Reference no: EM133209872

Operations Management

The Paramount Diner

The case describes the Paramount: a 44-seat diner in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The restaurant is a popular favourite among locals and tourists particularly for brunch on weekends, when queues can stretch down the street. The case study focuses on the restaurant's unusual seating policy and a recent increase in the popularity of carryout orders.

The purpose of this case study are threefold: firstly, to provide students the opportunity to practice basic process analysis concepts, such as cycle time, throughput time, input rates, output rates, bottlenecks and utilization; secondly, for students to consider the analytical and psychological dynamics of queues and operational transparency; and thirdly, to enable students to consider the interrelationships between the design of an operation and the corresponding behaviours of customers and employees.
The assignment requires students to complete the following five questions.

1) Essay on Theory of Swift Even Flow
Students should read appropriate material regarding the importance of managing flow and productivity. The key theory to investigate is TSEF (Theory of Swift Even Flow). A list of books and articles* have been suggested to get you started. Students should also perform key word searches to supplement the directed reading. The objective of this scholarship is to help students to critically evaluate operations management relative to traditional management.
Suggested Key Words
swift even flow - productivity - services - manufacturing - healthcare - patient flow - operations management
You may want to combine a couple of these key words in your search using AND e.g. swift even flow AND productivity

2) Process Analysis

a) Following the guidelines provided below*, conduct a quantitative analysis of the restaurant operation to identify the bottleneck in the process and to calculate how long customers might have to wait to be served.

b) Explain how the unusual seating policy is an operations management tool.

3) Read the two articles referenced below*** which describe how customers in service industries introduce variability.
a) Use the knowledge acquired to discuss how customers introduce variability for the Paramount

b) Discuss whether the Paramount accommodates or reduces this type of variability.

4) Using the information from the case study and knowledge acquired from the calculations performed in part 1), students should consider the issue of carryout orders.
Your discussion should consider the following issues:

a) Where has the idea for carryout orders come from?
b) What are the business motivations for adding this type of service?
c) What impact will adding this service have on the restaurant customer experience?

5) Management Decision.
Advise the owner, Michael Conlon, as to the best course of action to take. You should choose between more carryout orders or less carryout orders. There are several reasons why you could justify either of these choices so your answer should describe what these might be****.

Attachment:- Paramount Case Study.rar