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The Organizational Behavior of Kudler Fine Foods
Kudler Fine Foods is a triplex of successful gourmet food stores nestled in the San Diego
metropolitan area of southern California. The gourmet food store is a one-stop shop for the
freshest ingredients and most unique tools serving the most discriminating cooks. Kathy
Kudler, the President, who had tired of her marketing position with a large defense
contractor as it involved constant travel and pressures typical of corporate life, founded the
company in 1998. The mission of Kudler is to provide a delightful shopping experience for
customers through exceptional worldwide epicurean product selection and a
knowledgeable and helpful staff. The Kudler Fine Foods organizational culture, structure,
leadership influences on motivation, as well as internal and external drivers for change will
be analyzed throughout this paper.
Kudler Fine Foods Organizational Culture
The Kudler Fine Foods visual culture is apparent in the first sentence of the mission
statement. "Kudler Fine Foods mission is to provide our customers the finest in selected
foodstuffs, wines, and related needs in an unparalleled consumer environment"“
(University of Phoenix, 2004). All stores are 16,000 square feet and are located in
fashionable shopping centers in upscale neighborhoods. Employee performance measures
reflect multiple areas of the visual culture, such as, courteous interactions with customers
and coworkers, remembering frequent shopper names. For example, Ledonna Avery the
Assistant Bakery and Pastries Manager at the Del Mar location was given an exceeds
expectations in her 2004 performance review for making files of her customers frequent
purchases, birthdays and other important items. She would send out cute notices and
provide samples, all in an effort to make her customers feel special. As a result she was
promoted to a leadership position despite her having the least seniority with the company.
In addition to what customers may hear or feel, what they see is of equal importance and
employees performance is measured in their maintaining a neat, clean work area and tidy
uniformed professional attire. Policies clearly state that if an employee appears untidy or
unkempt, that they will be sent home to change and will not be paid for this time.
"At the core of organizational culture, there are basic core beliefs that are widely shared,
that operate unconsciously, and that are considered nonnegotiable"“ (Gomez-Mejia &
Balkin, 2002, p. 109). Honesty, consistency and predictability are Kudler core principles
that are the foundation for all performance and leadership decision-making supporting the
visual culture. Kathy Kudler exemplifies leadership in the culture through involvement at
