Case Study Solving

Breakfast Organization and Service of Hotel Du Lac

MS. Waratchanok Satitthammajit

According to the case study of Hotel Du Lac, I have analyzed the case and adapted
the tools, information, and material provided in the http://chrismercier.org/cases.htm. I
have adapted 4 patterns of thinking to solve the case.
The problem of the case is complaints on breakfast organization and service at Hotel Du
Lac.
1. Situation Appraisal What is going on?
A 3 stars Hotel Du Lac, and is open only in summer from June to September has
serious complains about breakfast service addressing the following problems:
1.1 The food is served cold
1.2 Non respect of service time (delivery too early or too late)
1.3 Mistakes in orders
1.4 Noisy food service elevator
Current breakfast organization service is illustrated on a diagram as below:

- Guest Rooms

orders

Food delivered to set up tray

Level 3

orders

Level 1
- Breakfast Room
- Guest Rooms

Level 2
- Room Service
- Guest Rooms

breakfast tray returned

cup, sauces, glasses
cutlery to wash

Level O
Central Breakfast Station
- Hot food & beverages done
- Order will be picked up
tea & coffee pots returned to wash
tea & coffee pots returned to wash
tea & coffee pots returned to wash

breakfast tray
returned cup,
sauces, glasses

2. Problem Analysis Why did this happen?

I have applied Cause & Effect or called Ishikawa diagram to find causes, and
factors that creates the problem in the Hotel Du Lac. Based on the diagram in the head of
the fish, effect of the case is complaints on breakfast organization and service at Hotel Du
Lac which have the following problems; food is served cold, non respect of service time
(delivery too early or too late), mistakes in orders, and noisy food service elevator. The
problems are from many factors which can be grouped in 4 main causes that are process &
procedures, people, place, and material. Factors in the four main causes can be explained as
follows:
2.1 Process & Procedures
- The process and procedures of food delivery is too complicated.
For example, hot food is done at level O and delivered via food
service elevator to level 2 to set up the tray, and then tea and coffee pots are back for
cleaning at level O again but cups, saucers, glasses and cutlery go to level 2 for washing. It
goes back and forth process. In addition, this complex process also creates noisy sound
from food service elevator that disturb guest who is staying in the hotel.
- All verbal communications between central breakfast station and the
room service station, including all guest calls are done by telephone only. The verbal
communication only can create mistakes.
For example, staff is receiving orders from guests through telephone while
food service elevator is working loudly, staff can hear order incorrectly and if staff is not
repeat the order from guest, there will be mistakes in orders.

2.2 Place
- There are too many levels for food delivery process before serving to
guest room. It makes the food cold.
For example, the production of hot beverages and hotel food are done at
the central breakfast service station at level O, then it must be delivered to room service
station at level 2 every time to set up the tray but if guest is staying at level 1, food must be
delivered back to level 1 again which it is waste of time and makes the hot food and
beverage cold.
- Also, the production of hot food and beverages are done at different level
from the breakfast room which is on level O and level 1. This can cause slow service and
the food will be cold before serving.
2.3 People
- Too long hours break for staff lunch and they have the break at the
same time on 11.30-13.00 p.m. (one half-hour). Normal lunch break in a hotel should be
one hour or 45 minutes. To work more effectively and serve the guests demand, lunch
break should be adjusted to suite the work.
- Too early morning shift at 6.30 a.m.
According to my experience on the UK internship the suitable morning shift is
on 7.00 a.m. because most guests are come for leisure and to take rest in summer especially
this hotel opens from June to September. Normally, guest will not wake up too early

morning. Therefore, morning shift can be adjusted to compensate with the lunch break in
return.

2.4 Material
- Using only food service elevator for food delivery to guest room.
It must pass almost every floor to get to the guest rooms which create
noisy sound and disturb guest who is staying in the room.
- Material used at the central breakfast station is obsolete.
It may reduce working efficiency to produce food and beverage.

Cause & Effect Diagram

People

Process & Procedures

Too long hours
break

Too complicated

Complaints on breakfast
organization & service
at Hotel Du Lac

Verbal communication
only via telephone

Too early morning

shift at 6.30 a.m.

Obsolete material used at

central breakfast station
which is not adapted to
the needs of service

There are too many levels for

delivery process before
serving to guest room

Depends on only food

service elevator to
deliver orders to guest
room.

Material

Place

1. The food is served cold

2. Non respect of service time
3. Mistakes in orders
4. Noisy food service elevator

The production of hot

food & beverages are
done at different level
from breakfast room and
guest room which makes
food cold.

3. Decision Analysis - Which action should we take?

According to the cause & effect analysis diagram above, I would like to propose 2
alternatives which are applicable to financial capacities of a seasonal business.
Alternative 1
Use Breakfast Order Card
Using breakfast order card will reduce all the problems that guest complaints such
as cold food, non respect service time, and mistakes in orders. Therefore, I have created
breakfast card indicated clearly breakfast orders (hot-cold food & beverages), breakfast time,
place, room number, guest names, and order date.
Date: ..
Breakfast Order Card
1.
Guest
Name: / Room no.:
How
to use
2. Breakfast Orders: (please tick and write your order)
Hot food
Cold food .....
Beverages .....
3. Place: ..
4. Time: ..
5. Next Day Orders (please indicate, if any): .
.
6. Special requirement:

How to use
1. Receptionist will be an important person to inform about how breakfast order
card works and hand on the card to guest once they check in.
2. Receptionist will keep record of breakfast orders for every room and make one
copy to chef in the kitchen and another one copy to food servers. It must be from the same
source but two copies go to different working section.
3. All room service orders and enquires go directly to receptionist who will inform
and write down in the paper to chef and to food servers.
If staff can follow this procedure, the food will serve hot and fresh, no worries
about delivery too late or too early because staff will have time to prepare orders in advance
and respect the time, there will have no mistakes in orders because staff will cook and
prepare food as per breakfast order card.
To solve customer complaints on breakfast organization and service in the hotel,
in my opinion, the preferred alternative is using Breakfast Order Card because it will cure
all the problems directly to the points which are happening at the moment. However, it
should be done along with the moving breakfast room to be the same floor as breakfast
central station, and no more room service station, to keep fresh and hot food while serving to
guest rooms.
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Alternative 2
- Stop using food service elevator but using manpower to deliver food to guest
rooms instead.
- Also move breakfast room to be the same floor as central breakfast station,
and no more room service station.
This way will keep fresh food from the kitchen to central breakfast station
directly to guest rooms or to breakfast room. Moreover, lunch break should be reduced to one
hour or 45 minutes instead of one half-hour to create more efficiency work. So, to
compensate with this issue, staff can come to work a little bit late at 7.00 a.m. to suite with
customer characteristic as they come for leisure. Normally they will not wake up too early to
have breakfast.
4. A new re-organized service

Level 3
Guest Rooms
Level 2
Food delivered
to guest rooms

Guest Rooms

Tray returned,
sauces, glasses,
cutlery, cups
including tea
and coffee pots
returned to
wash

Level 1
Guest Rooms

Level O
Central Breakfast Station
Breakfast Room
Tray set up / Tray returned to wash
The new re-organized service is less complicated and reduced delivery time because
central breakfast station and breakfast room are in the same Level O. Also guest will get hot
and fresh food right from the central breakfast station. When guest finished their breakfast, all
sauces, glasses, cups, cutlery including tea and coffee pots will be returned to Level O for
cleaning. And all hot, cold food and beverages will be done at Level O and delivered to each
level according to the diagram. It is only two way delivery.
Also, no more room service station but receptionist will receive and follow up
orders from guest in the Breakfast Order Card instead. All orders go to receptionist who
will make one order copy to chef to cook the food as per order card and another one order
copy to food server who will prepare and set up tray before delivery. This solution will help
the hotel staff to get fresh and hot food from the station, to serve on time as per the order card,
to reduce mistakes in orders because they prepare orders as per the order card, and to reduce
noisy sound from food service elevator because it reduces delivery times as the new reorganized working diagram.
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