Good Morning,
Sunday morning, my wife and I went to the local Waffle House, which was packed, and within a few moments were able to get seats along the counter, front and center with the kitchen operations. While we sat, and had our order taken, we watched a team of people working through team operations, but doing it much, much faster than most teams operate.
It was more like a ballet of tasks being performed.
Orders were given, prep cooks set up the plates for the orders, placing bits of food on the plates in specific locations as a code for the main chef to fill the order. Another prep cook took care of cooking the meats (bacon, steak, etc.) and restocking food needs, like baskets of eggs and other supplies.
The wait staff moved in on queue taking their prepared orders from the grill and delivering them to seated patrons and the next orders were cooked and placed on the plates, while new orders were called in and more plates set up.
Each new patron was greeted upon entry. A cart with a pot of coffee and cups awaited those who had to wait, so they could have a cup of coffee prior to being seated.
In front of us, other staff bussed the tables, and cleaned the plates, which when dried were placed back by the cook staff for use again, with some plates being reused within half an hour of the previous use (my guess based on the speed of the staff).
There were about 7 – 8 people working behind the counter, three cooking, one cleaning, two taking and delivering orders and one shifting roles as necessary. The chef, with a striped hat was in charge, with the two prep cooks feeding him the supplies for each order.
There were mostly seasoned staff and a few newer staff in the operation and while most of the work went along smoothly, there were times for coaching, correction and adjustments, which, were done professionally, and without impacting the operations of the of the team. Never once did everyone stop or otherwise cease in working their functions.
The team knew their places and functions, and performed them, much like the gears of a clock, and the team supported each other, giving kudos and acknowledgement. The loudest voices we heard were the new food orders being called in clearly. Corrections were made when necessary, again given clearly. There was no negative yelling, yet everyone worked at an amazing pace.
It was a magical image of a self-managed team in motion. It was a living, breathing engine of team management. Well Done Waffle House!
When I get asked what a well managed, self-managed, team looks like, I am going to direct them to their local Waffle House on a weekend morning to see the show.
Oh yeah, the food was great too!
Enjoy!
Sanford Berenberg
http://learnandgrowdaily.com Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"
502-533-9336
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