Analysis of Covent Garden Grill Restaurant - Case Study Example

Executive summary Analysis of Covent Garden grill restaurant shows that the management of the restaurant is superb. Research findings reveal that staffing is well carried out as the management seeks for skilled employees. The restaurant has implemented good training and development strategies and this has made it maintain its position among the top restaurants in United Kingdom. The current industry trends reveal that BYO is common among the restaurants in United Kingdom as compared to fully licensed restaurants. It is recommended that due to the existing demand, further expansion of the Covent Garden grill restaurant be carried out. This is by opening up of more branches all over United Kingdom. Introduction Covent Garden grill is mainly a grill restaurant that is located in Covent Garden. This is found in London. Covent Garden grill restaurant serves a wide selection of dishes that are very delicious. These foods and beverages include desserts, main courses, white wines, red wines, beers and starters among others. The aim of the report is to show the various business practices carried out in Covent Garden grill restaurant and show the trends in the industry. (Sparrow, and Hilltop, 1994) Personnel and staffing The management structure of Covent grill restaurant is shown below. Personnel and staffing is an important area in an organisation. A look at the Covent Garden grill restaurant shows that this aspect is taken with the required seriousness. General Manager; he defines and interprets policies that are established by the board of directors. He is in charge of coordinating between departments. He sets the goals in this restaurant. Resident manager; relieves the general manager of some of his responsibilities. He represents the GM in meetings in case he is absent. He is responsible for carrying out in depth analysis for corporate and regional offices. The areas where multi-skilling is used include the general manager and the front office manager. The management structure of Covent Garden grill restaurant includes the board of directors, general manager, resident manager, room’s division manager and the front office manager. (Rampton, 2003) The members of management team in Covent Garden grill restaurant shows some strengths and weaknesses. Research in this organisation reveals that the management team is quite skilled and therefore their responsibilities are handled in a professional way. This is a great strength for all the management team. The weakness was evident in the general manager has the weakness of looking at the broader picture of issues but often misses out on the finer details. The rooms’ division manager shows weakness of failing to meet deadlines in his work. This highly affects other departments in the organisation. Staffing strategies Management and staffing activities help in ensuring that employees with right or desired skills are recruited. The employees have also to be in the right numbers desired by the organisation. Employee re-sourcing aims at ensuring that employees are at the right place at the right time. Management in this case is concerned with ensuring that employees perform their best. Analysis of Covent Garden grill restaurant shows that staffing is taken very seriously. The restaurant seeks for professionals to work therein so that they can maintain the reputation of quality. In relation to this, various staffing strategies are used by the management team. Advertisement Covent Garden grill uses advertisement as a method of selecting employees for the various pots that are needed therein. They include cooks, waiters, and accountants among others. Advertisements were placed in the daily newspapers showing that there are vacancies for the posts that are vacant as per that period of time. Through this, potential employees get to know that there were vacancies for the post in Covent Garden grill restaurant. Internet advertisements were also made through the restaurants website. The website shows that potential candidates could also apply online. (Thomson, and Rampton, 2003) Advertising through the internet is cheaper compared to advertising through newspapers. Both methods achieved the objective since potential candidates were able to know that vacancy exited in this restaurant. Sometimes Covent Garden grill uses agencies that assist in the recruitment process. This happens when the number of applicants expected is high and therefore it becomes too much work for the management team. Most of the time the recruitment process is done by the management team in Covent Garden grill restaurant. Person and job specifications are included in the advertisements and these are considered during recruitment. Interviews After Covent Garden grill restaurant placing advertisements in newspapers and the internet, potential employees sent their application letters. The application letters were sorted and feedback was given to those who had qualified to attend interviews. Managers in this restaurant conduct interviews on short listed candidates. Interviews consist of two way communication between potential employees and managers in a company. It helps to supplement information that is put in resumes. (Rampton, 2003) Interviews are very important as they give more information to stakeholders hence helping them in decision making concerning the job. In this case the managers in Covent Garden grill restaurant are in a position to know who the applicants for the management trainee post. They were in a position to know their specific personalities and to evaluate whether they were fit to work in the company or not. In most cases an interviewer normally has prior information from application forms. This method used in this company for selection help employers to know some of the behavioural patterns of the potential employees. Induction methods Many outstanding and prosperous organisations incorporate various induction methods therein. When an organisation takes up new employees, it is very important that the right induction that will benefit the business and the employees too. The induction period is considered to be fundamental for getting the most of the employees. This determines the long term success of the business. Induction in Covent Garden grill restaurant is given at the beginning of employment for all employees. This includes employees working in the front office and the kitchen department among others. Induction in Covent Garden grill restaurant can take months or weeks. The induction carried out in Covent Garden grill restaurant determines how quickly the employees settle in the restaurant. This helps them to develop their full potential. (Rampton, 2003) Probation periods Probation periods are very important to Covent Garden grill restaurant. Every new recruit has to go through the probation period. During this time the work of the employees is greatly analyzed. The work is evaluated in terms of quality. That is to mean whether the employee, for instance cooks have to be evaluated in terms of the quality of food that they cook. In Covent Garden grill restaurant, the cook’s work is evaluated in terms of customer feedback on the food prepared. The probation period for Covent Garden grill restaurant. The management team goes through three months probation period while the rest of the staff has to go through a probation period of six months. Those that cannot deliver or whose work is not standard are laid off. (Rampton, 2003) Remuneration policies Every organisation has to have well structured remuneration policies that help govern the organisation in relation to employee payment. Remuneration policies in Covent Garden grill restaurant are structured in line with merit. This means that highly qualified employees with experience are paid more. The remuneration policies in this restaurant are well written and accessible to all the employees. This makes the payment to be fair to every employee and minimizes corruption therein. Incentive schemes Various incentive schemes are have been incorporated by the management in Covent Garden grill restaurant. One of the incentive schemes includes offering maternity leave for expectant women. Another incentive that is provided for employees in Covent Garden includes provision of insurance cover not only to the employees, but to their families also. This incentive scheme in this restaurant is a great motivator to employees. Rewards are normally given to employees in Covent Garden grill restaurant who have excellent performance. This is normally carried out by giving certificates to employees who have exemplary performance. Such employees are given various gifts by the management to motivate them. Considerations are made on various factors including employees’ time management and the ability to meet deadlines among other factors. Another incentive scheme evident in this restaurant is job security of the employees. (Maundy, 2001) Training and development schemes Training involves a behaviour modification which is normally carried out in a formal or informal and systematic manner. It is as a result of planned experience, instruction and education. Training and development plays a big role in achievement of organisational goals. Most of these goals are normally long term in nature. Training is part of the strategic framework of organisations. It produces a comprehensive and coherent plan that helps in developing employees and other stakeholders in organisations. Covent Garden grill restaurant has training and development schemes which are carried out both formally and informally. The formal training schemes are done by first formulating of training policy. This is done by directors in Covent Garden grill restaurant. The management then identify the training needs in this restaurant. (Maundy, 2001) The following steps will be taken in the training and development strategy in Covent Garden grill restaurant 1. Formulation of a training policy 2. Identification of training needs in Fair Price store 3. Training plan development 4. Conducting of the training program 5. Training responsibilities 6. Training evaluation After that training plan development is done. Employees in this restaurant go through formal training which is done through seminars where they are taught by professionals. Informal training is also carried out in Covent Garden grill restaurant. The aim and objectives of carrying out training and development strategy in Covent Garden grill restaurant include: To recruit new staff on merit basis. To help eradicate or minimize absenteeism Ensure gender balance in management. Introduce an Information technology system for checkouts. Implement employee appraisal schemes. To improve leadership and professional skills of employees To enhance behaviour modification among employees Control systems Control systems are important in every organisation. They help to keep the various departments in good check. Purchasing is carried out in Covent Garden grill restaurant by using various forms of ordering. They include local purchase orders among others. Covent Garden grill has got nominated suppliers who supply the restaurant with various products. These products include farm products and also manufactured products. Procedures for receiving goods include using acknowledgment notes like receipts and use of debit and credit note. Covent Garden grill restaurant has a receiving department that receives all the products that have been purchased and the necessary records are kept. The goods are then stored in various rooms depending on their use. For instance those for the kitchen department are kept in a specific store. Menu planning is done by the kitchen staff. They ensure that the menu includes beverages and foods like desserts, main courses etc. Sales forecasts are carried out during the planning time. Recipes in Covent Garden grill restaurant are of high quality. There are also high cost item controls that help to controls the costs therein. Yield tests are also carried out in Covent Garden grill restaurant to ascertain the various yields therein. Revenue controls in Covent Garden are carried out using revenue control systems. They use remote transmitters, telephone entry token units and money units. Controlling is simply following up on plans to ensure proper implementation. This means that planning and controlling are closely related. There are four functions of management namely; planning, organizing, directing and controlling respectively. Planning precedes all the other functions. In management activities’ functional chain, controlling acts as the final link. The management cycle is never complete without controlling executed. (Hilltop, 1994) This is where there is setting, communication and application of the performance standards of employees or people. When mechanisms to monitor employee’s activities are put in place and the corrective action applied then the control can be termed as effective. The manager or the leader normally observes what is happening in the organisation and compares with what was initially planned to happen. If what is happening is not as per what was supposed to happen then corrective action is taken such that those below standard required standard attain this standard. When there is delegation of activities by the manager to employees, then the control facilitation quite effective. He can then ascertain whether the ideas are being implemented or not. Timely feedback on what the employees are doing is important to the supervisor because he is always accountable on matters concerning performance of the employees. In this case, effective internal control in an organisation is a fundamental responsibility of the organisation’s management. The resources should be used effectively and efficiently in achieving the results. The resources are used without mismanagement and with very little wastage to achieve the planned results. For instance total revenues and expenditures should be accounted for. Control as a management tool should not be isolated in to exist alone. Rather it should be incorporated with auditing, budgeting and planning. Control is never effective if it doesn’t give feedback to the organisations management. When controls are too many they may be ineffective. Control also helps organisations to comply with laws and regulations like meeting standards in quality. It ensures that financial reporting is reliable and helps operations be efficient. . (Hilltop, 1994) Hygiene and sanitation methods Reviewing the current hygiene practices in this restaurant shows that the practices are excellent. First of all the management in Covent Garden grill restaurant ensures that all the employees that handle food are in good health. This plays a big role in the ensuring that when the food is being handled it is not contaminated. Proper sanitation measures are ensured during food handling. This includes maintaining high standard of cleanliness by washing utensils and cooking facilities well. Covent Garden grill restaurant has employees in charge of this sector. They ensure that all utensils are well cleaned after using. This restaurant has necessary machineries that help in the cleaning process. Food storage in Covent Garden grill is taken seriously. There are various storage facilities therein including freezers which are used to store the food that can easily go bad. There are also food storage cabinets that help to store foods separately to avoid the issue of food poisoning. Food is also stored in containers that are well labelled. This helps to minimise the problem of cooks confusing one to another. Front office house cleaning in Covent Garden grill is done on a daily basis. The cleaning is carried out by the auxiliary staffs that ensure that all the surfaces are clean. Dusting and wiping is done with disinfectants. There are also vacuum cleaners which aid in cleaning the restaurant. Various sanitation methods are used and this ensures that sanitation is maintained therein. Legal responsibilities Covent Garden grill restaurant has got various licences and permits. They include liquor licence that allows this restaurant to sell spirituous liquors to the public. There is the restaurant licence. This allows the Covent Garden restaurant to sell food to the public. This restaurant has a bed and breakfast that allows it to have complimentary beverages provided to overnight guests and this is during some limited hours. These are the examples of licences and permits that present in Covent Garden grill restaurant. Current industry trends The past industry turnover in the hotel and tourism industry is calculated by the Federal statistics office. The monthly turnover that was reported was put in relation to the base. Currently the base is 2003=100. This is the base value which is a mean of twelve monthly turnovers. The United Kingdom hotel and restaurant industry is experiencing its best. There is expected to be future growth of 4.5 per cent growth for the year 2007. (Peter, 1998) In the year 2008 the growth is expected to be 4.9 percent. Segmentation between cafes is very common especially in the United Kingdom. This has influenced the current trends in the hotel and restaurant trends. BYO is a term that used in restaurants to show that a person can bring his or her own drinks, mostly alcoholic beverages. This is very common in the United Kingdom hotel and restaurant industry. Fully licensed restaurants are few as compared to those with BYO. The geographic state by demand is more concentrated as compared to the geographic spread by state. (Rampton, 2003) Conclusion Covent Garden grill restaurant is found in Covent Garden. This restaurant makes a wide selection of dishes that are delicious. The foods served include desserts, main courses, white wines, red wines, beers and starters among others. Various staffing strategies are used in Covent Garden grill restaurant. Advertisements and interviews are carried out by the management. Various incentive schemes exist in Covent Garden grill restaurant. They include formal and informal training of employees. Control systems are important in every organisation. This has also been implemented in Covent Garden grill restaurant. Hygiene and sanitation methods are used to ensure that food handled is very clean. There is expected to be future growth of 4.5 per cent growth for the year 2007. In the year 2008 the growth is expected to be 4.9 percent. All in all the analysis in Covent Garden grill restaurant shows that the management is effective and also other operations are worth commending. Reference: David, S. (1989): Management Control Systems Theory and C/SCSC; National Estimator, pp. 29-34 David, S. (1989): Management Control Systems Theory is Useful Tool; Program Manager 18:20­23 Hilltop, J. (1994): European Human Resource Management in Transition: Prentice Hall, New York James, H. (1991): Business Process Improvement; the Breakthrough Strategy for Total Quality, Productivity, and Competitiveness. McGraw-Hill Trade Maundy, L. (2001): An Introduction to Human to Human Resource Management: Theory Peter, R. (1998): The Leader's Handbook; Making Things Happen, Getting Things Done; McGraw-Hill. Rampton, L. (2003): Human Resource Management. Melbourne press, New York. Retrieved from; www.coventgardengrill.com ; accessed on 10-10-07 Sparrow, P. and Hilltop, J. (1994): European Human Resource Management in Stanley, J. (1979): Systems Management: Washington DC: The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. Thomson, C. and Rampton, L. (2003): Human Resource Management. Melbourne press, New York Read More