Category: Restaurant

Introduction

Customer satisfaction surveys are an important part, especially for the service industry, as this provides a vivid view of the way the customers perception regarding quality of service provided and it also provides knowledge of what should be done to have loyal and satisfied customers. Research has shown that brand quality is directly related to the revenue of the restaurants (Victorino et al. 1991; Kim & Kim 2004; Lynn 2001). Understanding the customer helps in developing and bettering the customer experience. This paper is an analysis of a customer survey conducted for Santa Fe Grill Restaurant. The survey was conducted and 450 responses were received. The paper is divided to understand the demographic profile of the customers, their preferences regarding the restaurant, their decision-making criteria, and their satisfaction.

Data Analysis

The survey questionnaire has 35 questions of which 6 are classification questions, 4 are targeted to understand the selection factor of restaurants, 4 for relationship measures, 10 to gauge the perception of customers regarding the services of Santa Fe, 11 are lifestyle questions, and 4 initial questions are just introductory screening questions.

Initial Questions

To the initial questions, the answer was that the respondents regularly ate out in casual dining restaurants. All of the 450 respondents said that they had dinner in some Mexican restaurant in the past 6 months. Out of the 450 respondents, 99.8% of the respondents said that they have a household annual income of more than $15000. When asked which Mexican restaurant they visited most recently, 62.9% said Santa Fe Grill and 37.1% said Joes, Southwestern Grill. From the initial response, the majority of the respondents seem to prefer Santa Fe Grill recently.

Demographic Profile

Of the 450 respondents, 65.1% of the respondents are male and 34.2% are female. Therefore, we have 293 male and 154 female respondents.

Table 1.

Table 1 demonstrates the demographic classification of the respondents based on their age and gender. There were 65.1% made and 34.9 female respondents. The age of the respondents was segregated into 5 segments viz. 18 to 25 years, 26 to 34 years, 35 to 49 years, 50 to 59 years, and over 60 years as shown in table 1. Half (50.7%) of the people visiting Santa Fe Grill are of the age group of 34 to 49 years. 25.3% are in the age group of 50 to 59 years and 10% in 26 to 34 years. The income of the respondents is varied with the majority of the people visiting the restaurant $50,000 to $100,000.

The households that visit the restaurant are then categorized based on the number of children they have and the distance they have traveled to visit the restaurant. This is demonstrated in table 2.

Table 2.

It can be deduced from Table 2 that most of the respondents traveled a distance of more than 5 miles to reach the restaurant (40%), 32% traveled a distance of 1 to 5 miles and 28% traveled less than 1 mile. Most of the respondents visiting the restaurant did not have any children at home (47.8%), 26.4% left 1 to 2 children home and 25.8% left more than 2 children home. This shows that the popularity of the restaurant is more with couples with no or less than 2 children.

Selection Factor

Overall, the arithmetic mean of the responses provided on the selection factor of a restaurant by the respondents shows that the most important factor that they believe is important is the atmosphere of the restaurant. The mean score of for factor Atmosphere as rated by the respondents is 3.32 with a standard deviation of 0.71 indicating that mostly the respondents believe that atmosphere of the restaurant is one of the most important factors for choosing a restaurant as has been observed in other empirical customer choice studies (Autya 1992; Kivela 1997; Sulek & Hensley 2007). The next most important factor is service provided in the restaurants; however, the standard deviation of the Service factor shows that the answers to this may have been widely differentiated. Food quality however was rated the least important factor for the choice of restaurant, which opposes the findings of Sulek & Hensley (2007).

Table 3: Average rating to identify influential factors for a service purchase decision.

On doing a T-test (Table 4) on the selection factor responses, it was observed that the t value for factor Atmosphere was 98.017 indicating that the factor was highly significant on the choice made by respondents of a restaurant. The result was statically significant at 95%.

Table 4: T-test for.

Table 5: One-way ANOVA for selection criteria of restaurant responses.

The ANOVA results in table 5 are presented for selection criteria of a restaurant as answered by the respondents. The first table presents the descriptive statistics with the difference in the response given by gender. The descriptive table shows that female respondents feel that atmosphere is a more impotent factor for deciding restaurant than any other factor; the male respondents share this view too. The test of variance rejects the hypothesis that all the factors have an equal effect on the choice of service made by the respondents. The test shows that price has a significantly higher chance of affecting the choice decision than any other factor. The other factors do not have a significant chance of affecting the restaurant choice made by the respondents. The third table shows the one-way ANOVA results for the four factors. This shows that the significance level for all the four factors is greater than 0.05 indicating that none had a statically significant effect on the choice made by the respondents about restaurant service.

From the above analysis, it can be clearly stated that according to the t-test and the descriptive statistical analysis the most important factor for choosing a restaurant is the atmosphere of the restaurant, while the second most important reason is differing in the case of the t-test which states food quality to be the second most important factor and service according to average scores. However, according to the ANOVA results the factors are equally likely to predict the choice of restaurants.

Customer Satisfaction

Table 4: Descriptive statistics of customer survey question responses.

The descriptive statistics show the mean and standard deviation values of 10 questions measuring customer satisfaction responses. The responses show that the maximum average score that has been received is for the questions that state the reasons for the satisfaction of the customers to be excellent food taste, fresh food, and speed of service.

Table 5: T-test results for customer response for satisfaction survey.

On analyzing this data, further using one-way t-test it can be observed that the factors that have the maximum t value and show statistically significant results are excellent food taste, fresh food, and fun place to eat. Attractive interior also has a strong influence on influencing satisfaction of customers. This shows that the results of the descriptive analysis and t-test vary greatly.

Table 6: ANOVA results.

Table 6 presents the ANOVA results for gauging the degree of customer satisfaction. The first table shows the test of homogeneity. The analysis shows that all except proper food temperature, fun place to eat, large size portions, and reasonable prices, shows significantly different results and negates the null hypothesis of ANOVA. The second table is the ANOVA analysis that demonstrates that there is a significant difference in the groups for a fun place to eat and an attractive interior between genders. However, multiple comparisons for satisfaction results based on gender was not possible.

Based on age, the preferences for satisfaction differ greatly for options such as friendly employees, fun place to eat, large portions, fresh food, attractive interior, excellent food taste, knowledgeable employees, proper food temperature, and speed of service. The post hoc Tuckey test shows that there is a significant difference between the preference for friendly employees for ages 18-25 and 26-34 years and 26-34 with all other age groups. However, there are no significant differences in the older age group of preference for friendly employees. Fun place to eat also has significant differences in preference based on lower ages from 18-25 and all other age groups.

Tuckey test based on the difference in income shows that there is a significant difference in the satisfaction of customers between low and high-income groups, wherein respondents with higher income, i.e. above $100000 were more satisfied with the restaurant than the people with lower income.

Table 7: Tukey Post-hoc test for difference in satisfaction factors based on Income.

Overall, for higher-income groups, the difference in customer satisfaction due to income differences is not much. The Tuckey HSD results show that there is only a significant difference in the mean score of satisfaction questions factored by income and they are in the case of lower-income groups from $10000 to $25000 and higher-income groups $100000 and above. A significant level of differences was registered for factors such as friendly employees, large size portions where higher income groups demand larger portions, knowledgeable, and excellent food taste. These findings are supported by other research findings on customer satisfaction survey conducted for the service industry (Oh 1999; Hallowell 1996)

On answering the question as to how satisfied the customers were a descriptive analysis of the question with age as the independent variable, we find that female customers were more satisfied than male customers. The ANOVA results also confirm the finding that there is a significant difference in the means of satisfaction between genders. Based on the income it can be deduced that the customers with higher income groups were more satisfied with the service provided. In age-based difference, respondents within the age group of 26 to 49 years were more satisfied. The results show that satisfaction among respondents varied significantly based on gender, age, and income as has been confirmed through previous empirical researches (Smith, Bolton & Wagner 1999; Andaleeb & Conway 2006; Danaher & Mattsson 1994; McCollough, Berry & Yadav. 2000; Peterson & Wilson 1991; Dube, Renaghan & Miller 1994).

Willingness to Return to the Restaurant

This section will gauge the willingness of the customers to return to the restaurant based on the responses they presented in the survey. Table 8 presents three questions gauging the relationship built with the customers. It asked them about their satisfaction with the restaurant, their intention to recommend it to others, and the probability for them to return to the restaurant. The T-test results show that that the mean value of the responses measured in a 7-point Likert scale demonstrates that none of the responses were overly optimistic as the mean value of the responses linger below 4.5 that indicates marginally satisfaction. On likely to recommend measure, the respondents gave an average score of 3.78 indicating that they were most likely not going to recommend the restaurant to others. A T-test confirms these findings, as all of them showed significantly different scores from their original mean scores.

Table 8: T-Test for relationship measures.

A regression analysis of the satisfaction measure of the respondents and the likelihood to recommend and return shows that people are more satisfied if they have shown a higher likelihood to return. Regression analysis is used to understand the interlink between the dependent satisfaction, return, and recommend intentions and the demographic variables as has been used in many other customer satisfaction studies (Rust & Zahorik 1993; Matzler et al. 2004; Anderson 1994; Fornell et al. 1996; Woodside, Frey & Daly 1989). Table 9 presents the regression analysis of the satisfaction measure dependent on an inclination to return and recommend. The R-value in the first table of Table 9 demonstrates that there is an 84.9% likelihood of the findings to be true. This shows that with an increase in return intention, there will be a greater inclination of the respondents to return.

Table 9: Regression Analysis.

Table 10: Regression of satisfaction factored by age and income.

Table 10 shows that age has a significantly negative influence on the satisfaction derived by customers in the restaurant. It shows that the higher the age of the customer, the lower is the satisfaction they derived from the services. Income too has a negative relation with satisfaction, indicating that higher-income customers are more difficult to be satisfied with the services provided at the restaurant.

When another regression analysis is done on return to intention-based on age and income it showed that age and income both are negatively related to intention to return.

Table 11: Multiple ANOVA based on Age.

The comparison in table 11 shows the age factor that influences the difference in satisfaction of respondents, intention to return to the restaurant, and intention to spread word-of-mouth advertisement. This finding is consistent with research on customer retention and intention to return literature (Jiang & Rosenbloom 2005; Kim, Ng & Kim 2009; Hellier et al. 2003; Fornell 1992; Churchill Jr & Surprenant. 1982; HennigThurau & Klee 1998; Woodside, Frey & Daly 1989).

Recommendations

Customer satisfaction and their intention to return to the restaurant are closely linked as many of the customers mentioned that they are satisfied and intended to come back (Bowen & Chen 2001; Mittal & Kamakura 2001; McDougall & Levesque 2000; Weiss, Feinstein & Dalbor 2005; Bigne, Sanchez & Sanchez 2001). Age and income influence the satisfaction, intention to return, and intention to recommend (Bellman, Lohse & Johnson 1999; Sharp & Sharp 1997; Skogland & Siguaw 2004; Tarn 1999; Snyder 1992). Within the age group of 25 to 39, respondents were most satisfied and had greater intention to return or recommend the restaurant. In terms of income, people with higher income groups were more inclined to return to the restaurant (White & Yanamandram 2004; Crotts 1999; Chow et al. 2007; Soriano 2002; Curasi & Kennedy 2002).

Further people who had to travel less to the restaurant intended to return more to the restaurant. Therefore, to target market the restaurant, Santa Fe Grill should target young from 25 to 39 groups with moderately high income who live within a 5-mile radius of the restaurant. Further intention to eat out is more for the younger group of 18 to 25 years and above 50 years group, indicating that young and old people are more frequently inclined to eat out as opposed to middle-aged people. The factors that have been found to influence the decision making of the customers are the atmosphere of the restaurant, price, and service. These three factors must be paid more attention to make it more successful. Further, the criteria that satisfied the respondents with lower income more are friendly employees and large size portions served while respondents with higher income were more interested in knowledgeable employees and price. A restaurant service may seem different to different people however, for Santa Fe the best idea would be to attract locals, concentrate on the atmosphere of the restaurant to enhance the ambiance and experience of the customers, and have competitive prices.

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For a restaurant chain database, it is important to integrate data on the location of restaurants, specific customer information, financial needs, and guest management issues. The first critical field to include is customer data, including name, means of contact, and bonuses. This information is crucial to make efforts for retaining customers and offering them the best service possible. For example, they can be contacted via emails or social media notifications to know about coupons or advantageous offers. Those customers who receive individualized offers are more likely to have a unique and positive experience. The second field is the location of restaurants, which would allow consulting customers about the possibility to visit the restaurant in other cities and countries. From a long-term perspective, by learning about customers preferences, it would be possible to customize the sales map and introduce new deals that are suitable for specific locations. The awareness of locations provides the opportunity to extend the chain by means of franchising or some other solutions.

The third field of the database is seating efficiency which should clarify the seating economy adopted in a certain restaurant. Guest management is considered to be critical to make sure that the workflow is good, and the errors are corrected in time (Susskind and Maynard 122). Seating efficiency should be measured at least three times a day, which would allow for properly allocated efforts of the personnel. The experience of one restaurant can be useful for those of others in a chain, which means that information should be available to all of them. In addition, the changes in this criterion can only be understood if they are transformed into computable data. Accordingly, the mentioned fields would be important to achieve improvements for the entire chain of restaurants.

Work Cited

Susskind, Alex M., and Mark Maynard The Next Frontier of Restaurant Management: Harnessing Data to Improve Guest Service and Enhance the Employee Experience. Cornell University Press, 2019.

Introduction

Sociological theories are applicable for understanding peoples behavior in general and for an improvement of commercial services, for example, restaurant services. lhelalat, Habiballah, and Twaissi (2017) wrote an article titled The impact of personal and functional aspects of restaurant employee service behavior on customer satisfaction, which presents the authors research results. This essay will analyze the sociological theories used in the study by lhelalat, Habiballah, and Twaissi (2017) and discuss their practical application.

Sociological Theories

The researchers also apply theories specific to the meal and service industry. lhelalat, Habiballah, and Twaissi (2017) cite the Five-Factor Meal Model (FFMM) by Gustafsson (2004) as the basic theory that explains the consumer restaurant experience. According to FFMM, the atmosphere and the meetings factors are central in shaping the restaurant visitors experience. The latter element includes all interpersonal interactions that occur during the visit, including communication with the waiters and other guests.

From a broader perspective, the effect of interpersonal communications on people is described within the social exchange theory paradigms. This theory suggests that all interactions between people are based on an exchange and the benefit that individuals receive from this communication (Deux and Snyder, 2018). Hence, most relationships have weaknesses and advantages, and people subconsciously weigh the two to determine if an exchange is worthy. For example, in the service industries, if people perceive the service as inadequate or unworthy, they will avoid this relationship. Considering that the service industry implies an employee-customer relationship, investing in the development of communication and people skills of the employees, for example, waiters, contributes to the businesss profits.

Application

In the social environment, the theories used in this research apply as well. The quality of interpersonal relationships is shaped by the attitudes of people and their social skills, such as friendliness or smiling. A study by Boninsegni, Furrer, and Mattila (2020) and Mahara (2020) show that friendliness affects the interpersonal relationships and perception of services positively. Moreover, Glikson et al. (2017, p. 614) state that during face-to-face contact, smiling individuals are perceived as warmer and as more competent than nonsmiling individuals. Hence, this research and the underlying social theory suggest that interpersonal relationships and impressions are shaped by the behaviors of a person, and smiling or friendliness can affect it positively.

This approach is applicable for understanding interpersonal relationships that develop via digital mediums. Glikson et al. (2017) state that the use of smiley faces, on the contrary to a smile during face-to-face interactions, has a negative impact on the first impression of a person. Moreover, a smiley face emoticon was associated with lower competence. Hence, the perceptions of peoples emotions vary depending on the medium of communication.

In the business environment, the examined study and the underlying theory help understand how to establish workplace practices for hiring and training that result in high levels of customer satisfaction. Since lhelalat, Habiballah, and Twaissi (2017) examine the service industry, it is best to apply the findings to the restaurant businesses. According to the social exchange theory, all relationships between individuals are based on the exchange (Deux and Snyder, 2018). The goal is to maximize the benefits at a minimum cost. For example, when applying it to the service industry, the goal would be to invest the minim amount and receive the best possible levels of customer satisfaction.

This article, in particular, focuses on restaurant businesses. From it, one may conclude that in restaurants, the behavior and attitudes of the waiters, together with the quality of the meal, are the central components that affect the satisfaction of restaurant visitors. Woo and Chan (2020) also discuss the implications of interpersonal relationships and their effect on the perception of services. The authors studied the population of the Chinese Millenials and found that they perceive the nodding and smiling of the waiters and hotel hosts as authentic behavior. Moreover, this enhances their perception of the quality of services (Woo and Chnag, 2018). Hence, the type of phenomenon studied in the research article in question occurs outside the restaurant industry and with diverse populations, proving that social theories help enhance the quality of the services and customer satisfaction.

Modern-day social science has a range of practical applications. According to Watson (2017, p. 1), sociology has a potential as a resource that people can use in making sense of what is happening to the work aspects of their lives. Hence, the social theories and research can help make services better and more tailored towards the needs and expectations of the consumers. On the other hand, for the people at work, the application of this theory can enhance their work experience and work satisfaction as well by allowing them to focus on the most meaningful aspects of what they do. Hence, social science studies can make work-life better for people and help improve the quality of the services for the consumers.

Methods

Social science methods used to collect and apply the theories in the examined study are data collection and quantitative analysis. lhelalat, Habiballah, and Twaissi (2017) used a questionnaire as their primary method of collecting data, which is a quantitative technique. These questionnaires were self-administered and to the restaurant visitors and involved quotations about each aspect of waiter-visitor communications: competency, attention to the guests, and nonverbal communication. Likert type of scale was used to assess the respondents answers, which includes a gradation of possible responses from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Through the analysis of the collected data, the researchers can determine the correlation between various factors in relation to the independent variablecustomer satisfaction.

Outcomes

In this research, the outcome is the assessment of the importance that two types of factors: functional and personal, have on the visitors experience. The former category includes factors such as knowledge of the menu, hygienic practices, preparation of menu items, and speed of service (lhelalat, Habiballah, and Twaissi, 2017). The latter is the interpersonal set of factors, such as smiling, attention to the visitors, facial expressions, and comforting practices. Both categories showed comparable levels of importance to the visitors.

There some outcomes applicable for the particular setting that this study took place in since the authors examined tourists visiting Jordan. As a result, the tourists believed that the personal characteristics of the waiters are more important and better manifested in Jordanian restaurants when compared to the functional ones (lhelalat, Habiballah, and Twaissi, 2017). In summary, this study shows that the restaurant visitors were more satisfied with their dining experiences when they perceived the personal characteristics and behaviors of waiters as positive, and these personal characteristics were more significant when compared to functional ones. Hence, service quality is affected by the approach that the service provider chooses.

This research points to several implications regarding the interactions of different social groups. Social groups are other communities of people with one or more common characteristics, and in the examined study, there are two groups: the waiters and the visitors. First and foremost, interpersonal communication is shaped by the behaviors of people. For example, smiling and friendliness result in a better first impression and perception of the individual (Wang et al., Hirshleifer et al., 2020). Secondly, these conclusions apply to the business setting as well, and this behavior affects the attitudes towards the service that a person offers. Hence, this study suggests that interactions of different social groups depend on soft skills, such as friendliness, attentiveness, ability to smile, and other factors.

This research can be applied to the organizational setting by improving the HR practices. Similar recommendations are offered by Rimondini et al. (2019) for the healthcare workers, where the researchers found that patients perception of quality is shaped by the first impression they have about their caregiver. Hence, organizations, where the profits depend on the interactions between the employees and the managers should be aware of the effect that the employees behavior and attitudes have on customer satisfaction. This principle should be the basis of human resource (HR) practices. For example, HRs should offer training to employees to expand their soft skills and communication capabilities. Another implication is that the quality of the service itself, for example, meal at a restaurant, is only one factor that the consumers perceive as important. Hence, apart from the functional aspects, organizations should pay attention to HR management as it impacts the satisfaction of the consumers significantly.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The main conclusions and recommendations from this research are that service industry companies can benefit from using social theories and research and applying them to their employee hiring and development practices. lhelalat, Habiballah, and Twaissi (2017) recommend service companies and restaurants, in particular, to adjust their human resource (HR) practices to improve the service behavior of their personnel. Moreover, to reinforce this behavior, organizations should develop reinforcement programs. As for recruiting, HR managers of restaurants should pay attention to the candidates interpersonal skills and personal hygiene as the study found these two to be very important to the visitors (lhelalat, Habiballah, & Twaissi, 2017). The next set of recommendations concerns the marketing activities that restaurants use because most marketing activities focus on the function factors, for example, price. This study showed that the cost factor is the least significant for the tourists, and therefore, the focus of promotion should be on delivering the friendliness and communication skills of the waiters.

In summary, this paper reviews the research by lhelalat, Habiballah, and Twaissi (2017) about the impact of waiter-visitor interactions on customer satisfaction. The FFMM theory describes the effects of meal quality and interpersonal communication as central elements that shape the experience of visitors. Other sociological theories, for example, the social exchange theory, also contribute to the comprehension of this research because the quality of interactions is central to shaping a persons opinion in accordance with this concept. This paper analyses the study by lhelalat, Habiballah, and Twaissi (2017) concerning the social exchange theory, the FFMM theory, and other studies to define the implications of this study for organizations and people.

References

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Woo, K. and Chan, B. (2020) Service with a smile and emotional contagion:aA replication and extension study, Annals of Tourism Research, 80, p. 102850. Web.

I have chosen the items for The Local Café and Restaurant (n.d.) because every drink can provide the sense of home and cozy summer evening despite their variety. Due to different tastes people have, I decided that the drink menu should include both sweet and savory drinks. For instance, there is Strawberry Sunrise tea for those, who enjoy sweet tea with their dinners or desserts. Whereas if customers are not keen on sweet tea, they can order Linden and Melissa, which is more organic, and can calm after work, helping to reset for the next day and does not include as much sugar.

However, the cocktail menu is not necessarily for a quiet dinner after a stressful day at work. Different styles of beer chosen for the menu allow people to enjoy locally produced Blood Brothers Outta Sight  IPA with their friends to catch up after not seeing them for a long time. The uniqueness of this beer derives from the pineapple undertones. Other beer enjoyers can experiment with taste by trying Akita Rice Lager and its floral quality. This can also be a good start for those, who do not particularly like beer, but still want to drink with the company.

In fact, the beers on menu are Canadian, and Blood Brothers Outta Sight is from the Ontarian brewery, providing an opportunity for clients to support local production. The Bartier Bros. Semillon are from British Columbia province, which also makes it local product. The choice of wine is crucial, because it is a beverage that can be ordered on multiple occasions and finding a great wine for all customers to enjoy is quite a peculiar task. Nevertheless, The Bartier Bros. Semillon provides a unique scent of green apple and olive, which can seem like an odd combination, but will certainly make any supper more interesting.

Reference

The Local Café and Restaurant. (n.d.). Menu. 

There are several places that should certainly be visited by students attending Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Among them, one can definitely distinguish Subway located near CCSU. This restaurant serves the needs of people who want to find a healthy alternative to conventional fast-food. In particular, clients can buy various salads and submarine sandwiches (Glassman, 223). Additionally, one can purchase pizzas, cookies, and apple slices in this restaurant. One should keep in mind that this chain has grown very rapidly during the last decades, and it currently attracts a great number of visitors in the United States and well as other countries (Schlosser 100; Smith 256). This article will show why Subway should be considered by people living in New Britain, especially learners attending CCSU. These are the main questions that should be discussed more closely.

While discussing the work of this organization, one should pay attention to three criteria that are important for potential customers. In particular, I would like to speak about available parking spaces, cleanliness, and prices set by the company. In my view, Subway has relatively spacious parking lots. So, as a rule, parking does not take much time. This opportunity can be of great benefit to people who may have to meet urgent appointments or deadlines (Fields 26). To a great extent, this attribute of Subway is critical for attracting potential clients who often travel by car. It is not surprising that many of them prefer to go to this restaurant.

Furthermore, judging from my observations, the managers of Subway pay close attention to sanitation and cleanliness. Even the most meticulous customers will never notice any stains or bread crumbs that can produce a negative impression on visitors. Additionally, Subway adopts a very flexible pricing strategy. For example, the price of foot-long sandwiches can range from $ 5.50 to $ 7.50 (Fast Food). The prices of their salads also vary significantly (Fast Food). Thus, Subway can appeal to people who may differ in terms of their income level. Finally, one cannot say that their products are overpriced. This is one of the points that can be stressed while discussing the work of this organization because this quality contributed to the rapid growth of Subway during the last decade.

Furthermore, there is a wide selection of salads, sandwiches, drinks, and so forth. Additionally, there are meals that are intended primarily for children. More importantly, Subway can greatly appeal to students who are often time-sensitive. The employees of this company do their best to reduce the waiting time of clients. In terms of time-efficiency, this organization can surely be distinguished among fast-food restaurants, located in New Britain. Additionally, these people are usually very responsive to the requests of clients. Moreover, Subway can certainly be praised for its cozy atmosphere. If a person goes there, he/she is not likely to see waiters who rush through the restaurant and occasionally stumble into visitors. This is one of the things that often prevent me from going to other fast-food restaurants working in New Britain. Overall, this place will not leave visitors disappointed because Subway can offer a good ratio of price and quality to the clients. These are the main details that can be distinguished.

To a great extent, the opinions of other people have convinced me that my initial impressions were quite justified. In particular, I would like to refer to the interview with one of the visitors who regularly go to Subway. His name is Jack, and he states that this restaurant can be praised for the wide selection of various salads, cookies, sandwiches, and so forth. In his opinion, Subway can always offer something new to visitors. Moreover, he highly appreciates the work of this organization and the quality of services. In particular, he attaches importance to the time-efficiency of employees. As a rule, visitors to this restaurant do not have to wait in lines.

This issue is of great importance to learners who may not have much time. These are the main details that he stressed during the interview. Admittedly, other fast-food restaurants also take various steps to improve the quality of their work. However, it seems that Subway has been able to make the greatest progress. This is why it can be singled out, among others. Admittedly, this interview can be very subjective, and Jacks conclusions cannot always be generalized, but it provides eloquent examples showing why Subway can appeal to various clients, including the students of CCSU.

Overall, judging from the available evidence, I can state that people should definitely go to Subway because this fast-food restaurant can offer such benefits as the wide selection of meals, efficient services, and reasonable prices. If students of CCSU want to have a snack, and they are hard-pressed for time, Subway can be one of the options that they should consider. In my opinion, they will not regret this decision and eventually become regular clients of this fast-food restaurant. These are the main arguments that can be put forward.

Works Cited

Fast Food. Subway Prices. Fast Food. 2014. Web.

Fields, Roger. Restaurant Success by the Numbers: A Money-Guys Guide to Opening the Next Hot Spot, New York Harmony, 2011. Print.

Glassman, Bruce. Scholastic Book of World Records 2011, New York: Scholastic Inc, 2010. Print.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print.

Smith, Andrew. Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food, New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. Print.

Whereas for big business, especially for sales and marketing departments, staff turnover is a common phenomenon. Staff changes within the small and medium business (such as a small chain of fast-food restaurants) result in billions of dollars of lost revenue.

Fast food restaurants in the U.S. averaged a whopping 145% turnover rate (Halvorson, 2013). It is a burning issue that needs to be addressed by building comprehensive retention programs (Halvorson, 2013).

According to the experts from the consulting company Development Dimensions International, any retention strategy begins with identifying the specific causes of turnover within a particular company (Managing Employee Retention, Engagement, and Careers, 2011).

Two main groups of causes of staff turnover can be distinguished; they are recruitment strategy errors and personnel management strategy errors. The latter includes the failure to provide competitive working conditions, the lack of prospects, and the unwillingness to invest in training. Very few managers allow for the costs of training for the employees.

The managements reluctance to retain staff is due to the idea that it is better to recruit trained specialists directly from the labor market instead of cultivating them within a company. Whilst the recruitment strategy errors include the lack of such documents as A Set of Competencies and The Perfect Candidate (due to the acute shortage of waiters and administrators, the employers do not choose among the nominees, but recruit someone who only vaguely resembles the right candidate), the lack of recruitment specialists (the interviewer does not conduct professional selection), and the provision of insufficient information to the candidate (regarding possible benefits, such as chain discounts and health insurance).

Under conditions where increasing wages is not an option, the company may offer flexible hours, paid time off, or discounts to its employees (Thompson, n.d.).

More comprehensive measures for retaining staff may include the development of recruitment systems, personnel adaptation programs, and multilevel systems of personnel motivation, the introduction of coaching for novices, cross-training programs for staff development and career building, and job design.

According to DeCenzo & Robbins (2005), the latter refers to the way that the position and the tasks within that position are organized; it describes what tasks are included, how and when the tasks are done, and any factors that affect the work, such as in what order the tasks are completed and the conditions under which the tasks are completed (p. 125).

It is highly important since the possible failure to complete tasks jeopardizes the sense of accomplishment, the lack of which is the major factor influencing ones decision to leave work voluntarily. The sense of accomplishment, which is directly related to employee satisfaction, may be further supported with employee-of-the-month awards or incentives based on the customer service (Brookins, n.d.).

It may take years to recover the prestige of a company. Under conditions of the costly employee turnover, a small chain of fast-food restaurants does not have much time; therefore, it is advisable to use the means of retaining employees mentioned above.

References

Brookins, Miranda. (n.d.). Ways to Prevent Employee Turnover in Fast Food Restaurants.

DeCenzo, D., & Robbins, S. (2005). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Halvorson, Chad. (2013). 3 Easy Ways to Minimize Employee Turnover.

Managing Employee Retention, Engagement, and Careers. (2011). [Powerpoint slides] Pearson Education, Inc.

Thompson, Van. (n.d.). The Turnover Rates in the Fast Food Industry.

Evaluation

The Ritz Carlton is a competitive hotel based on the fundamental keys it takes to make sure every customer is contented. The hotel is also a risk taker for example, during the opening of the Ritz Carlton Boston it decided to design the chairs in the Winston Churchills room in red fabric to match with his favorite color. It has the best services due to the regular trainings offered to its staff (Levy and Grewal 2011). This hotel not only employs trained workers, but also looks for those with great personalities.

Anyone working in the hospitality industry should be charming, warm and caring. They should have the customers interest at heart, from the time a client checks in until he leaves. This facility is able to thrive due to the measures it takes in ensuring its employees are happy despite the challenges it face. For example, when the hotel needed to cut costs, it stopped the deliveries of newspapers to avoid job cuts and take care of its staff wellbeing (Levy and Grewal 2011).

The hotel faced additional revenue declines in the year 2009; therefore, it cut costs that did not have impacts on customers experiences (Levy and Grewal 2011). For instance, Haagen-Dazs ice cream was replaced with Eddys. The guest cubicles were refurbished and replaced with lobbies that had free internet and newer furniture designs that were more comfortable (Levy and Grewal 2011). They were arranged in ways that encouraged dinning and socialization activities. The professional customer relationship management policy contributed to the success of Ritz Carlton Hotel. That is why it continues to attract local and international clients.

Comparison

The Room Mate Restaurant is a three star chain of hotels that was established in Madrid in 2010 next to the Teatro Real with the aim of offering quality service, a natural personal feel and good breakfast. The hotel has expanded and opened branches in North and South America. During my visit to New York City, I stayed at the Room Mate Grace Hotel. Almost all employees of this hotel were not friendly and offered poor quality services that frustrated clients.

Services were slow because the number of employees was not proportional to that of customers. Waiters and other workers took more than 15 minutes before serving customers. There were many complaints from customers about the quality of food offered and language security. Workers were poorly trained, the facility had not invested in activities customers and clients could engage in, and the costs were unrealistically high when compared to the services they were offering. The services were poor in comparison to Ritz Carlton Hotel where all workers were well trained, humble, offered quick and quality services, and even gave value to customers payment.

Gaps and How to Close Them

During my stay at the hotel, I expected to be attended by well trained workers, but the staff that served me did not have enough knowledge of what they were supposed to do. For example, I was served wine in a white glass. To close this gap, the hotel should open regular training programs to make sure workers have enough knowledge regarding their duties. The hotel had advertised free Wi-Fi services for its customers, but it did not have any internet connection. When asked, the management did not have a convincing answer. The hotel must make sure it advertises its services and promises what it can deliver so that its customers do not think they are always cheated.

Reference

Levy, M. and Grewal, D. (2011). Marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill. Web.

Job analysis remains a critical element for most Human Resource (HR) functions. According to Brannick et al. as cited in (Breaugh, 2017) job analysis refers to a broad array of activities designed to discover and document the essential nature of work (p. 12). According to Brough (2017), job analysis (referred by other authors as work analysis) is a process for understanding a job. The results of the job analysis are a job description and a list of job specifications. A job description is a statement of tasks, duties, responsibilities, or work environment that a position entails. Job specification defines a successful employees attributes, which include knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) (Breaugh, 2017). Therefore, a job analysis is a list of behaviors and skills required to do a job. The employer can thereafter use them for employee selection, training, and compensation.

Depending on the size and scope of the organization, there are several ways of gathering job information. In the restaurant industry, I work in, observation, interviews, or job analysis questionnaires are applicable (Woods et al., 2017). Interviewing current employees about the tasks they do and the frequency of doing them is another way of collecting job information. Supervisors may be requested to complete a questionnaire explaining job obligations. Employees can be observed as they work to understand employee attributes and the preferred work environment. Furthermore, an employer may also find helpful information about a job on the Internet.

Performance appraisal is done to assess employee performance in an organization. One method I would recommend for the restaurant industry is the graphic rating scales due to their popularity and simplicity (Maghsoodi et al., 2018). The method involves a scale with a list of performance indicators and performance grades, which illustrates the workers grades by the score, which defines each sections performance level.

Preparation is critical for any performance review for the manager. They need to create a comprehensive plan to guide the meeting to ensure no issue is left unaddressed. During the meeting with an employee, the manager should discuss challenges and successes by addressing tasks which were well performed and those which need improvement. At this point, the manager can also discuss and seek an agreement for development and action ideas. At the end of the meeting, the employer may summarize what has been discussed.

References

Breaugh, J. A. (2017). The contribution of job analysis to recruitment. In Editors H. W. Goldstein, E. D. Pulakos, J. Passmore & C. Semedo (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Recruitment, Selection and Employee Retention (pp. 12-28). John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Maghsoodi, A. I., Abouhamzeh, G., Khalilzadeh, M., & Zavadskas, E. K. (2018). Ranking and selecting the best performance appraisal method using the MULTIMOORA approach integrated Shannons entropy. Frontiers of Business Research in China, 12(1). Web.

Woods, S. A., Hinton, D. P., Fraccaroli, F., & Sverke, M. (2017). What do people really do at work? Job analysis and design. In Editors N. Chmiel, F. Fraccaroli & M. Sverke (Eds.), An introduction to work and organizational psychology: An international perspective (pp. 1-24). John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Service Encounter Diary

My Service Encounter at Simmers Restaurant

Naturally, I am not a fan of leisure travel. However, being a middle-level sales manager in a local bank requires me to travel a lot and widely as my job entails going out there and seeking customers. But when my cousin who lives in Kenya invited my sister and me for a lion-sighting safari in Kenyas world-renowned Maasai Mara National park, my vast travel experiences seemed inadequate to prepare me for the coming journey into the wilderness. I was literally beside myself with excitement. Since my childhood, I have always wanted to see the world-famous spectacle that the seasonal wildebeest migration between Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya is. So we arranged to travel to Kenya during the Schools holiday when my sister would be free to travel, which interestingly coincided with my leave.

My cousin was generous enough to meet half of the cost of our air tickets. I met the other half.

Immediately we landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Kenyas premier International airport- at around midday, an air of a strange land hit me. Most noticeable was the brightness and intensity of the sun. Within just about ten minutes of landing at the airport, my cousin together with two of his friends picked my cousin and me and took us to a restaurant within the airport. This is where I would experience the most memorable customer service so far in my life.

The restaurant was modestly decorated one with faintly discernible paintings of what I later came to learn were Morans, a word for warrior amongst Maasai tribesmen.

A waitress with a broad smile arrives at our table even before we could settle down. She politely handed us the menus, then with what seemed to me as a commanding even rude tone, she said Jambo. Not having the slightest idea of whatever that word meant, my sister and I stared at each other blankly with sheepish smiles for about five seconds. As if they were reading from a written and previously well-rehearsed script, my cousin and his friends bust out loudly with such reverberating laughter that the rest of the patrons were now staring our way.

Jambo Sana! my cousin and his friends responded animatedly, which immediately broke the uneasiness in me and, from the look of her face, slight embarrassment in the waitress. My cousin went ahead to explain to us the meaning of the word (it is Swahilis equivalent of Englishs hello/ hi)

We scanned the menu amidst a hearty catch-up conversation. Barely after scanning a couple of items down the menu, I told myself Wow! These prices are outrageous! Fearing another reverberating laughter, I kept this observation to myself. Only later did I realize that the prices were quoted in the local currency whose value is about ten times lower than my home countrys currency. That is when the fact that I was in a foreign country hit me squarely.

Hidden somewhere in-between a seemingly endless list of items with foreign-sounding, hard-to-pronounce names, I spot an item along the lines of hamburger, fries, and I decided this is was what I was going to have despite my biting hunger as well as reservations about the price of the hamburger.

The waitress, who had left to attend to other customers while we were deciding which meals to order, came back and went around the table hearing from everybody and lastly gets to me. Lo and behold! Upon hearing order the hamburger and fries she did a double-take. Then, in a significantly heavy and what seemed to me like a very commanding accent, she said What?

Well, can I have the hamburger and fries please? I repeated submissively, pointing to it on the menu.

She then took the menu from my hands and, as if I had brought the menu with me, Huh, she said, I havent the slightest idea we make those, throwing everybody else on the table but me into bouts of laughter. She then pauses for a moment, smiles at me as if bemused. Sir, she asks, Where are you from?

My discomfort with this waitress was now slowly turning into irritation. But, after a slight hesitation, I replied Australia.

Australia? I thought you are from England! Is this your first time visiting our country? 

Um, correct.

Sir, the first time in Kenya and you want to have a hamburger for lunch?

I dont think so, she says with finality. You are going to have ugali buzz.

Um&

You will love it. Just wait and see!

Well&

She then quickly cut me off and hurriedly left to fetch my ugali mbuzi together with everybody elses order.

The meal turned out to be fried mutton together with what I later learned was a hardened meal made from maize flour. It was very sumptuous and I greatly enjoyed it to the last bit.

In summary, my expectations as a customer were that both the food served and table service provided would be of average quality. After sampling the meals and evaluating the service, however, the quality of table service by far exceeded my expectations. Moreover, although it was my first time eating ugali mbuzi, I thoroughly enjoyed the sumptuous meal and I am looking forward to another meal. The quality of food also exceeded my expectations.

Regarding customer satisfaction, my initial encounter with the waitress made me think of her as impolite, but continued engagement with her revealed her as friendly, warm-hearted, and that she has a somewhat twisted sense of humor. She managed in, a peculiar way, to get rid of the anxiety of being in a foreign land that had considerably built up inside me and made me feel completely at ease. In the end, I was very pleased with the quality of service offered by the restaurant, particularly the table service provided by the waiters.

All in all, the restaurant provides high-quality service to its customer. The quality of food is above average, but the menu needs to be expanded to accommodate a more diverse range of customer tastes.

On a scale of 0-5 (where zero represents poor table service and horrible food and 5.0 represents the satisfying quality of table service together with excellent meals), the restaurant would score 4.6 for me; the quality of table service was nothing but fantastic. However, the restaurant can do more to improve the quality of food on offer to customers.

I would recommend Simmers restaurant to my relatives and close friends who may get to travel to Kenya.

Our safari went ahead largely as planned and, even though I was disappointed for not witnessed the wildebeest migration, all the other wild animals we saw in the park were as equally stunning as the wildebeests.

Service Encounter Report

Introduction

Among the most critical elements of the marketing mix for both services and products is customer service. High-quality customer service not only creates customer loyalty but also helps add value to the company. This so happens because, in the modern world, customers extend their interest bond the products offered by businesses to other additional aspects regarding how the products or services are offered. As such, only a few people would want to transact business with firms that are insensitive to their customers concerning their needs as well as concerns (The Times 100 n.d).

From a generalized perspective, customer service and satisfaction theory are all about customer retention. Also, improvements in customer service do not necessarily have to be complicated or expensive. For example, at a restaurant, a simple act like the dining manager frequently looping through the dining room to thanks to the customers for stopping by is enough to improve customer service (Myers 2010:1)

Therefore, to survive stiff competition from business rivals, enterprises must firmly grasp the tenets of customer service (Zemke & Woods 1999).

Analysis of my Customer Experience at Simmers Restaurant regarding Customer Expectation, Customer satisfaction, and Service quality

According to Kamin (2002: 11), quality customer service breeds customer loyalty. He goes on to argue that this is achieved through what he refers to as the equation of fantastic service. To achieve high customer satisfaction, a firm must develop in its employees a culture of greeting the customer before doing any other business with them. Simmers restaurant excels in this as customers are greeted and welcomed into the restaurant by waiters with warm and friendly smiles. This serves to create personal as well as a friendly relationship with customers.

The management of the restaurant appears to have high-quality customer service at the core of their business strategy. In this regard, the management of the restaurant seems to be aware of the customer service principle that service quality can not surpass the quality f the provider. As such, the workers appear to have been trained to provide high-quality customer service through, above all, personalizing the services to each customer (Rice, Austin & Gravina 2009). A waiter takes time to engage those customers showing signs of needing assistance with the selection of items from the list in the menu. In so doing, the waiter takes great care not to upset the client. They seek to assist a client to select their meals in a polite and friendly way. Thus, the customer comes before both the product and the services offered by the restaurant.

Polite Treatment of Employees

The management of the restaurant also appears to be very aware of the customer service principle which states that employees treat customers in much the same way they are treated by their employer or their managers (Leadership-Tools.com n.d). The waiters seemed a happy lot because they were could easily and readily engage customers in light conversations whenever a customer would require their attention, besides putting on genuine smiles all the time. This is a good indication of the fact that the management of the restaurant cares about their workers and most probably than not treated them politely.

Recognition of Customers

Another highly critical of element s that helps offer customers superior quality service is remembering their names (Keaveney 1995: 79). In this respect, the waiters could recognize several customers by name. This was intriguing because the restaurant is located at an airport and it is well within logic to imagine that the restaurant received mostly one-way travelers.

Recognizing customers, particularly by their names, is essential for improving service level in that it makes the customers feel valued by firms they buy from (Hayes & Dredge 1998: 114). Knowing customers personally also plays a significantly huge role in the customer feedback mechanism since it is hard for a regular customer to fail to respond to prompts asking for their opinion. Moreover, through customer recognition, a firm may be in a good position to keep track of its critical customers and show concern for them by contacting them when they to have pay irregular visits to their premises (Lake, Hickey & Institute of Directors 2002: 77).

Giving Customers Benefit of Doubt

Both sellers of products and providers of services should always give their customers the benefit of doubt (Walker 2009: 2). In respect of this, the Simmers restaurant appears to follow a considerably divergent principle in that, the waiters seem to have the habit of imposing their tastes on customers who seem appear lost or indecisive about which meal to take. Normally, a seller should not enter an argument with their customer; the customer is always the king (Ukens 2007: 124).

Providing Special Requests

Instead of arguing with the customer, sellers are supposed to do everything in their power to see to it that special requests are made available to customers however abstract they may be (Miller n.d: 1; MacNeill 1993: 31). This not only makes the customer feel highly valued, but it also creates more value for that particular product or service, which in turn allows the seller to sell the product or service at a higher margin (Cronin, Brady, & Hult 2000: 196). In the case of Simmers Restaurant, diversification of products is not given the priority it deserves. Only local dishes are given enough attention, and customers from across the world have to narrow their choice of dishes to a menu of local foods. The exception to giving the customer what they want is, of course, illegal products and services.

Kamin (2002: 11) theorizes that the environment of service provision, as well as the willingness of the service provider to offer help to the customer, are what constitute the two most important elements for achieving high-quality customer service. He argues that it is from these two variables that the customer creates the first impressions of the firm they are transacting business with and, also, provides a background on which the remainder of encounters are judged by the customer. Regarding this theory, Simmers restaurant shines as an example of a good service provider since the restaurant ambiance is highly welcoming besides being equally relaxing.

Thanking the customer

The final element in the process of seeking to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction and thus winning customer loyalty is genuinely expressing gratitude to the customer for choosing to offer the firm business (Buttle & Burton 2002: 219). Kamins equation of fantastic service theory requires a firm to leave the door open for when the transaction with the customer is complete, which gives the customer an incentive to return. Simmers restaurant excels in this. Customers are profoundly thanked upon paying their bills and are also welcomed to enjoy the food and services offered by the restaurant. This enhances the feeling of being valued by the customers and subsequently winning their loyalty.

Opportunities for and threats

The major opportunity available for simmers is the expansion of the customer base. The restaurant with the help of proper marketing can easily win more customers given the high quality of services it offers. Also, if the restaurant could expand the array of foods served, more and more customers, particularly international travelers would most probably troop to the restaurant as it offers superior services.

However, the restaurant faces stiff competition from other restaurants licensed to operate at the airport. Some sell meals at a considerably lower cost. This poses a huge threat to Simmers as it is likely to eat into its customer base.

Conclusion

Simmers Restaurant observes the principles of satisfactory customer service and therefore can win customer loyalty. The restaurant is not only significantly highly responsive to the diverse needs of its customers, it is also very reliable is in providing quality services. The firm is, additionally, consistent in providing customers with high-quality meals. Further, the restaurants employees engage customers warmly and with respect, hence making customers feel valued as well as enabling the restaurant to create long-term relations with them. Lastly, the ambiance of the restaurant is not only welcoming but relaxing, and the meals are meals served highly delicious. Together, all these aspects make the restaurant able to offer superior services to its customers, which leave them pleasantly memorable experiences.

References List

Buttle, F., and Burton, J. (2002) Does service failure influence customer loyalty? Journal of Consumer Behaviour 1(3) 217227.

Cronin, J.J., Brady, M.K., and Hult, G.T.M. (2000) Assessing the effects of quality, value, and customer satisfaction on consumer behavioral intentions in service environments. Journal of Retailing, 76 (2) 193218.

Hayes, J., and Dredge, F. (1998). Managing Customer Service. Aldershot, UK: Gower.

Kamin, M. (2002) Customer Service Training. Alexandria, VA: American Society for Training & Development.

Keaveney, S.M. (1995) Customer switching behavior in service industries: An exploratory study. Journal of Marketing, 59 (2) 7182.

Lake, N., Hickey, K. Institute of Directors. (2002) The Customer Service Workbook. London, UK: Kogan Page.

Leadership-Tools.com (n.d) Customer Service Tools .

MacNeill, D.J. (1993) Customer Service Excellence. New York, NY: American Media.

Miller, A. (n.d) Customer Service Tips and Techniques.

Myers, R. (2010). Customer Service: Lessons from the Fall. Entrepreneur .

Rice, A., Austin, J., and Gravina, N. (2009) Increasing Customer Service Behaviors Using Manager-Delivered Task Clarification and Social Praise. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 42, 665-669.

The Times 100. (n.d). Customer service. Web.

Ukens, L.L. (2007) 101 Ways to Improve Customer Service: Training, Tools, Tips, and Techniques. New York, NY: John Willey & Sons.

Walker, B. (2009) Customer Service Techniques. Good Customer Service. Web.

Zemke, R. and Woods, J.A. (Eds.) (1999) Best practices in customer service. New York, NY: AMACOM 78.

For the restaurant industry, training, motivation, and performance of employees play a crucial part in the success of a business. This notion indicates the need for extensive attention to the initial steps taken by new hires, as their actions can have an immediate impact on an establishment. This essay aims to explain how to perform a training needs analysis, achieve higher employee motivation, job satisfaction, and performance in the restaurant setting, and how to measure these values.

The training of an employee in a restaurant must take a form of an educational course. Before their first day of work, employees must learn specifics of their new workplace, such as the menu, a profile of a regular guest, staff relationships, and other nuances (Navarra, 2018). Training begins with the interaction of a trainee with the existing employees and managers of a business (Moody, 2020). These people can serve as tutors for new employees and help them with accepting the work environment.

To ensure that the training course had the desired effect, employers must be able to examine the results. Evaluation at the beginning and the end of training is crucial to provide adequate feedback regarding the efficiency and the impact of exercises on the job objectives (Ludwikowska, 2018). Training is done to give a knowledge of the job and its responsibilities, and the result can be measured with a written test or performance (Moody, 2020). Further training assessment can be achieved via customer feedback, which in this industry is especially vital for managers to consider, as it can be gathered in a short time after the customer has received his or her service.

It is crucial to analyze the attitude of an employee towards their job. A training needs analysis can provide employees with increased job satisfaction gained from a better understanding and performance of their tasks (Ludwikowska, 2018). Training does not only provide knowledge of a job but also gives an employee the motivation to improve their skills. A motivated employee gains job satisfaction from performing tasks he or she sees value in, which can boost their performance (Pawirosumarto et al., 2017). It also lowers stress levels and a positive emotional response to work (Pawirosumarto et al., 2017). To measure job satisfaction, it is possible to conduct a periodical survey of all employees to determine which methods and needed to increase their satisfaction. It is also possible to use observation and performance analysis based on the customer responses and financial gains during employees shifts.

As businesses in the restaurant industry are interested in employee retention no less than other organizations, they must consider the optimal methods for motivation. One such method is the betterment of a work environment. Leaders can actively work on creating a positive work environment and help employees with creating friendly relationships by encouraging close communication and punishing toxicity in the workplace (Moody, 2020). Positive interactions between employees and their managers significantly increase job satisfaction (Selvarajan et al., 2018). Another helpful method for the long-term motivation of employees is promotions. A leader can make a promise for a promotion if there is a noticeable increase in productivity, which leads to better motivation and increases employee retention (Pawirosumarto et al., 2017). Both these methods work well in the restaurant industry and must be the primary source of motivation for leaders to implement.

In conclusion, a training needs analysis in the restaurant industry is essential in establishing and upholding a successful business. It allows the company to create a positive work environment by increasing job satisfaction and motivation among employees, giving them a chance for professional growth, and eliminating toxic interactions. A leader must recognize the need for any additional training and utilize education to boost the performance of every employee.

References

Ludwikowska, K. (2018). The effectiveness of training needs analysis and its relation to employee efficiency. Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki PoznaDskiej Organizacja i Zarzdzanie, 77, 179-193. Web.

Moody, K. (2020). Motivation in the workplace [Doctoral dissertation]. Web.

Navarra, T. (2018). 3 tactics for training restaurant employees. Restaurant Insider. Web.

Pawirosumarto, S., Sarjana, P. K., & Gunawan, R. (2017). The effect of work environment, leadership style, and organizational culture towards job satisfaction and its implication towards employee performance in parador hotels and resorts, Indonesia. International Journal of Law and Management, 59(6), 1337-1358. Web.

Selvarajan, T., Singh, B., & Solansky, S. (2018). Performance appraisal fairness, leader member exchange and motivation to improve performance: A study of US and Mexican employees. Journal of Business Research, 85, 142-154. Web.