Hahaha! I’ve long since learned not to trust anything they say. And that sentiment was shared by an upper management friend who quit after 10 years of being yanked around to go work for a chip company. I worked there four years ago. Not only was the act encouraged at my restaurant (and every one I’ve been to in the area), we used the previous week’s data to help plan. There’s no real way I could see them getting through a rush without having a buffer, unless they actually hired efficient workers and trained them really right. The full time staff had it down pat, a well oiled machine indeed, but they only worked 6–2 or 8–4. It was the part timers, mostly kids, who caused all the kinks in the system. The supper buffer was and probably is the only real way to compensate, seeing as full time workers don’t want to work that dreaded 11–7 shift. And who could blame them, that shift sucks.
Now I will supplement by saying that a year or two after I left, my store and other became franchises instead of corporate stores. And after working there, I only eat there if it’s my only option. So the new mangement could have tried to eliminate them. But I highly doubt it. I have a friend who unfortunately still works there, apparently the new manager is worse than the awful corporate drone they assigned us.