What a Bagel Taught Me About Process Design

By: Joe Lazar, Co-Founder & Principal

This morning, I stopped for a bagel and a coffee before heading into a meeting. The transaction itself took less than 30 seconds. Then the payment screen asked whether I’d like to leave an 18%, 20%, or 25% tip. It occurred to me that I spent more time thinking about that decision than I did ordering breakfast. That got me wondering… This isn’t really a conversation about tipping. It’s a conversation about process design.

I’ve spent much of my career helping organizations improve processes. One lesson seems to hold true regardless of the industry:
Great processes reduce friction. They don’t create it. When we think about a simple retail transaction, the responsibilities seem straightforward. The customer decides what to buy. The business decides how to price it. The business also decides how to compensate its employees.

Lately, though, it feels like we’ve started shifting some of that responsibility to the customer. At checkout, we’re often asked to make compensation decisions in real time, even in situations where we’ve placed our own order, served ourselves, or had very little interaction beyond paying for the product. To be clear, this isn’t about whether people deserve to be paid well. They absolutely do. It’s about asking a different question: Who should own that decision?

From a process perspective, I’d argue that compensation belongs inside the business, not at the payment terminal. When pricing reflects the true cost of delivering the product or service, everyone benefits. Customers know exactly what they’re paying. Employees have more predictable compensation. Businesses create a simpler, more transparent experience. Less friction. Less uncertainty. Better process.

Whether you agree or disagree, I think it’s an interesting design question. Sometimes the best conversations about business don’t start in a conference room or Zoom call. Sometimes they start while buying a bagel.

At Omni Strategy Partners, we believe great organizations are built on thoughtfully designed processes. We help clients simplify operations, reduce unnecessary complexity, and create systems that work better for employees, customers, and the business as a whole.

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