CHAY OCAK

When you walk around the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul you will invariably see young men delivering tea and coffee in a tray that dangles from a tripod grip. I always wonder how logistics are managed in that massive mall and I found my answer on this trip.

Chay Ocak or 'the place to brew tea' is set up in every available but inconspicuous corners around the bazaar. Take this one for instance whose CEO, in the red apron, was kind enough to let me raise my camera. You see the phone sets behind him? I am told there are 36 individual lines, each is directly connected to a VIP customer who gives them 'key business' daily. In addition they have 4 land lines for further access. If that does not impress you his COO said they recognize immediately which line is ringing and from where. Not only that, depending on what time of the day they know what the orders would be even before they pick up.  I tell you, all that O&M and Supply Chain Management BS can take a hike. Since they only serve tea and coffee, prepaid tokens differentiated in yellow and red are used for settlement to remove the hassle of $ changing hands.

The Turks often decompress with a cup of Chay (also spelled Cay) or a Kahve and making it painless to order must be a big part of it. At 1TL or less than HK$4 a shot, life can take a temporary backseat. This modus operandi must be as old as the bazaar itself and it is sheer brilliance. I wonder if the HBS has written a study on it yet, and if not, why not?