Lentil as Anything: Management Analysis and Recommendations

Introduction

As the world changes and capitalism expands its reach, a counter-trend is also observable. In a world defined by profits, pressure, and competition, some entities champion different values. These are nonprofit organizations that promote human dignity and human rights, striving to make the world a better place. One such organization is Lentil as Anything.

Lentil as Anything is located in Melbourne, Australia, and is based on the pay-as-you-feel system. Its three restaurants serve high-quality, healthy vegetarian food and invite customers to pay whatever amount they feel the food and experience is worth. Customers are also encouraged to donate toward humanitarian purposes.

"Lentil as Anything is a series of 3 pay-as-you-feel restaurants located in Melbourne, Australia. There are currently 3 restaurants in St Kilda, Abbotsford, and Footscray, all serving healthy and delicious vegetarian food on a trust basis. The pay-as-you-feel philosophy is simple — we invite you to pay what you think the food and the experience is worth — and invite you to also donate towards a philosophy that places human dignity above profit. All donations and payments are made into an anonymous box. Anonymity, in our view, preserves dignity and promotes trust and feelings of social inclusion" (Website of Lentil as Anything).

This paper recognizes the humanitarian benefits of Lentil as Anything, but seeks to assess the organization through a business lens, specifically examining the quality of its managerial practices. Following the analysis, several recommendations are offered for improvement.

The Managerial Act at Lentil as Anything

Lentil as Anything was founded by Shanaka Fernando after he spent six years traveling through developing countries and immersing himself in cultures around the world. At its peak, the organization employed 400 staff members and served an estimated 1,500 people each day (Mehta, 2010). The restaurants have no price menu; customers are encouraged to pay whatever they feel the food was worth. There is no cash register — money is simply placed in a box with a hole in the lid (Documentary Australia Foundation). The founder believes this system fosters trust, and his core hope is to support the community.

The customers who eat at Lentil as Anything are generally economically disadvantaged, meaning they are unlikely to pay the full cost of the food they consume. For the organization, this results in reduced revenues. While revenue generation is not the restaurant's primary purpose — it being a not-for-profit entity — it must still generate sufficient funds to sustain its activities (Czarnecki, 2005). The current model could therefore be characterized as financially ineffective.

A second managerial dimension concerns the staff. Employees are culturally diverse and often come from regions outside Australia. They are frequently unskilled and face limited demands upon hiring. They are integrated into an organizational culture centered on community support rather than evaluated against performance criteria.

Although the working environment, performance appraisals, and career opportunities are inconsistent with those of an efficient commercial enterprise, the high level of workforce diversity is commendable. Diversity in the workplace is a growing global phenomenon, driven largely by the forces of globalization. The effective management of a multicultural workforce is a common challenge for organizations, but it appears to have been handled well by Shanaka Fernando. Given that proper management of workforce diversity is considered an essential contributor to overall organizational success (Parvis, 2003), Lentil as Anything can be said to demonstrate a forward-thinking managerial approach in this respect.

A third aspect of the managerial act at Lentil as Anything concerns its control and evaluation systems, which, from the perspective of a conventional business, could be seen as inadequate.

"And the waiters and kitchen staff are nearly all from somewhere else. And no one seems to be in charge. And there are no prices anywhere" (Documentary Australia Foundation).

This absence of formal control reflects a profound sense of trust on the part of Shanaka Fernando. The owner appears to trust his staff to serve the needs of diners and to manage situations as they arise. This model reflects a deeply embedded practice of employee empowerment, which carries both advantages and disadvantages.

Modern organizations increasingly seek to empower employees as a means of motivation — breaking down control barriers and vertical hierarchies to encourage active participation in organizational change (Ugboro, 2006). Achieving this is often difficult for for-profit businesses, which face competing pressures such as maintaining oversight while generating employee satisfaction. At Lentil as Anything, however, these difficulties appear to have been resolved, and the organization seems to have achieved a high degree of employee empowerment.

Nevertheless, the high degree of decentralization and the near-complete absence of formal leadership among staff does generate a range of practical challenges. The most significant are summarized below: