The Scenario
You own a popular local McDonald’s franchise and have noticed an issue with the way the
customers line up to order their food. Your current multiple line set-up is causing customer
irritation and lost business. You think there is probably a better way for all the franchises in
your district to handle this issue so customers—and sales revenue—are not lost.
You recently conducted an in-house survey and 300 survey cards were collected. A tally of the
open-ended responses showed that these are the most common complaints related to the
customer lines.
27% Lines too long
19% Lines are confusing
11% People in other line got food before me and they came in after me
9% Too many lines, didn’t know which one to go to
The rest of the complaints dealt with the quality of the food (11%), the accuracy of the orders
(9%), the level of customer service (7%), and the cleanliness of the restaurant (7%). This data is
statistically consistent with the national survey results the Marketing Department at corporate
2 leave before getting in line (balking).
3 switch lines before service begins (jockeying)
1 starts waiting but leaves before service begins (reneging)
The next district meeting of franchise owners is only a couple of weeks away. You want to
present a report with an objective and balanced analysis of alternatives and a recommended
course of action for customer waiting lines. If you have done a good job, a majority will agree
with you and you can implement your recommended alternative.
This is important because the district franchise agreement states that a change like this needs
the support of all the owners before you can implement your recommendation.
**As part of the project, you need to define your busy times. And remember to be specific,
giving starting and ending times.
The Report Assignment
Create a written report persuading the other franchise owners to adopt your recommended
line set-up.
Guidelines for your Report
Formatting
You will use a memo format for this report. Although major business projects often
involve long and finely detailed reports, shorter projects (e.g., small events and progress
updates) often use a shorter reporting style. There is a memo report example at the end
of this document for you to reference. It is shorter than what your final written report
will be, but it does give you an idea of the formatting to use.
Company Header
At the top of the first page in the middle, insert the McDonald’s contact information and
logo if you find one. Make up an address for the location of your store.
Memo Header
Then insert the To, From, Date, and Subject (left-justified). This memo is to the District
Franchise Owners and from you.
Number of Pages
Memo reports may exceed one page. Your report will probably be 2-5 pages including
all the graphics. For reports over a page, all subsequent pages begin with a header
justified to the left containing the recipient’s name, date, and page number.
Headings
Sample Solution