McDonald's & and Burger King

Both McDonald's Corporations ("McDonald's) and Burger King Corporation ("Burger King") operate in the highly competitive and growing fast food industry. In a fierce battle to capture market share both companies operate in an environment of tight controls and clearly defined operations strategies. While McDonald's has opted to offer a standardized product to its customers, Burger King has attempted to capture market share by offering its customers the flexibility to customize. The advertising slogans, "Have It Your Way" by Burger King vs. "We Do It All For You" by McDonalds explains the difference in production methods. Therefore, the operational strategy has direct implications on the process flow, the output, the human resource management and the bottom line of each company.

McDonald's uses a batch process to cook hamburgers (Exhibit A). Using a batch process means that the speed of delivery is dependent upon the speed and experience of the individual worker. Hamburgers are cooked on a large platen, in batches of up to twelve. Two or more batches may be on the platen at one time, in various stages of cooking. This means that a worker is required to manage the grill exclusively during rush hours. The hamburgers are hand-seared after 20 seconds on the grill, turned at 60 seconds, and pulled at 100 seconds. While the hamburgers are cooking, buns are toasted (55 seconds) the crown of the bun is dressed and condiments are added. When the hamburgers come off the grill, workers complete the hamburger as per the pre-defined guidelines, wrap and shelve them in the bin. If there are two batches going in different stages of cooking, speed is essential to keep the production moving.

McDonald's uses a batch process to cook hamburgers (Exhibit A). Using a batch process means that the speed of delivery is dependent upon the speed and experience of the individual worker. Hamburgers are cooked on a large