has been enhanced to accommodate such function as small seminars for the floor arrangement would accommodate this.Works CitedSasser, Earl. Benihana of Tokyo. Harvard Business School.

Vol 9 (673-057) p. 1-13 Warner, Bernard. Organization Change: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2011. Print.Page, Susan. The Power of Business Process Improvement: 10 Simple Steps to Increase Effectiveness, Efficiency and Adaptability. New York: AMACOM, 2010. Print.