Problem:
Comparing McDonald's new process to the process used by Burger King and Wendy's, which process would appear to produce the freshest hamburgers? Which would be the worst in terms of freshness? Why?
McDonald's currently uses a hybrid process that combines made-to-stock and made-to-order hamburgers. Hamburger patties are cooked and then stored in a special container for up to 30 minutes. The patties can be cooked in less than 45 seconds and the buns can be toasted in 11 seconds. This would be the made-to-stock part of the hybrid process. When a customer places an order then the specific items that they request to be on their burger are transported to the assembly area by an advanced computer system. This would be the made-to-order part of the hybrid process. McDonald's burgers are fairly fresh, and made the way the customers want.
Although, McDonald's burgers are fresh, they are not as fresh as Wendy's hamburgers. Wendy's operates according to a made-to-order system. A customer places an order and the hamburgers are grilled and then assembled to the customer's request. It takes a little more time, but there is no need to store the patty to keep it warm, because it is hot and fresh off the grill.
Burger King also uses a hybrid process, but some of their burgers are a little less fresh than McDonalds. Once their patties are cooked then they are stored in a bin to keep them warm and as fresh as possible. If one were to order a burger prepared according to how the menu has it, then it is most likely already assembled and placed in a storage unit. If one were to request special toppings and ask that others be left off of the burger then it would be made-to-order.
Overall, Wendy's hamburgers appear to be the freshest due to their made-to-order process. Burger King's would be the least fresh, but not far behind McDonald's, since both restaurants store their cooked patties and use hybrid processes.