Interview with a Restaurant Manager

The purpose of this report is to describe results of an interview undertaken to identify the managerial and leadership style and philosophy of a specific individual. Results of the interview will be linked to relevant concepts drawn from the theoretical literature on management and leadership. Questions were developed to elicit from the subject his philosophy of management and the ways in which this philosophy is translated into managerial actions and behaviors.

Description of the Subject and the Company

The interview subject was Mr. Mubarak, a forty-five year-old owner/manager of a Long Beach, California, Middle Eastern restaurant named "Open Sesame." The restaurant, which was created by its current owner, has a single location and has been in operation for a total of four years. At this single location, the owner manages and leads a staff consisting of three cooks, two food preparers or kitchen assistants, and four waiters. The restaurant seats a total of 60 customers and, in addition to casual dining, offers take-out service. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

"Open Sesame," according to its owner, was initially conceived of as appealing primarily to the growing Middle Eastern population located in the Long Beach community area. Items selected for the menu include a range of traditional Middle Eastern foods, including kabobs, hummus, chick pea dishes

. . .
s staff to discuss issues and problems, consider new menu items, and to address mutual concerns. The staff eats together every day, which Mr. Mubarak feels provides an opportunity for interpersonal communication and the development of close personal ties among the staff. He considers this to have created a "family-like" environment. Mr. Mubarak appears to be ideologically associated with Theory Y assumptions regarding people at work. Theory Y holds that people do not dislike work, that they are internally motivated to reach objectives, they are committed to goals to the degree that they receive personal rewards, they seek and accept responsibility under favorable conditions, and have the capacity to be innovative in solving organizational problems (Stahl, 1995). This particular human relations model of management suggests that an effective manager is enlightened towards subordinates and tries to maximize subordinates' contributions to the organization in a variety of ways (Stahl, 1995). Planning Mr. Mubarak believes that the planning functions of management and leadership in his business are entirely his responsibility. He feels that since he is the sole proprietor of the business and is the one individual most knowl
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2239
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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