Mongolian Grill Operations Case Analysis
Management of Organizations COMM1006E-02

Executive Summary John Butkus is set to open his second Mongolian Grill in just over a month, to be located in Waterloo, Ontario. Mr. Butkus who currently owns another Mongolian Grill in London, Ontario is debating if he should change the current floor plan for the Waterloo location after observing wait times in London. A design that would allow for customers to eat faster without taking away experience as well as a design that would increase total profit. Mr. Butkus has many potential design options to choose from. Choices must be made to include one additional food prep area which includes a food bar and sauce, oil, and spice bar. Whether or not to centralize the location of the grill which would add more counter space. He could also choose to only include one of the features above or none at all. Lastly Mr. Butkus could hire a firm that specializes in restaurant design so that an optimal design is used. After examination based on the London’s location wait times it is advised that Mr. Butkus put in both the additional food prep area and the extra counter space. This recommendation will allow for the restaurant to reduce wait times, which will increase turnover rates as more customers can be seated on a nightly bases. Financially this option does not cost much as the purchase and installation is rather cheap and only two additional workers will be needed to cover the busy periods (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights). Overall total profit will increase in the short and long run as more customers are able to purchase food.

Problem Statement John Butkus, the owner of a successful Mongolian Grill in London, Ontario is about to open a second restaurant in the Waterloo, Ontario. Based on observations from his London restaurant, Mr. Butkus believes