Small Changes, Significant Results

After reading the article that talks about the small changes Starbucks made in the way that they prepare food and drinks and their stores, I paid attention to the service that I received at the Starbucks on Craig Street.  They do have a very efficient system and I am in and out of Starbucks within 10 mins or less, even during the busiest mornings.  You can definitely see the different roles each employee has behind the counter and how they all have easy access to the materials that they need to make the drink or food.

From another perspective, I went to the newly opened Bagel Factory, which is across the street from Starbucks.  Although the food and coffee is good, I am not happy about their system.  The line area is very close the entrance so during busy hours, you feel very cramped waiting in line and I felt like I was always in other people's way.  The employees behind the counter are running to and from each end of the counter to get different materials, which makes it look like a very chaotic scene.  In the end, I ended up waiting 15 minutes for a simple bagel and coffee.  Although it was an additional 5 minutes, I didn't feel like the staff was very efficient in preparing my order, which made the wait very frustrating.  Although at times you have to wait at Starbucks, the process that Starbucks has makes it seem like there is progress being made in your order.  That is not the case at the Bagel Factory.
By no means to I not dislike the products at the Bagel Factory (their Coffee Tree coffee and fresh bagels are excellent), but their inefficiencies are greater than Starbucks' which is not great for a Heinz student.