Day 150 - 07 Jul 95 - Page 61


     
     1        so to speak, which has no direct influence on sales for
     2        that particular day but certainly may make people come back
     3        and visit you afterwards.  That is what he meant by that.
     4
     5   Q.   So it had got to a point where he felt the service was not
     6        up to what he wanted to see?
     7        A.  No, far from it.  Far from it.  I think one of the
     8        reasons that the store got Store of the Year and I got
     9        Supervisor of the Year was for anything but under-manning
    10        the store.  I think the sales growth, the development of
    11        people in the store was down to the fact that we had
    12        everything right.  But it is not perfect and you can always
    13        be better, and as I do now with restaurants that are
    14        running perfectly well, I am sure I can add something which
    15        can dot I's and cross T's and bring them up to a slightly
    16        higher level.  Nobody is perfect.
    17
    18   MR. MORRIS:  On that subject of the increase in staffing will
    19        increase sales?
    20        A.  Yes.
    21
    22   Q.   And increase, therefore, profitability; yes?
    23        A.  Hopefully.
    24
    25   Q.   Have you ever seen a memo or directive gone out from Head
    26        Office encouraging the taking on of more staff in order to
    27        increase profitability?
    28        A.  No.
    29
    30   Q.   Profitability is something that McDonald's cares very much
    31        about, is it not?
    32        A.  We are a business, absolutely.  So it is part and
    33        parcel of surviving as a business.
    34
    35   Q.   Anything that will increase profitability would be
    36        something the Company would be very concerned all the
    37        stores knew about?
    38        A.  Actually it is a good point, because certainly if I was
    39        to over-staff the restaurant to the extent where it would
    40        probably harm the profitability.  So it goes back to my
    41        idea, if you like, of achieving that balance.  If I needed
    42        maybe ten people to staff that particular shift, 12 would
    43        certainly give an added service; but if I had 20, then
    44        doubling the number on the shift would probably add very
    45        little, but increase my costs and therefore decrease my
    46        profitability.  So it is a balance.
    47
    48   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If, at any stage, you want to sit down as you
    49        give your evidence just pull the chair forward,
    50        Mr. Stanton. 
    51 
    52   MS. STEEL:   I am just running through your statement at the 
    53        moment.  On page 229 at paragraph 8 you say that you cannot
    54        recall the drains being blocked at the Colchester store?
    55        A.  That is correct.
    56
    57   Q.   Do you not recall anything to do with that?
    58        A.  No, I do not.
    59
    60   Q.   Would you expect to know if that happened?

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