The top management at Happy's Restaurants, Inc., had assigned its new Work Methods and Standards Department the task of establishing "standard times" for the chain's units. Work Methods personnel went out into the restaurants as mystery shoppers and observed operations carefully. Work Methods then reported to management that the speed and efficiency of service in virtually all of the restaurants was in need of improvement.
Laura Martin, manager of a very successful and profitable Happy's Restaurant in South Carolina, got the e-mailed memo about the new "standard times for food and cocktail service" late one afternoon. A highly experienced server herself and a respected manager, Martin just laughed at the proposed standards and set the memo aside. She thought she had noticed some mystery shoppers making secret notes, so she had expected some kind of ivory-tower memo like this. It might look good on paper, but it just couldn't be done.
Next day at the afternoon meeting, Martin told her servers: "If you hear anything about new standard times and methods for serving food and drinks, don't pay any attention. As you know, we have all committed ourselves to getting the entrees to guests within eighteen minutes of taking their orders, but our average is sixteen minutes. We've been averaging sixteen for all the years I've been here and our comment-card results on promptness are excellent. Because you are all terrific at your jobs, I'd say fifteen minutes is the absolute best we could do. But those bozos at headquarters say the new standard is all entrees to guests within fourteen minutes of taking the order." The servers looked at each other with disbelief, then they started to laugh.
"And they also think we can have the drinks on the tables within three minutes of first guest contact." The servers just rolled their eyes and smiled. "Don't worry", said Laura Martin. "I'll straighten this out in a hurry." Martin sent her boss an e-mail telling him that the new standards had to be a mistake because they were entirely unrealistic.
Her boss soon called her and straightened her out in a hurry: "Laura, the new standards will go into effect tomorrow. Work Methods has achieved improved results in several of our other chains already, and now all Happy's branches must conform. Sure, servers always resist in first, but they can meet the standards if you lay down the law, and if they use more efficient methods."
"Maybe that's true elsewhere," said Laura, "but I know my restaurant, my kitchen staff, my servers, and my guests, and I know we can't make fourteen minutes, even with these new methods they want us to use. Things can only be done so fast."
"Martin, call a meeting of your staff, explain that the new standard times will be met, teach your people the new methods, stick to managing your unit, and leave methods and times to the Work Methods and Standards Department. That's what we pay you for, and that's what we pay them for."
Martin tried her best, but her restaurant knew how she felt about the situation. The servers at this South Carolina Happy's Restaurant failed to meet the new work standards, and the head of the Work Methods and Standards Department blamed Laura Martin. He recommended that new talent should be located for her position.

1. What is the problem here?
2. Under what circumstances can such "by the minute" standards be made to work?
3. How would you determine service standards at your restaurant?