Chapter 2: The Systems Approach

Assembly/Serve System

"Kitchenless Kitchen"; Fully prepared foods are purchased, assembled, heated and served.

Disadvantages of the Assembly/Serve System

-Desired menu items/regional appeal is limited -Quality of available prepared products and customer acceptability -May need additional freezer space required for storage -Disposal of large quantities of packaging materials

Disadvantages of the Commissary System

-Food safety and distribution concern -Specialized equipment and trucks for delivery -Potential of food arriving late -High cost of purchase, maintenance, and repair of equipment

Advantages of the Assembly/Serve System

-Labor savings; Fewer personnel required and do not have to be highly skilled or experienced -Procurement costs are lower (Better portion control) -Equipment and space requirements are minimal -Operating costs are minimal

Disadvantages of the Ready-Prepared OR Cook/Chill System

-Need for large cold storage and freezer units -Expensive equipment and difficulty to operate -Control for food safety -Modifications in recipes are required (cell damage)

Advantages of the Conventional System

-Quality control -More adaptable to the regional, ethnic, and individual preferences of its costumers -Greater flexibility in making menu changes -Less freezer storage -Distribution costs are minimal

Advantages of the Commissary System

-Realize cost saving due to large-volume purchasing and reduced duplication of labor and equipment -Quality control and consistency

Advantages of the Ready-Prepared OR Cook/Chill System

-Reducing the "peaks and valleys" of workloads -Less time required; less stress -Employee turnover decreased; recruitment of new employees is enhanced -Reductions in labor costs -Improved quality and quantity control -Use of equipment is balanced -Management has close control over menu selections -Menu variety is potentially greater

Disadvantages of the Conventional System

-Uneven, stressful workday -Long hours -Skilled workers required -Difficulty in scheduling

Commissary System

A central production kitchen or food factory with centralized food purchasing and delivery to off-site facilities for final preparation.

Systems Analysis

A method of problem solving or decision making.

System

A set of interdependent parts that work together to achieve a common goal.

Mission Statement

A summary of an organization's purpose, customers, products, and services.

Open System

A system that interacts with external forced in the environment.

Systems Philosophy/Thinking

A way of thinking about phenomena in terms of the whole, the parts, and their interrelationships.

Foodservice Industry

All establishments where food is served outside of the home.

Entropy

Amount of disorder, uncertainty, or randomness in a system.

Systems Management

Application of systems theory to managing organizations.

Hierarchy of Systems

Characteristic or organizational structure ranging from subsystems to systems to supra systems.

Rethermalized

Chilled/frozen foods are returned to eating temperature.

Triangular Management Model

Efficiency and Productivity = Classical Theory; Organizational Behavior = Behavioral Theory; Mathematical Tools & Measures = Management Science

Upscale menus

Fancier, more expensive foods, often with a gourmet appeal.

Outputs

Finished products and services of an organization.

Cook/Chill Method

Food production method in which food is prepared and cooked by conventional or other methods, then chilled and refrigerated for use at a later time.

Ready-Prepared OR Cook/Chill OR Cook/Freeze System

Food production method in which food is prepared on-site and cooked by conventional ovens or other methods, then chilled and refrigerated/frozen, and stored for reheating at a later time.

Comfort Foods

Foods associated with the comfort of home and family; includes traditional American dishes.

Contract Foodservice

Foodservice within an organization operated by an outside company.

In-house Management

Foodservice within an organization operated by the organization.

Feedback

Info on how operations worked or failed, or how they should be changed or modified to restore equilibrium.

Suprasystems

Larger entities, each made up of a number of systems.

Linking Processes

Methods used to unify a system.

Home Meal Replacements/Meal Solutions

Prepared or partially prepared foods to take home.

Value Pricing

Pricing such that consumers feel they have received good value for amount paid.

Family Value Marketing

Pricing to appeal to family budgets.

Commercial Operation

Primary purpose is to make money. Ex) restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, delis, snack bars

Non-commercial/Institutional/On-site Operation

Primary purpose is to provide food as a service to an organization. Ex) business, educational, governmental

Homeostasis

Proper balance of the external environment.

Conventional System

Raw foods are purchased, prepared on-site, and served soon after preparation.

Dynamic Equilibrium

Reacting to changes and forces, both internal and external, in ways that often create a new state of equilibrium and balance.

Memory

Records of past performance that assist in improving future effectiveness.

Inputs

Resources such as money, material, time, and information required by a system.

Display Cooking

Restaurant design where the kitchen may be viewed by the diners.

Military

Self-operations and franchise operations.

Satelliting

Selling and/or delivering food to other facilities.

Objectives

Specific and measurable goals or targets of an organization.

Benchmarking

The Total Quality Management measurement tool that provides an opportunity for a company to set attainable goals based on what other companies are achieving.

Management

The integration and coordination of resources to achieve the desired objectives of the organization.

Subsystems

The interdependent parts of a system, the parts of the system.

Scope of Services

The number and types of business units offered by individual foodservice operations.

Interdependency

The parts of the system interact and are dependent on one another.

Transformation

The processes required to change inputs into outputs.

Equifinality

The same outputs may be achieved from different inputs or transformational processes.

Controls

The self-imposed plans and legal documents that affect the organization's function.

Branding

The use of nationally or locally labeled products for sale in an existing foodservice operation.

Wholism

The whole of the organization is more than the sum of the parts.

Operations

The work performed to transform inputs into outputs.

Synergy

The working together of parts of a system such that the outcomes are greater than individual effort would achieve.

Systems Theory

Viewing the organization as a whole made up of interdependent parts.

Multiple-Branding

When several restaurant chains operate, or brand-name products are sold, at the same location.