Ethnography Of Communication

An Inside Look:

An Ethnography of Communication at Lazzari’s Pizza Oven

PREFACE

I have always appreciated the working class. Many different jobs are included in this category. I currently have two jobs and enrolled in college as full time student. I grew up in a small town where hardworking, kind, caring, and responsible were characteristics to value. This kind of influence me into applying such characteristic to my work life also.

For my ethnography, I chose to observe the culture of communication between the employees and management that directly influence the success of the restaurant that I am currently employed, Lazzari’s Pizza Oven. I chose this specific location because of the amount of access I was able

After observing, it is my interpretation that the managers have divided the employees into 4 different project teams. Project teams help coordinate the successful completion of a particular project (Eisenberg, et. al.). The four teams are the servers, kitchen staff, dishwashers, and hostess. If any one team falls behind it affects the other teams. The hostess are in charge of setting the guests and letting the servers know that their section has a new table. If the hostess does not effectively communicate that message then those guest have to wait to long to be greeted. This directly affects servers because it is them who have to interact with that customer, and make up for the discrepancy of not getting waited on in a timely manner. This communication is especially important during rush hours or on the weekends because of how busy the restaurant gets. The server is responsible for making sure orders are taken, drinks stay refilled, and bringing dishes back to the dishroom. Servers have to communicate effectively with the kitchen staff to ensure that all the orders are correct. This is the same with hostess and filling togo orders. Servers also communicate with the dishwashers when they bring dirty dishes back. The dishwashers are responsible for keeping up with the dishes, drying the dishes, and having them

The managers do give each employee to do their work. Owner, Jerry Flynn, is often found working in the kitchen along with the staff or prepping food for the following days and/or events. They believe in keeping the workplace open. They want to be able to know that everyone understand the goal is to be successful. They always listen to and encourage good ideas that align with goal. Each employee supports one another. This is can be seen through helping clear a table, or bringing out an order, or a simple, “slow down and breathe”. It can be stressful at times and having employees who will work together is a big factor to success. Motivation and empowerment is also exemplified throughout this organization. I observed motivation and empowerment through the uplifting language used by the managers and other employees. There were instances where a server would be clearly overwhelmed and the manager on duty said, “You are doing good! What do you need help catching up with?”. Also, the managers always thank every employee when they leave at