The purpose of this memorandum is to articulate the experiences of working in the food service industry putting emphasis on job duties and responsibilities. Working in the food industry requires adequate knowledge in food handling and customer service. Therefore, in order to effectively perform the job a series of trainings have to be taken before deployment. The job involves several areas of training such as food preparation, product knowledge, sanitation and inventory. Service efficiency is also a crucial part of the job, and the food industry requires that the staff undergoes continuous developmental training during the term of employment. This involves offering promos, new products and integrating new service strategy programs. An overview about the food service industry will also briefly discussed in order to provide a clear description about the industry and its relation to the work details presented in this paper. The point of this memorandum is to state my past work experience and relate the knowledge learned from it to my ideal future career in finance and marketing. The ideas presented here would also be beneficial in terms of developing business alternatives that can be applied in several industries. Recommendations will be provided at the end of the memorandum that will be useful for industry leaders in developing ideas regarding work protocols and training development.
I have worked part-time in MacDonalds China and as part of the team I uphold the duties and responsibilities of a service crew. The key responsibilities of a crew member are a mix of three main responsibilities and those are food preparation, customer service and sanitation. A good customer skill is integral to the position of a service crew. As a crew I am expected to provide customers with quick and accurate service, putting emphasis to what the customer wants and satisfying their needs. Being sensitive to the customer's needs allowed crew members to deliver efficient service both from behind the counter to the dining area. Intuition is the key element in the customer service segment of the job. If the customer ordered fries, as a service crew I should know better to provide sachets of ketchup to go along with the product. Otherwise, the customer would have to go back to the counter to ask for ketchup if it was not provided earlier during the preparation of the order. Such neglect to a simple task of providing the condiment would constitute a negative implication to the store, giving an impression to the customer that the crew are not very intuitive in providing customer needs.
Generally, the crew members are expected to greet the customers as they enter the store, as soon as the customer reached the counter the crew has to perform order taking, receiving payment, assembling the orders and operating the cash register. Sanitation is also part of the job as the crew needs to constantly maintain cleanliness in all areas of the store. Starting from sweeping and mopping the floor, clearing tables, walls, counters and kitchen equipment. Newly hired crews are to be assisted by experienced crew in learning the job and skills development, although training provides most of the technical aspects of job learning. Cooking and food preparation is also part of the duties of a service crew, portioning, cooking time and packaging to name a few. Equipments must also be checked constantly to make sure any defects and if found to have any, they should not fixed right away to avoid disruptions during operating hours. Time is a very important essence of the job, McDonalds has a quick customer turnover and the crew have to adhere to the service time to avoid long lines at the counter. Lastly, crew members should maintain accurate inventory of the stocks to ensure that there would be enough supplies to support the next day's operation.
In order to perform all the duties and responsibilities of a crew member, everyone is subject to attend training before deployment to operations. The training is divided into five segments. The first one is practical skills, it involves delivering exceptional customer service, handling cash, equipment handling and quality control. The next step is product knowledge, this is the most important part of the training because it involves thorough familiarization of the product specifications and combination including preparation. The next part of the training is time management. McDonalds is a fast food restaurant, therefore, time management is essential, punctuality has to be exercised by the crew to minimize long lines during peak hours and ensure that the products are delivered fresh and hot. The next step is team skills wherein the crew members are being taught to work closely with their team and make a significant contribution. The last part of the training is developing communication skills, it involves proper interaction with the management, customers and colleagues. The objective of the training is to create a fast-paced work environment while adhering to quality and excellent service.
Working part-time in McDonalds was a very rewarding experience as it helped me develop important work ethics and a sense of responsibility. The company belongs to the fast food industry that partakes on food service in a time-conscious manner. McDonalds operates worldwide and it is the largest fast food company originated from the United States. The global nature of its business accentuates their need for standardized operational methods and practices. Being part of the company as a service crew gives a sense of pride rooted from the fact that McDonalds is an international brand and being part of its team is an incredible privilege. The trainings and work knowledge obtained from working in the company would be a useful advantage for me personally. This is because the work experience and skills learned from the job helped me develop professionalism and job practices that I could also apply in my future career in Finance and Marketing. Time management for example is an important element in any business because it entails productivity and higher work output. The principles of communication, customer service skills and team skills learned from working in McDonalds are considerably significant in my future career. Finance industry requires excellent communication skills that will ensure accuracy of financial relationship with colleagues and clients. Marketing on the other hand requires all the aforementioned skills to be able to create effective strategies.
The work experiences and skills learned from working at McDonalds as a service crew is highly recommended to be applied to personal work initiatives when venturing to another career. Communication for example is detrimental in ensuring close professional relationships within the work environment. Adequate communication skills will encourage team members to work hand-in-hand to deliver successful work results. On the other hand, the training helped in developing all the skills necessary to perform an excellent job. The type of training I had from McDonalds are recommended to implement compulsory in all businesses to ensure that all staff are well prepared for the job. Familiarization with the scope of work and the company itself provide employees with broad knowledge about their job, areas of responsibilities and the company's business objectives.
