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Setting the Course in the Restaurant Industry:
Bob’s Clam Hut, Kittery, Maine

The organization:

Bob’s Clam Hut has been a roadside tradition in Kittery, Maine since 1956. The restaurant does about $2.5 million in sales annually and has a workforce that fluctuates from 25 staff in the winter to 65 during the peak summer season. Appreciative Inquiry is one of the frames that is used in the organization to address a variety of issues from menu changes to employee hiring, from strategic planning to performance appraisal.

Unique Challenge

AI is used here, day-to-day, internally as an ongoing process for change, growth and revitalization. This case focuses on a 1-day summit used to move the organization from a hodge-podge of change initiatives to more coordinated strategic planning, goal setting and organization development.

Client Objectives:

In consultation with the owner and general manager it was decided to hold an AI Summit:

to pull a variety of initiatives together which were not coordinated and defused energy,
to identify a vision for the Clamhut and some key elements of the business,
to set some clear goals and directions, and
to give staff an opportunity to connect and reflect.

What was done:

A Planning Team was created which spent time learning about Appreciative Inquiry, going through the process being designed for the Summit and planning the details of the one-day event. They shared their opinions and feedback on how, when and what might be accomplished in a 1-day event and planned follow-up activities.

The Summit was held in the fall of 2001. The purpose identified for the day was, “To create an affirming, participative process that guides us in identifying the core values of Bob’s Clam Hut, our vision of the future at Bob’s and a set of goals to lead us on a path towards that preferred future.” The day was an opportunity for each staff member to connect one-on-one with another staff member and they shared very heartfelt stories about what was good, rich and positive in their work. It was a time to have fun and be challenged in creating visions for Bob’s.

In the one-day event staff in three small groups created and presented possibility statements on how they envisioned Bob’s at its best in the future. They then organized post-summit activities that would build on the day. Staff at the Summit volunteered to pair-up with part-time employees who were not able to attend the Summit and interview them using the same protocol. Those responses would then be added in to the data already collected and shared at a staff meeting.

At the Staff Meeting where the additional data was added to the mix, the staff then created one united visual, a tree, with leaves that represented the key elements that were crucial to Bob’s positive future. Then, micro possibility statements were created for key areas: Employee Opportunity, Customer Service, and Profitability. Three statements were created and shared and these became the guiding visions for on-going goal setting and action planning. This work was done through a team referred to as the Future Group. The Future Group became the shepherd of the vision and anyone could attend and be involved in those meetings, which are on going.

Outcomes:

Many steps were taken based on the three visions, for example under Employee Opportunity, new ways were identified for keeping part-time staff more involved and invested in the organization resulting in greater retention of part-time seasonal employees. In the Customer Service area changes were identified and made to make the dining experience more convenient and enjoyable which helped to keep the “Great” ratings on the customer comment cards. In Profitability, a new early morning shift was added to insure preparedness for the day. This helped to increase sales and contribute to one of the most profitable seasons in the restaurant’s history.