McDonald's and Burger King Case Study

The restaurants that I chose to observe were McDonald's and Burger King. I chose these two restaurants because they are two that I frequent and because they are two favorite fast food restaurants that my daughters enjoy eating and playing at. The process looks fairly simple as you walk in the restaurant. It is set up so that the customers are served as quickly as possible after they order their food. When entering the restaurant, customers line up in a line and give their orders to the cashier. Once the order is placed in the computer, it is relayed on another computer screen which is shown to the other team members that are cooking and preparing the order. Once that is done, the order is made and put either in a bag to go or a tray to eat in. The cashier that takes the order makes the drink(s) and gives it to the customer immediately. If there is a specialty drink ordered, another team member makes the drink which may take a couple of minutes and gives it to the customer. By that time, the food order should be ready as well. This is the process for both McDonald's and Burger King.

It is the expectation of the customer to receive the best service possible in a quick manner. From fast food restaurants, they expect to receive top of the line service. For example, in a study done by Virgin Trains (VT) research showed that customers expect extraordinary service such as "on-board meals, health-conscious snacks, reading material, and entertainment. Business, and increasingly leisure, travelers also want access to the internet and emails through on-board wireless internet and the opportunity to use and charge their laptop mobile" (Knight & Deas, 2006, 55). Customers of fast food restaurants expect the same type of service. If they choose to eat in the restaurant, then they may want to have wireless internet and maybe someone to clear the tables once they are finished. Customers also expect for the food to be excellent which would keep them coming back for more of the various foods that are on their menu. They also expect the food to be hot when they receive it and presented in a good way. If not, it is possible that they could return the items and demand a refund.

In-store orders are taken face-to-face. When the customer walks up to the register, they are greeted by a cashier who is sometimes friendly and courteous. They take the order and they put it into the computer which the preparers see and are able to create the order from there. This is for both McDonald's and Burger King. Also for McDonald's and Burger King, the hamburgers are not prepared to order because each restaurant has a goal to give their customers fast order service. Their burgers are prepared ahead of time and delivered from a storage bin. However, at Burger King you can "have it your way" so you can order you burger "hot of the broiler". There is no definite way of knowing how this process works, but they may they