Buffalo Wild Wings

I'm a member of The Chi Phi Fraternity here on campus and our ex-president was hired by the new Buffalo Wild Wings here in Corvallis, OR. This is the perfect opportunity for others to gain more knowledge about the sports bar and grill. I've been to BWW countless times in the Portland metropolitan area. They have great customer service, spicy wings, and huge projectors constantly playing a variety of sports. BWW contains a high enthusiastic environment especially when big games are playing because the fans flock to this sports bar to root on their sports team.

Below is a funny commercial to show you a little insight of BWW:

Here are some questions that I asked the employee:

Q: What was the work environment like on a daily basis/game nights?

A: The work environment is fun but it can get hectic especially on game nights. I am a server and sometimes it can be easy to mix up wing orders because of the amount of people that we attract. I always have to make sure that I'm on top of the orders and "cheesing" at all times. 

Q: What's your favorite part about working for BWW?

A: My favorite part would probably be the people that I work with and although game nights and weekends are crazy, it's also really fun. I also like how flexible the managers are because my class schedule is busy during the week days. 

Q: Do you have a good relationship between your supervisors?

A: Yes, in fact I've gained great relationships with my supervisors and from time to time we get together and go golfing. They push us to maintain BWW as the best sports bar and grill in America. They are demanding at times but it's needed when we are very busy. 

Q: Have you experienced where the lack of communication has affected your performance?

A: There has only been one time since I've started working where the lack of communication affected my job. I was supposed to give a receipt to a few customers but no one told me who the receipt belonged to and I accidentally gave the receipt to the wrong customers. They were understanding about the mistake so I asked the manager if we could give them a discount on their meal and he said yes! 

Q: Is it easy to communicate with everyone?

A: Yes, it's pretty easy to talk to my co-workers during work hours. The supervisors are usually busy but have an open door policy. 

Q: Does the average employee have a big "voice?"

A: Not really but the supervisors are always open to what you have to say. I haven't felt like they try to boss us around much. The supervisors just want to make sure we are working efficiently and making the customers feel comfortable. They want us to start small talk with our customers to build that relationship.

Q: Do you plan on possibly working your way up to a managers position? 

A: At this point, no. Why? Well because right now I just need money to pay my monthly rent but I would suggest to every younger adult to experience working there.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like me to tell everyone?

A: Come to BWW, enjoy the delicious food, cold beer, and the fun environment! 

One thing that I want ALL you to see is their "Blazin Wing Challenge." For $12.00, you get a dozen of the chain’s chicken wings, slathered in their signature “Blazin’” sauce, the top end of the heat scale in the Buffalo Wild Wings array of sauces. The challenge is you must eat them all in less than six minutes. Complete the challenge, and you get a tee shirt, and your photo on the wall of fame. You cannot drink anything, touch your face, use any dipping sauce, or use a napkin. 

P.S.: I will never attempt this!

According to the Critical Approach, Buffalo Wild Wings seems to have a fair system within their organization. During the interview, he stated that "managers treat the employees as if they have equal control and they do not try to show much dominance within the organization." Keep in mind that the Critical Approach to organizational communication is NOT learning how to better control the employees but rather how to level out the power associated within the organization. They also seem to use one of the functions of Ideology called the Representation function. This function of Ideology means that the manager takes interest in everyone. Buffalo Wild Wings tends to avoid the "Denial Function" of Ideology. In this situation the boss claims to have an "open door system" but the employees ideas are not taken into consideration. 

Cheba Hut Evaluation

Cheba Hut is a sandwich shop which newly opened here in Corvallis, OR. I've only been there a few times and thought that their sandwiches were much better than your normal Subway or Quiznos. The layout of their shop is unique due to their murals that are painted onto the walls, polite employees, and relaxing environment. As you enter the sandwich shop, you are greeted by their employees and politely asked what you would like to eat. I bought a "White Widow Blunt", which is simply a footlong Chicken Bacon Ranch from Subway or Quiznos. Their menu is named after many different strands of Marijuana which can steer some customers away because it's attracting a certain group of people (http://chebahut.com/new/menu/). At the same time, I go there because of their good customer service and their magnificent sandwiches. I asked one of the gentlemen working if he would rather work there or any other sub sandwich shop. His exact response was, "Nothing against other sub sandwich restaurants but this is by far the most exciting job I have ever worked at!"

The above photos are an example of what I would call a good work environment. 

They do not have many decorations inside of their shop besides their beach mural on the wall. One attraction is their music playing inside of their shop. This welcomes customers in and makes them feel comfortable. Their employees are usually wearing a green Cheba Hut apron and when I visited they were all wearing Cheba Hut hats. The majority of their employees are in the age group from 18-25 years. Cheba Hut also holds a ranch chugging competition at their sandwich shop that a lot of people always attend either for the competition or for the laughter. Here is the contest that my friend competed in and it was held at the Cheba Hut in Corvallis, OR.

The atmosphere is very relaxing and welcoming to anyone. Their employees are nice and are willing to start small talk with any customer. Also, the employees at the Cheba Hut in Corvallis are always so up beat and ready to take the customers order. I encourage all of you to try their sandwiches because I can guarantee that you will be satisfied with their service and the delicious food.

Response to Zappos, Systems Approaches, and Cultural Approaches

According to "The Ten Commandments of Zappos", the company stands behind the satisfaction of their employees (http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/21/news/companies/obrien_zappos10.fortune/). The list of their commandments is a list that every company should consider because it provides a healthy environment for employees. Unfortunately, many companies cannot provide such an environment for their employees due to the lack of income the company intakes. There are other alternatives to provide a healthy environment for employees that do not require spending a lot of money. For example, having weekly pot lucks, monthly work parties, extended lunch breaks, "Pizza Fridays", etc. These are all great examples that provide positive interactions with the employees, bosses, and supervisors. Not only will it spark positive vibrations but it can lead to an increased level of productivity in the work place.

An interesting story in Chapter 4 talks about research about how flight attendant's have to make you feel safe and secure as if you are sitting in your living room reading the newspaper. She explained it as an important "organizational rupture." In fact, most flight attendants are dominated by the female population because that's supposed to make the passengers feel "safe." The flight attendants job is tough when it comes to a mechanical failure, bad weather, or an unruly passenger. They have to communicate in a fashion manner because if they don't passengers will begin to panic causing frustration on the plane. I've noticed that when flight attendants begin by stated the safety rules they tend to explain them while beating around the bush. That's to assure that the passengers feel comfortable flying on their commercial airplane even though life's are at risk every time passengers board the plane. Communication is a vital part of the air craft!

Chapter 5 talks about the Cultural Approaches being complicated, emergent, and ambiguous. Most organizational culture researchers confirm that it's impossible to say that organization has a single culture. Most scholars agree that  organizations are characterized as having subcultures. For example, a real subculture is a group of people who live differently then the community around them, and pass traditions on from generation to generation. Also, Deal and Kennedy explain how business success can be enhanced through a "strong culture." If an organization consists of a strong culture then it will allow for improvements in  individual and organizational success. 

Chapter 3 and "Top 25" (Prompt #1)

In Chapter 3, the Flowchart of Human Relations Principles explains how satisfied workers shall perform at a high level of productivity. This really caught my attention and I want to share with you why. I've been an employee at different jobs since I was in eighth grade and I don't exactly agree with the flowchart. Most people think that the "satisfied" employee should maintain a high-level of productivity. I tend to somewhat disagree because a "satisfied employee" might not meet the level of productivity of someone that is unsatisfied but naturally a really hard-working employee. Although most Americans probably agree that someone who is satisfied "should" be more productive. For example, in High School I worked for a construction company and the task for that particular day was to complete pouring the foundation onto the property. That day I would consider myself as a "satisfied" employee but on the other hand another employee just lost a close friend, he was mad at the boss, and he wanted a raise. I wasn't pushing my weight as the "satisfied" employee that I was, and the "unsatisfied" employee was working harder than anyone out on the job site. In my opinion, your satisfaction has little to do with how you are going to perform. Although, humans are very complicated so it's hard to say it's the same for everyone. 

For the Article, Top 25 Companies for Work-Life Balance, published by Alexis Grant, breaks down the work-life balance. What Nestle is doing is terrific, it sounds like they treat their employees exceptionally well. The only downfall is that after awhile I hence a feeling that your work and personal life will start to combine too much. Although, I wouldn't mind bringing my pet to my job everyday!