Foodservice Benchmarking

Nutrition Research Newsletter, March, 2000

Benchmarking is a continuous and systematic management process that measures work processes, protocols, and services for the purpose of organizational comparison and improvement. Foodservice directors often use benchmarking as a way to keep their programs running effectively, efficiently, and competitively.

There are three types of benchmarking: internal, external, and functional/generic. Internal benchmarking compares similar functions within an organization, while external benchmarking compares like properties with other organizations. Additionally, in functional/generic benchmarking, comparisons are made with companies that have different purposes but some of the same functions. Due to the limited formal research on this topic, a study recently published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association identified the use of foodservice performance measures and examined foodservice directors' attitudes and beliefs about, and practices of, benchmarking.

A survey was distributed to 600 foodservice directors in four different settings (health care, school, college/university, and correctional facility). The survey comprised a section on attitudes, beliefs, and practices and a demographic data segment. Only 41% of the surveys were used for data analysis.

Seventy-seven percent of the respondents agreed that benchmarking had some or great importance in their jobs. Internal benchmarking was the most commonly used by foodservice directors, at 71%; external benchmarking was next, at 60%; and functional/generic was used the least, at 25%. Fifty percent of the surveys indicated that foodservice directors had a moderate level of knowledge about benchmarking and 11% had a high level of knowledge. However, 61% of the participants reported needing additional knowledge and skills about benchmarking, especially concerning benchmarking partners. The most common performance measures used by foodservice directors were food cost percentage, cost per unit or area of service, and meals per labor hour.

As total quality management and quality assessment programs have become popular, it is no wonder that foodservice directors are using benchmarking, especially internal benchmarking, to monitor and evaluate performance measures. In investigating why functional/generic benchmarking is not used as frequently, it was found that directors are either not aware they are doing this type of benchmarking or they find it difficult to find appropriate partners outside their industry. Education programs on this type of benchmarking would be useful to foodservice directors. Also, further research is necessary to determine what comparability factors are the most useful in performing benchmarking in the different categories of foodservice operations.

Bonnie C. Johnson and Jean Chambers, Foodservice Benchmarking: Practices, Attitudes, and Beliefs of Foodservice Directors, JADA 100 (2): 175-180 (February 2000) [Correspondence: Lt. Col. Bonnie C. Johnson, PhD, RD, 1 MDSS/SGAD, 45 Pine Rd., Langley AFB, VA 23665-2080.]