Posted: March 20th, 2017

Benihana Case Study and Notes on Deep Change

Case Study Component: Benihana of Tokyo 1. What are the differences between the Benihana production process and that of a typical restaurant? Benihana focuses on creating a dining experience that is not just about the food and service as most other restaurants do. Benihana emphasizes customer entertainment whereas when you eat at a typical restaurant you and your family, friend, or partner have to create your own entertainment. By using the hibachi table where chefs make the food right in front of you, Benihana puts on a show for their customers.
The interior design and the vibe of the restaurant makes the entire experience feel authentic and special for the customers 2. How does Benihana seat the maximum number of customers? By designing the restaurant’s floorplan in a strategic way, Benihana is able to maximize the usage of each square foot. Benihana decided to take away employee space and use it to create more space for tables. This employee space includes creating an efficiently smaller kitchen as well as the employee pass-through, back room, and bathrooms. 3.
How does peak-time differ from non-peak-time? At non-peak time hours, customers are given more time and comfort to be able to enjoy their meals and dining experience at the restaurant. At the peak-time hours, Benihana employees focus very intensely on having quick table turnover to maximize the number of customers they can get. For peak-time hours usually customers are there for around 45 minutes whereas during non-peak time hours customers are usually there for around 90 minutes. 4. What is the role of “entertainment” in the restaurant?

As mentioned before, Benihana places a great emphasis on entertainment unlike most other restaurants. When customers come to Benihana they are paying for the experience and for their entertainment value. Entertainment is central to Benihana’s business model because it is one of the biggest reasons for why customers come to their restaurant. Deep Change: How Operational Innovation Can Transform Your Company. a) If operational innovation is so beneficial, why don’t more companies adopt it?
Operational innovation is very beneficial but companies have to weigh the benefits and costs of changing their operations. Companies also need to consider whether these benefits are short-term or long-term benefits and whether it fits well in their business model. New technology and innovation does not always prove to be a good idea hence why many companies see it as a large risk. Another problem that companies face with operational innovation is finding someone who will tackle the challenge of bringing it into the workplace, properly installing it, and teaching all the other employees how to use it.
A lot of people at the high management levels often do not see the need for operational innovation if things are already smooth and steady so they often overlook a potential future need for operational innovation. It is a big organizational change which requires a lot of time and more often than not, people are not very willing to change the way they work especially if it requires time and effort to learn how to use it. b) How can firms accelerate operational innovation? Companies should look at other role model companies within their industry.
They can see how operational innovation has worked for them and see how it can be incorporated into the company. Firms need to also understand and identify what they want to be and what their goal or vision is for the company. By doing this, firms are able to see if certain operational innovation will allow them to reach their goal. Companies also need to identify and defy a constraining assumption because every operational innovation “defies an assumption about how work should be done. If the company carefully chooses an operational innovation and implements it into their company properly, the operations of the company will be transformed for the better, especially in the long-term. c) Does operational innovation provide a sustainable competitive advantage? If the innovation is unique and efficient, it will provide the company with a sustainable competitive advantage. However, if a company steals the innovation from another competitor, it may help them compete even more intensely but it does not mean that it is a sustainable competitive advantage.

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