Zero Defects: the Secret of Success

CREATIVE INGENUITY AND ABILITY TO REPLICATE RECIPES IN THE SAME IDENTICAL AND PERFECT WAY. THIS IS HOW YOU CAN TELL THE BEST CHEFS. AND THE BEST CHIEF EXECUTIVES

by Rossella Cappetta, Dept. of Management and Technology, Bocconi
Translated by Alex Foti

Food and haute cuisine are all the rage today. Chefs do TV shows, write books, talk at corporate conventions. The aspect which is most emphasized is usually creativity: chefs are creative and portray themselves through the prism of creativity. This notion is based on self-evidence: a great part of the value of haute cuisine restaurant is tied to the creativity of its dishes and a great chef is a visionary who is capable to keep alive and steady such creative production. At the same time, though, it’s also perfectly evident that value in top-notch restaurants is also tied to perfect and accurate reproduction of the recipes behind the dishes that are served.

In a starred restaurant, recipes are repeated many times across the day, and the final result must be always the same, and at the same level of perfection. Often, this perfect reproduction of the original recipe must occur in absence of the chef who originally invented it.

As a chef becomes successful, the quantity of engagements sharply increases. He/she must run several restaurants, manage external collaborations and diversified activities simultaneously. In order to attain or remain in the highly prestigious Michelin starred rankings, restaurants must be able to propose original and creative dishes and respect the high production standards required to attain even one star in the guide (quality in food provisioning, wine cave etc.).

A starred restaurant must also respect several constraints on interiors, cutlery and table decor, waiting and cooking personnel, and so on. It’s rules define standards that have to be accurately executed. In managerial lingo, it’s about setting a zero defects reproduction process.

Creativity and accurate reproduction might seem an oxymoronic pair at first sight. Yet, they co-exist in haute cuisine, by being its main ingredients.

In the majority of cases, creativity is presided by the chef and a selected set of aides (sous-chefs). It is also concentrated in time. Take for instance the case of famous chef Ferran Adrià, who shuts down his restaurant six months a year to work on new recipes.

Accurate reproduction instead depends on two elements: the codification process and the creation of a strictly hierarchical and specialized organization. After being created, recipes are codified in a highly detailed and teachable manual so that they can be reproduced to perfection. The instructions must be clear to all the various roles in the kitchen and the hall that contribute to the final result. Digital technologies have greatly simplified the process in recent years, so that recipes today list not only ingredients, but also type of cuts, machinery, temperatures etc. They are also accompanied by visuals describing each stage of the cooking process.

Codified recipes are reproduced by kitchens organized according to a hierarchical and specialized order. The kitchen brigade (military metaphors are chosen on purpose) is composed by various roles that are coordinated through hierarchy. During the reproduction of a dish there is teamwork, but there is no brainstorming: it’s about executing orders. And hierarchy goes in tandem with strong specialization: the division of labor within the brigade is according to the position in the process (hors-d’oeuvres, first courses, meat courses, fish courses, patisserie). Only this way, can accuracy in reproduction of a dish be achieved at each and every service.

A system where creativity in design and accuracy in execution are combined is of great interest to business managers. This is why the kitchen metaphor is increasingly used in the experience labs of business schools around the world.