Why internal customers are important than external

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April 7, 2026 | 12:00am

Who’s to blame if you were served a greasy cup of “soapy soup” in a tapsilog joint? Is it the dishwasher who treats the grease like a decorative fixture? The waiter who delivered it with a straight face? The chef who doesn’t care? Or the manager who’s watching a YouTube video while on duty?

That was the question by Carla (not her real name), a TQM client from last year who believes it should be the waiter for not double checking the cup.

A retired factory manager, channeling the spirit of a stern sensei, points the finger at the manager. He quoted my favorite hit single: “Problem workers are created by problem managers.” But what do you think, dear reader?

At 10 in the morning, like clockwork, the three workers and their manager began their daily dance of mediocrity. Carla strolled in at 10:30 a.m. like a mystery diner for quality control. She tucked herself into a corner, pulled out her phone and told the waiter she was waiting for a friend for lunch.

She ordered coffee – which was promptly served, complete with its own unauthorized stain. After a few seconds, she called the waiter over. “Can I show you something?” she asked.

She pointed to the coffee cup with the rim marked with a faint red lipstick. Also, she complained the saucer and spoon were a bit sticky, possibly with an oil smudge.

Carla said she would cancel the order. The waiter informed the manager who immediately apologized to her. She smiled and asked: “Would you be willing to learn from my management experience for free?”

The manager frowned. “What do you mean?” Carla smiled. “Mr. Owner, that dirty cup was a deal breaker.

It destroyed my appetite. If it becomes a habit, that could destroy your business.”

So, whose fault is it?

The ‘next process’

Under Kaizen and Lean Thinking, the concept of the “next process” is a basic philosophy on how employees must do their work to standards. It was attributed to Kaoru Ishikawa (1915-1989), known as the inventor of Fishbone Analysis, a popular tool for discovering the root causes of a problem.

The “next process” is your customer. This requires that we treat internal customers with the same terrifying level of care you’d use if you were serving Carla herself – the kind of customer who carries a magnifying glass.

In this ecosystem, the dishwasher’s “customers” aren’t the hungry folks in the dining room; they are the waiter and the chef. If the dishwasher fails, the waiter becomes a delivery agent for disappointment. Here are the core principles:

1. Internal customer satisfaction. In any factory or service operations, work flows from one station to another. The person at Work Station A (dishwasher) must view the person at Work Station B (waiter or chef) as the primary customer.

2. Quality at the source. Instead of relying on an inspection by the waiter and chef, the dishwasher must be responsible for ensuring that what they pass forward is 100 percent compliant with cleanliness and hygiene.

3. Feedback loops. The waiter and chef have the right and absolute obligation to refuse substandard work. This instant feedback is proactive, real-time problem solving rather than allowing an external customer to discover the error.

4. Management responsibility. The restaurant manager must have a clear standard to ensure quality. If there is none, it results in inconsistent service and neglected operational benchmarks that ultimately compromise the entire customer dining experience.

So, who’s to blame? The dishwasher, waiter, chef and the owner all wear halos, implying innocence. In reality, the dirty cup and saucer reached Carla because of multiple, systemic failures. When everyone says “not me,” it usually means there’s a defective system.

Blaming an individual is a seductive trap that provides the fleeting satisfaction of finding a sacrificial lamb. But firing the dishwasher won’t fix a greasy cup if the water is cold. If you want to stop the bleeding, you don’t hunt for a villain; you build the fortress.

A robust, standardized system is the only permanent solution to operational chaos. The true culprit isn’t the person holding the soapy sponge – it’s the broken system that allowed accountability to vanish into the steam. Until the system is fixed, the “soapy soup” will keep on simmering.

Rey Elbo is a quality and productivity activist. Send your comment, idea, or story to [email protected] or DM him on Facebook, LinkedIn, X or via https://reyelbo.com