Application of statistical process control in service industry: A case study of the restaurant sector
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to apply statistical process control (SPC) techniques to improve the quality and efficiency of the processes in a restaurant.
Design/methodology/approach
SPC tools such as check sheet, cause-and-effect analysis, Pareto chart, control charts and SERVQUAL methodology is adapted to measure and improve the quality of the system.
Findings
At the end, some suggestions for improving the quality of service system are proposed in this study to complete the research.
Research limitations/implications
The most difficult part of this study was data collection. Because of the situation of the restaurant, the number of customers does not exceed 60 every day. Another limitation of this study is that the samples have been collected from the same population each day, and it may affect the final result.
Practical implications
The research is based on the present service system at a restaurant, located at a university campus in Cyprus.
Social implications
A similar study can be applied in the social sector to evaluate and improve service quality.
Originality/value
In this paper, for the first time, SPC and SERVQUAL are used to evaluate and improve quality in the service sector.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are indebted to the editors and the referees of the journal for their helpful and constructive comments that improved the quality of this paper.
Citation
Mirzaei, N., Niroomand, S. and Zare, R. (2016), "Application of statistical process control in service industry: A case study of the restaurant sector", Journal of Modelling in Management, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 763-782. https://doi.org/10.1108/JM2-06-2014-0046
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited