Competitive Priorities

Competitive Priorities

Flexibility

Variety Flexibility is handling a wide assortment of services or products efficiently. 

Havana Central has high flexibility in their operations. They offer a wide variety of items in their menu such as 10 different plates for lunch, 9 different plates for brunch aside from their day long regular plates which are about 20 in total. Some of the plates include traditional Cuban plates such as ropa vieja, Cuban sandwich, stuffed plantain baskets, pineapple chicken, etc. Flexibility for Havana Central means that the wider the menu is, the the more plates they can offer results in high flexibility. Havana Central has been able to keep their classic menu while also being able to adapt new items. For example, they added their seasonal November special plates which includes croquetas de jamon, braised oxtail stew, pumpkin soup, and pumpkin bread pudding.

Volume Flexibility is accelerating or decelerating the rate of production of services or products quickly to handle large fluctuations and demand. In terms of volume flexibility, Havana Central is equipped to handle a lot of volume at any given time of the day, especially during their busier season with the help of their employees. Havana Central has higher demand depending on the time of day and demand is the highest from 3pm-8pm which is between lunch and dinner times. A reason for their volume flexibility is that when demand increases, all the employees will act quickly and come together as a team in order to provide the best service in an efficient manner.

Cost

Low cost operationsmeans delivering a service or a product at the lowest possible cost to satisfy the external or internal customers of the process or supply chain. Although Havana Central strives to give high quality menu items, they have to keep in mind that ingredient costs for these menu items can vary so they do need to have a higher cost for food offering if quality is going to be top notch which will result in good word of mouth, retaining customers, and increasing brand loyalty.  While Havana Central tries to keep their costs at a minimum, due to some of their ingredients, it’s hard to keep costs low. Some of their more expensive menu ingredients includes their seafood such as shrimp which they offer in various plates. Overall, the employees at Havana Central need to be efficient so that they avoid overproduction, waiting, defects with the perishable items, transportation, motion, and underutilization of employees. Overall, Havana Central charges a premium price because their food costs are higher.

Quality

Top quality is delivering an outstanding service or product. Havana Central prides themselves on serving great quality foods while providing a one of a kind customer experience. From it’s start in 2001, Havana Central has grown tremendously expanding to new locations in NY and NJ and it is a recognized chain that serves over 500+ customers everyday. This growth was possible due to their commitment to providing high quality food and high quality customer experience. For example, at Havana Central, all lunch and dinner items are made once the order is placed, keeping all ingredients fresh and ready. They don’t believe in using artificial additives including added MSG, or artificial Trans fats. The menu also offered options for any dietary restrictions which includes vegetarian and vegan options. Aside from the food quality, the premium service quality given by the staff was recognizable. Employees were trained to provide a great customer experience from the second they see a customer walk in through the doors. In order to do this, waiters had to be aware of the menu items and know what to recommend for customers so during their training, employees were able to try most of Havana Central’s menu items. Some of the advantages that Havana Central has includes their top quality food offerings, great customer service, and amazing aesthetics in their restaurant atmosphere. 

Time

Delivery speed is how quickly can the customer’s order be filled. Delivery speed time is very important to Havana Central because there’s room for improvement in this area. Havana Central uses a computerized system in order to fill orders, which helps in speeding up time for delivering the customer’s order. The process for delivery starts when the customer sits down, is given the menu item and has a few minutes to look at the menu items, once questions are answered if any, the waiter can go ahead and place their order. The waiter then inputs the order into the computerized system that is linked to a computer in the kitchen so the chefs and his staff know when and what to start making first. In conclusion, Havana central is always looking to speed up the order process so that customers get their high quality meal as soon as possible.

Development speed is how quickly Havana Central can introduce new food items in their menu. In Havana Central’s case, they introduce different month specials adding to their classic menu. These specials consists usually of 2 dinner items, 2 different appetizers, and 2 deserts. This is also a way for Havana Central to test out different plates and see what menu offerings are popular. Customers enjoy the change and will try out different seasonal items from Havana Central.