Research Topics: Restaurant Industry

Sample Case Study Analysis on Sheffield Restaurants’ Service Quality Management and Development

MAIN ISSUE The author all in all personally visited three (3) restaurants in Sheffield. Generally, the restaurants in Sheffield were following high standards in terms of food and beverage service quality. It was just the case that only one of the three restaurants that the author personally visited had the necessary modern facilities that made their service quality more complete and satisfying. The other restaurants which have yet to acquire these modern facilities made it up by their excellent and entertaining staff service. The following were the detailed observations of the author regarding the service quality of the restaurants in Sheffield.  On the first restaurant, the atmosphere was overwhelmingly beautiful and exhilarating. The environment outside the restaurant was very colorful, surrounded by numerous flowers and ornamental plants. The security personnel were courteous enough to greet the author upon entering the restaurant and that set the tone for a great stay. Upon the author’s entry to the restaurant, several musicians seemed like serenaded the author with classical music that really made the author feel very relaxed and comfortable. It didn’t take long before a restaurant staff flashed her smile upon the author and asked for the author’s order. As the author glanced over the menu list, the author noticed the variety of meals that the restaurant offered, and with reasonable prices for a visitor like the author.  After the author made the order, it only took around 10 minutes before the meal got served. The author was surprised because while waiting the author was still glued to a television set in the restaurant watching a great movie. Anyway, from the appearance alone, the food looked tasty on the eyes of the author. And the food really tasted great. Truly, the money that the author spent was worth it. And when it was time for the author to say goodbye, the musicians had one last parting piece. The author bade goodbye and thanked the restaurant’s staff for a wonderful stay. Meanwhile, the author’s experiences over the other two (2) restaurants in Sheffield were quite the same.  While the environment outside of the two restaurants was not as appealing as the first restaurant that the author visited, these 2 restaurants had their own gimmicks after all. While it was obvious that these 2 restaurants didn’t have the modern facilities that would have significantly improved the service quality of these 2 restaurants, they made it up through other gimmicks such as the presence of extremely entertaining and fun filled activities for the guests / visitors of the restaurants as well as an eat all you can promo for a certain affordable price. These gimmicks were the two restaurant’s solution to somehow make up for the lack of modern facilities. The author as well as the guests in fairness truly enjoyed staying at these two restaurants.          Critical Service Quality Improvement Factors For Sheffield restaurants to become a viable player in their industry, the following service quality improvement factors are critical: ·        Financial Stability Financial stability is crucial especially in the pursuit of service quality management and development activities. In the hotel and restaurant industry, it is important to remain updated with the latest service quality management developments to be able to stay competitive in the market. ·        Product and Service Performance and Price The production of the best food and beverages comes as a result of well-funded service quality management and development activities. The strong performance of Sheffield restaurants could also be linked to the cost-effectiveness of their foods and services. However, Sheffield restaurants have to be aware of the positioning strategies in terms of process so as to maintain satisfactory profits margin and remain competitive. ·        Marketing Strategy and Distribution High brand awareness among the tourists and visitors has created the need for aggressive marketing, and access to strong distribution channels is critical for the introduction of new products. Benefits of Efficient Restaurant Service Quality ·        Economies of Scale and Scope in production and operations management and development. ·        Unique Quality Foods, Beverages and Services owing to heavy emphasis on Service Quality A restaurant’s commitment to service quality management & development activities has always been one of the top strategies to remain competitive in the market.       ·        Differentiated Products Through the restaurant’s production and marketing of differentiated products and services originating from the service quality management and development activities, the restaurant is able to create its own specific advantages. The continuous pursuit of service quality management and development processes enables the restaurant to produce a steady stream of originally differentiated products and services which makes it difficult for competitors to find substitutes. Because of this differentiated approach, the restaurant is able to market their products and services worldwide, which enables them in turn to maximize the returns on service quality management and development expenditures. RECTIFICATIONS/ RECOMMENDATIONS Deriving from the analysis between Sheffield’s restaurant industry, service quality management and capabilities of the restaurants involved, many strategic options would become imperative. It is therefore essential to evaluate these strategic options as to whether they are appropriate to the issues addressed, whether they are feasible enough to be implemented and their acceptability to key stakeholders. A. Sheffield Restaurant Level Strategy There is definitely a need to reconcile both the inside-out and outside-in capabilities. While Sheffield’s restaurant service quality management involves focusing on its core competencies with market position following its resource base, they will be put into a disadvantageous position should they choose to neglect both the macro as well as the entire hotel and restaurant industry environment within Sheffield and UK. Therefore, Sheffield restaurants have to be aware of the latest service quality management changes, as well as changes in political, economic, legal and even demographic trends within their city in order to develop the outside-in capabilities, such as market sensing, customer linking, channel bonding and technology monitoring. The advantages enjoyed by most Sheffield restaurants may come in the form of increased revenues. Knowing what the market demands and the latest trends could help these restaurants fully exploit their service quality development capabilities to come out with products and services which are not only cost-effective but also high in quality. The strategic option can even be used as marketing tool where the focus is on staying close to their customers and listening to their feedbacks. On the flip side of the coin, there will be huge mobilization of resources involved, and the associated risks bestowed on the restaurants of Sheffield. Nevertheless, the mentioned strategic option seems the most practical in the wake of globalization, since there is a sudden shift towards a more integrated and independent hotel and restaurant industry not only in Sheffield but in the entire England as well. The key stakeholders too should not have any objections so long as Sheffield restaurant’s core business is not threatened. By virtue of the restaurant’s centralized control of their business, it is being expected that major barriers should not exist in carrying out such an option except additional time may be required given the scope and span of their operations. Understanding the strategic importance of service quality is something that the restaurant owners of Sheffield have to be familiar with. They normally practice a centralized and globally scaled configuration of their restaurant’s operations and capabilities. This allows information dissemination to be retained.     B. Network Level Strategy There are various strategic options available for Sheffield’s restaurants. These are enumerated as follows: ·        Tie up with various local restaurants ·        Collaborate with major competitors ·        Alliances with leading players in food and beverages such as suppliers A tie-up or merger with various local restaurants offers tremendous benefits in terms of access to their service quality management policies, infrastructure and even their resources. However, every Sheffield restaurant must not lose sight of its core competencies while pursuing these tie-ups. Otherwise, the image of this restaurant might be put in jeopardy. Meanwhile, the collaboration of Sheffield restaurants with their major competitors can be seen as a ridiculous move at first.  However, upon close examination, this move could pave the way for Sheffield restaurants to improve even more their service quality. The bottom line is both sides would be able significantly gain in such an alliance. The strengths of Sheffield’s restaurants in food and beverage development combined with the service quality management capabilities of their competitors can transform them suddenly into an unbeatable force to reckon with. One possible setback, however, is the differences in the cultures of the restaurants involved. Another possible setback could be whether any of Sheffield restaurant’s competitors has the need to form alliances. The third option also focuses on alliances, but this time with either one of the suppliers specializing in food and beverages. The benefits of these alliances should outweigh the costs in the long run. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Sample Case Study Analysis on Sheffield Restaurants’ Service Quality Management and Development

MAIN ISSUE The author all in all personally visited three (3) restaurants in Sheffield. Generally, the restaurants in Sheffield were fol...

The Current Economy and It’s Impact On Restaurant Industry

The Current Economy and Its Impact On Restaurant Industry. The restaurant business is not a stable industry. From external factors like snowstorms to some internal factors like just one piece of broken equipment can affect the amount of business you do on any given day. These are just some of the many restaurant problems many managers face. According to  twenty-five percent of restaurant operators said the economy is the number-one challenge facing their business, followed by food costs (22%), building-and-maintaining sales volume (16%) and recruiting-and-retaining employees (14%). restaurant is a franchise restaurant and has four chain stores one in  and  The owner and manager of the ,  has identified a few issues that restaurant is currently faced with. To investigate the issues to become Mission Statement, the restaurant promise is “Using only the finest quality ingredients to create classical and contemporary Indian cuisine with traditional methods. Through primary research and an interview with owner,  the following problems were identified. That the restaurant was not performing as  what is expected to proper hiring and training new employees. Advertising is of poor quality hence there is connection to maintain the loyalty of the employees.   The poor advertising factor is also related to the need to make an interactive website, because the current website of the company is old hence giving an impression that the company is not progressive. To provide some solution to the problem the manager has conducted a study. The SWOT analysis has identified the businesses strengths, weaknesses. Strengths and weaknesses are those what happen internally within the restaurant. Some of the strengths are attributed to the front house service of the company.  The weaknesses are those that the restaurant still follows a traditional and old fashioned in catering services to the consumers. On the other hand, opportunities and threat are those linked to external matters that have an impact to the organization. It was found out that the opportunity is the capacity of restaurants to adapt to the dictates of the restaurant industry. The threats is the losing the position in the business industry because of the emergence of newly and modern restaurants. The hospitality industry demands special skills and qualities of its people, particularly in the area of catering services to the consumers. The restaurant must be able to incorporate the necessity of improve training and staff performance. Training must include intense motivation and the ability to make the employees to know the importance of the job and to work as a team. In addition,  the business must be well managed in order to create a sense of commitment and team spirit. Training gives managers a greater overall confidence and a better positive outlook. Profit Chain in which well-trained and engaged employees deliver outstanding service.  Furthermore, the ways to increase customer is also vital because it could also be the way to see how customers are satisfied with the services prepared.   This can be achieved thru advertising primarily in the offer excellent friendly customer services.  messages in advertising: Quality,  Freshness, Affordable, Variety, Value. It is also necessary for the company to venture into another set or type of foods in order to give customers several choices because of variation. Customers enjoy the experience, become loyal customers, and positively recommend the restaurant to others, sales increase, profits increase.  Information was gathered through research from the that publishes a monthly Restaurant Performance Index, which measures the health and outlook of the industry. Customer reviews from website: Interviews were conducted with owner, chef, and waiters of In terms of confidentially, this document contains confidential information and it is proprietary to  It is supplied subject to conditions, that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be reproduced, resold, or otherwise circulated without prior written consent of the restaurant. The author will see to it that the information gathered will only be used for academic purpose. It is the plan of the author that will be used in order to give the study a concrete and specific details. will help author to have the best basis for drawing a conclusion and recommendations. Furthermore, the author will also apply the SWOT Analysis, however, this analysis will be used in determining the strategy of the restaurant in dealing with problems and inevitable circumstance. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Current Economy and It’s Impact On Restaurant Industry

The Current Economy and Its Impact On Restaurant Industry. The restaurant business is not a stable industry. From external factors like ...

Hospitality Management

1.0 Background of the Study Hospitality management involves the planning, organizing, directing, and controlling of human and material resources within the lodging, restaurant, travel and tourism, institutional management, recreational management and meeting and convention planning industries ( 2006). All of these are separated yet the related segments of hospitality industry are interrelated to deliver the kind of services the guests expects. The hospitality management field is an especially advantageous discipline in getting a hands-on working experience in restaurants, hotels, and other hospitality service businesses.             Putting up a restaurant can be one of the most rewarding types of all businesses because of the intimate involvement one can have with this type of business. One can be a part of it in just every aspect. In opening up a restaurant, the first step must be deciding what type of restaurant would it going to be. Will it be a high-end fine dining restaurant? A pizzeria? Does it intend to have a specific type of cuisine, such as Italian, French, or Indian? Restaurants are generally seen as a good business venture because people are always looking for food. There are different types of restaurants that businesspersons can look up into when starting and the decision regarding what type of restaurant or what style to put up is based on different factors (2006). The decision regarding the general concept of a restaurant business will be dependent on different major things. Like the location and the target market of the restaurant in mind. Planning it and putting it into paper—a business plan—is the blueprint in starting a restaurant.   2.0 Statement of the Problem It is important to understand all the various jobs that are involved in running a restaurant before opening up one (2008). The achievement of the subsistence of one’s restaurant business is the main issue here. What are the factors that contribute to slow sales? What are the issues that a restaurant owner will have to deal with on a regular basis? Owning a restaurant, while incredibly rewarding, is a lot of hard work—just like any other types of business. Writing a business plan would hugely help anyone in mapping the desired outcome. A thorough business plan allows a person to plan business on paper, including start up costs, annual budget, and projected sales. Although a business plan can be time consuming to complete, the result will help give a clear picture of how to make your restaurant succeed. What are the disturbance and challenges that a starting restaurant encounters? Unstable income, long days and nights, staff concerns are just one of the many concerns of owning a restaurant. Knowing the target market is very important in determining what style of restaurant to put up. What must be the right stance of the restaurant owner in order to surpass all the stress directed to him or her? A good restaurant owner knows how to handle the pressure of the job and not let it consume him or her. 3.0 Objectives of the Study The main purpose of this study is to analyze the several activities or events that jeopardizes effective management of a running a restaurant business.  This research, specifically, purports to determine how these activities the sales of the business and the satisfaction of the customers. This research takes into account the practices that affect poor business planning recognizing the all-important factors such as fluctuating food costs, payroll, and taxes that many business owners find very overwhelming and thus oftentimes lead to chaos. The study also seeks to evaluate how maintaining a resilience of the mind can endure all the stress and preplanning for the expenses before going into the restaurant business can help a great deal. 4.0 Research Methodology This study will use the descriptive type of research. A descriptive research intends to present facts concerning the nature and status of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study and to describe present conditions, events or systems based on the impressions or reactions of the respondents of the research ( 1994). It is also concerned with relationships and practices that exist, beliefs and processes that are ongoing, effects that are being felt, or trends that are developing (1970). In this study, primary and secondary research will be both incorporated. The reason for this is to be able to provide adequate discussion for the readers that will help them understand more about the issue and the different variables that involve with it. The primary data for the study will be represented by the survey results that will be acquired from the respondents. On the other hand, the literature reviews to be presented in the second chapter of the study will represent the secondary data of the study. 5.0 References Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Hospitality Management

1.0 Background of the Study Hospitality management involves the planning, organizing, directing, and controlling of human and material re...

Enhancing Quality Service by Complying with Business Laws:The Case of La Barca Ristorante Italiano

Enhancing Quality Service by Complying with Business Laws: The Case of La Barca Ristorante Italiano     Summary                 La Barca is a thirty-year-old Italian restaurant located in Lower Marsh. It offers quality service by offering genuine Italian food and hospitality as well as by complying with national legal standards. The restaurant complies with various legal standards on health and safety for its staff and customers, labour legislations and the necessary health and safety permits.   Introduction               La Barca is a restaurant established thirty years ago offering the best of Italian food and hospitality. The restaurant is located at Lower Marsh just behind the Waterloo Station, making the restaurant environment traditional and even old-fashioned. The restaurant is located strategically near National Theatre, Old Vic Theatre, Royal Festival and the Yong Vic. Its location attracts not only the theatre crowd but also business and working people due to its proximity to the Waterloo Station. La Barca Ristorante Italiano has been serving customers for nearly thirty years. (2006)     Health and Safety of Staff and Customers               La Barca employs thirty-five employees. The restaurant complies with legal standards for health and safety of its employees by upgrading its kitchen equipment and organizing the kitchen structure to prevent accidents and training its staff on the safe use of equipment. The entire restaurant is also well ventilated, especially the kitchen to provide a good working environment for its staff. Apart from this, management also apply shifting to offer continued service to customers but providing the staff with break periods. To ensure health and safety for staff and customers, the restaurant was organized to be accident proof. Signs are placed in strategic areas to inform customers of the location of the restrooms and warn customers of low ceiling or wet floor.   Food Health and Safety              La Barca takes pride on offering genuine experience of Italian cuisine and hospitality so that it imports food products not locally grown in the UK from Italy. It ensures food quality of its raw materials by contracting with renowned food growers. Prior to storage, the food products are sorted and inspected. Food is also stored appropriately according to temperature requirements ( 2006). Due to the large pool of customers, the restaurant almost always empties its storage giving it no problems with stale food. In food preparations, the chef and assistants change into their standard cooking attire with hairnets and gloves when necessary.   Licensing                La Barca Ristorante Italiano is a duly license and registered business establishment. The restaurant owner is a taxpayer in terms of personal income and business operations. The owner also obtains and renews its permit from the Health Department and Fire Marshal as well as for use and occupancy of the business premises. Thus, the restaurant submits to regular inspections from the concerned departments to comply with business laws and provide food and service at par with national standards.   Employer’s Obligations               The owner/manager of La Barca is conscious of labour legislations such as the Employment Rights Act 1996, Employment Act 2002 and the Employment Relations Act 2004 particularly provisions on wage and benefits, working hours and guidelines for dismissal ( 2001) so that the owner meets these standards. However, the business values of the restaurant goes beyond the legal framework because the owner recognizes that its staff is its initial customers so that satisfaction starts with them to cause a chain of satisfaction from the staff transmitted to customer service/relations.     Evaluation of Findings               La Barca Ristorante Italiano is all about balance. In general, its owner/manager tries to balance legal demands of operating a restaurant with rational business interests so that the restaurant complies with all legal requirements and standards in order to continue operating as a restaurant. In terms of organizational structure, the owner tries to balance the motivation of its staff with the financial perspective of the business. In relation to its customers, the restaurant provides both great genuine Italian food and hospitality without sacrificing the health and safety of its staff and customers. The result is a well-balanced holistic business attributed with the persistence of the restaurant and the growth of its pool of regular customers.   Recommendations               Since its establishment, the restaurant saw the introduction of a number of specialty restaurants in its immediate vicinity due to the development of the area as a tourist destination, art and theatre haven and a business thoroughfare. La Barca can use compliance with legal standards as a competitive advantage by enhancing the different aspects of its service delivery, such as providing the option for customer participation in food preparation by letting customers choose from a display of fresh ingredients or give customers a view of the kitchen and the process of food preparation so customers develop a good impression of the health and safety considerations given by the restaurant staff in food preparation and delivery.            Bibliography     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Enhancing Quality Service by Complying with Business Laws:The Case of La Barca Ristorante Italiano

Enhancing Quality Service by Complying with Business Laws: The Case of La Barca Ristorante Italiano Summary ...

Facilities Design – Assessment 3: CAPEX: DEPRECIATION

Capex Depreciation for Yon Jai Restaurant   This paper will provide an overview of the expenditure in relation with durability, sustainability and maintenace costs of purchases. This paper will provide depreciation analysis for Yon Jair restaurant. Accordingly, depreciation is an approach of expensing the cost of a fixed asset over the time period in which the business benefits from its use. The depreciation is a process of estimating how much expense should be allocated or allotted to each period.  The cost of restaurant equipment in the Yon Jai restaurant can be considered as high.Hence, there is a need to generate a realistic profit figure against the expenses. Capital cost of equipment is referred to as a cost which represents fixed assets for instance open burner costs ,448.00 and donper ice-maker ,650.00. Nonetheless, the fixed assets depreciate in value over time and that is why there is a very large difference or discrepancy between its auction prices and retail prices. In Yon Jai restaurants for instance, fixed assets are essential for manufacturing a product to turn raw ingredients into finished products.  There are reasons why fixed assets loose value and this include the usage- wear/tear, emergence of new technology, increased competition in the market and time aspects. Hence, the company should depreciat to have a realistic view of profit by breaking down the durability of the equipments on a yearly basis. There are two approaches of depreciation approach and this includes the straight line approach and the diminishing value. The straight line method or apporach is the deduction of the equal amount at each time period, which is typically the end of the financial year. Whereas, diminishing value method- is an approach by which a constant rate is used and deducted from the value and then recalculated at the less value in the next period of time. The following calculations were done using Total $ amount /9 -total $ amount = $ less GST Diminishing Value Method. The IRD will supply relative percentages and time frames: 14.5% over 5 years. Depreciation is calculated excluding GST. Name of equipment Total Price inc. GST Total Cost Less GST Rate of Dep-on 14.5% Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5     total 4 BUNNER WOK BENCH 5,995.00 5,328.89 772.69 772.69 660.65 564.85 482.95 412.92 2,894.06 SINGLE DIM SUM/NOODLE COOKER 3,998.00 3,553.78 515.30 515.30 440.58 376.70 322.07 275.37 1,930.02 STOCK POT COOKER WITH SLACH BACK-LPG 1,800.00 1,600.00 232.00 232.00 198.36 169.60 145.01 123.98 868.95 DONPER-ICE MAKER 1,650.00 1,466.67 212.67 212.67 181.83 155.46 132.92 113.65 796.53 HAIMAN GRILLER 1,259.00 1,119.11 162.27 162.27 138.74 118.62 101.42 86.72 607.77 3 DOOR DISPLAY CHILLER 4,400.00 3,911.11 567.11 567.11 484.88 414.57 354.46 303.06 2,124.08 3 DOOR DISPLAY FREEZER 6,600.00 5,866.67 850.67 850.67 727.32 621.86 531.69 454.59 3,186.13 CHAR ROCK BROILER 3,030.00 2,693.33 390.53 390.53 333.91 285.49 244.09 208.70 1,462.72 BERJAYA 4 OPEN BURNER+GRIDDLE 3,030.00 2,693.33 390.53 390.53 333.91 285.49 244.09 208.70 1,462.72 4 OPEN BURNER 2,448.00 2,176.00 315.52 315.52 269.77 230.65 197.21 168.61 1,181.76     Durability       Durable goods are goods with a long usable life in economics. It can be said that based on the provided equipments, majority of the equipment are durable enough to last for five years, unless, the company need some upgrade to maximize their operations.    Sustainability           Accordingly, sustainability is referred to as humanity’s investment in a system of living. Sustainability characterizes the process or state which can be maintainedat a specific level of idefinitely.  It’s the environmental utilisation which is referred to the potential longevity of vital ecological systems. It can be said that sustainability relates to how long ecological systems can be expected to be productive. Hence, to be able to make the environment better and to improve environmental aspects to become more productive we should think of three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Therefore, there is a need for people to become more eco-friendly while creating and designing, so its not only looks beautiful but feels beautiful. In the In the Yon Jai restaurant the main equipments composes of materials which is not easy to destroy, hence, it can help in environmental sustainability, since the management will not easily change the materials and can use it as long as they want or as long as it is still useful and usable .         Replacement and Maintenance                             To be able to ensure and guarantee an effective, efficient use and performance, the maintenance of equipments must be considered by the management of the restaurant. Considering a little budget ahead time can help the restaurant save a lot for future needs in the long run. In this regard, equipment will last longer, and may become more efficient and less prone to break down and damages. A proper maintenance program for the resaurant may beging with the assurance that one person understands the correct way of using the equipment and will be accountable and responsible for the maintenance program or approach. The maintenance person usually the utility personnel, should then ensure that all other users follow the correct instructions of usage and monitor equipment in the company. At times, it is better to replace equipment the equipment, especially if it creates danger for the person who will use it. Even it may seem that it is less expensive to repair it can cost more in the long run, especially in terms of occupational safety of the employees. It can be said that the efficiency of consdiering new equipment has improved significantly in the last ten years. Sometimes it can be noted that the energy savings could cover the cost of the system over time.    Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Facilities Design – Assessment 3: CAPEX: DEPRECIATION

Capex Depreciation for Yon Jai Restaurant This paper will provide an overview of the expenditure in relation with durability, sustain...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: BENIHANA INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT

Executive Summary             Founded in 1964 by 25-year old Olympic wrestler from Japan – , Benihana is a popular international specialty restaurant chain that features traditional Japanese cooking using American favorites like steak, chicken, seafood, and vegetables. Popularly associated with an exhibition-style of Japanese cooking called teppanyaki, Benihana serve for almost four decades and consistently provide the needs of its clientele and at the same time entertained by highly skilled teppanyaki chefs. They are also known for their “eatertainment” style of presentations. In the early 1960s, Benihana pioneered a communal dining concept wherein people are seated around a steel hibachi grill waiting for the chef’s exhibition and now considered to be the longest running dinner show in the world. Today, Benihana is considered as one of the largest Asian restaurants in the United States with 52 Benihana locations, 22 franchised Benihana locations in 12 different countries, six Haru restaurants in New York City, eight RA Sushi restaurants, and one Doraku restaurant in Miami, Florida.   Services             Benihana primarily serves America’s favorite foods such as steak, seafood, chicken, and vegetables cooked in authentic and traditional Japanese style of cooking – teppanyaki. Customers sit around a common table at which a Benihana chef slices their seafood, steak, chicken, and vegetables with lightning speed, grills their meal right in front of them, and then tosses it accurately onto their plates. Aside from this specialty kind of service, other Benihana restaurant chain members offered and continuously offer a variety of product and service offerings.   Customers             Benihana is said to be a venue to meet new friends, celebrate special occasions, or merely enjoy an entertaining and delectable meal served by skilled teppanyaki chefs. Customers vary yet everyone is guaranteed to be served well. Benihana claimed that they have served more than 100,000,000 meals since 1964. With its continuous and outstanding performance in the global restaurant industry, Benihana’s customers will incessantly grow as the corporation expands its service and product operations.   Key Dates on Corporate Management Highlights <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 1964: The first Benihana of Tokyo restaurant opens. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 1968: Benihana enters the Chicago market. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 1982: Benihana of Tokyo (BOT) forms Benihana National Corporation (BNC). </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 1983: BNC goes public. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 1984: Benihana National Classics, a line of Chinese gourmet frozen foods, is introduced in supermarkets. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 1994: The company enters into a licensing agreement with Campbell Soup to launch a line of frozen stir-fry kits featuring the Benihana trademark. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 1995: BNC buys ‘s 21 Benihana of Tokyo restaurants on the U.S. mainland and the U.S. rights to the Benihana trademark; Benihana, Inc., is created as part of the corporate restructuring. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 1997: Nine teppanyaki restaurants are acquired from Rudy’s Restaurant Group Inc. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 1999: The company purchases the Haru Sushi restaurants. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> 2002: Benihana adds the RA Sushi Bar and Restaurant chain to its holdings.</li> </ul>   Financial Highlights             During the early years of the new millennium revenues increased, rising from 3.2 million in fiscal 2001 to 8.3 million in fiscal 2005. Net income fluctuated, falling in 2002, rising in 2003, and then falling off again over the next two years. Net income was .8 million in 2005–its lowest point since 2001. Future Plans             The company remained focused on growth and anticipated further expansion. It also launched a redesign of its teppanyaki restaurants. Locations in California and New York were refurbished with the new look and Benihana’s new location in Miramar, Florida, was the first restaurant to incorporate the new design during the building process. Management was optimistic as it looked toward the future and believed Benihana was well positioned for success in the competitive restaurant industry. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: BENIHANA INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT

Executive Summary Founded in 1964 by 25-year old Olympic wrestler from Japan – , Benihana is a popular international specialt...

INTRODUCTION TO FOOD AND BEVERAGE OPERATION

Introduction to Food and Beverage Operation   Information Interview             An information interview is an appointment that you schedule with a particular individual for gaining current, regional and/or specialized information from an “insider” point of view. Information Interviews are useful in acquiring valuable information for job hunting and career planning. It can also give information about a particular organization and identify the problems or needs of the employer.   Information Interview with Nora Daza             Nora Daza is a culinary expert in the Philippines. Nora Daza is not just a kitchen guru but also a larger-than-life culinary icon. From her cookbooks, restaurants and cooking show, Daza has enlightened Filipinos and foreigners alike about the world of gastronomic pleasures. Her books are considered as household staples and regarded as kitchen bibles by those who want to improve their cooking skills and produce amazing dishes.   Questions: 1. How did you get started in the food and beverage field?             There is pleasure in giving good food to people. That started it all for me. My incentive was the appreciation I got whenever I cooked for people. That was, and still is, a big high for me. Unlike some who just smell the food they are cooking, I make it a point to taste the food. It’s my palate that really helps me.             2. What was your education and how did you prepare for your management career?             I took up a Home economics course at the University of the Philippines. After that, I got married and had kids. But I wanted the chance to earn my own income. My first job was as a sales agent selling ads to big companies. Later on, I learned that cooking could be rewarding because it made people happy. I earned a Master of Science in Restaurant and Institution management from Cornell University in New York and headed the Manila Gas Cooking School.   3. What are the daily duties and nature of your job?             I have a hectic schedule. I run restaurants in Paris, New York and the Philippines. I also write a number of cookbooks and even host my own cooking show “Cooking it up with Nora Daza”.   4. What are the toughest problems you deal with?             For me the toughest problem I deal with is juggling all my jobs as a restaurateur, writer and TV host. When I opened my restaurants abroad, it was challenging at first to introduce Filipino cuisine to the French and American markets.    5. How did you start your career as a Restaurateur?             I opened the first restaurant in Manila in 1965. It was called Au Bon Vivant. This place became famous and made French fare such as onion soup, chateaubriand and almond mousse popular among the Manila crowd. The success of Au Bon Vivant led to the opening of two more branches in Metro Manila.   6. How did your restaurants became successful abroad?             When I opened restaurants abroad, it definitely put Filipino dishes on the map. I opened Aux lles Philippines (In the Philippine Islands) in 1972 in Paris. It became one of the favorite dining spots of France’s crème de la crème. It was among the top three Asian restaurants in Paris and was given high rating of three forks in the French guides  and guide . I introduced many Filipino delicacies and dishes and it became widely accepted. I also opened a restaurant in New York in 1974.  restaurant was included in the top 37 restaurants in ’s Restaurant Guide to New York City and Vicinity and was awarded four crowns by Pan America. I also became a partner of Mai Thai, a restaurant that offered the best of Thai cuisine.   7. What do you find most rewarding about this work?             What I find most rewarding about my job as a restaurateur and restaurant manager is being able to put Filipino dishes on the map and being able to help people who want to improve their cooking skills. I also find it rewarding to encourage and train my restaurant staff.   8. What is your long-term goal?             My long-term goal is to bring Philippine dishes to the international scene and prove that Filipino food could be at par with other foreign cuisines.   9. Since you have managed various restaurants, what do you think are the characteristics of an aspiring applicant for managerial position?             An aspiring applicant must have extensive knowledge on restaurant operations. He or she must have excellent leadership, management, organization, training/coaching, motivation and communication skills.   10. What are the responsibilities of a Restaurant Manager?             A restaurant manager oversees the daily operations of the restaurant. He or she coordinates activities among various departments, such as the kitchen, the dining room, the bar and the administrative and accounting area. He or she is also responsible for ensuring guest satisfaction with their dining experience. The restaurant manager is also responsible for all of the administrative and human-resource functions of running the business. This includes employee training and performance monitoring.       Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

INTRODUCTION TO FOOD AND BEVERAGE OPERATION

Introduction to Food and Beverage Operation Information Interview An information interview is an appointment that you sch...

Pizza Hut

Comparison of the Pizza Hut Branches Pizza Hut: A Brief History Began in 1958, the brothers Frank and Dan Carney borrowed 0 from their mother and started to establish the business in the Wichita State University in Kansas, where they both studied. Since then, the Pizza Hut slowly emerged and now the world’s largest pizza franchise. The company continuously branched and developed different franchise and has put as a part of Pepsi Empire. Through the aggressive marketing techniques especially in “take out” market, it is truly satisfying that the success was achieved through innovation. For over the years, the Pizza Hut had to reinvent the pizza and introduce a healthier pizza because the company and their specialists cut off the unnecessary calories and fats when cheese is added to the dough. In addition to their menus, the company included the new taste combinations and expanded the choice of the pizza available for the customers. The additional pizza dippers in their menus are part of the company’s strategy to gain the consumers trusts for the next years. Customers’ Delight After more than fifty years, the company already collected almost 12,000 restaurants in more than 90 countries. Pizza Hut remains in the lead as the number one choice of the pizza lovers. The entire company had a philosophical belief that states: “because we love pizza and we care about our customers, we have a responsibility to offer great products and service”. Its influence definitely reached every corner of the world. Even the Queen of Italy during 1889, namely Queen Margherita, was captured by the deliciously taste of pizza. In for her honor, one pizza is named after her. Marketing, Products and Services Every Pizza Hut Franchise has their own marketing strategy in satisfying their customers’ needs. Aside from the delivery services that is widely adopted by different restaurants, the company also started the online orders, where the customers who can’t managed to go to the telephone or walk in their alleys can now log on to their website and access their orders. Both franchises in the area receive good feedbacks in their products and services. But one of them gets slack sales during afternoon. Around two o’clock in the afternoon, the customers are nowhere to seen. The first restaurant reasoned that the franchise is in the middle of the city where the people are busy working. It is common for them that the people suddenly disappear after the clock hits the one to one thirty in the afternoon. But after the slow sales for about three hours, the restaurant will be again busy in producing the all-time favorite. As part of their marketing strategy, their crews or waiters are doing the sales talk outside the restaurant. As a result, they also offer a free delivery whenever the place is within reach. It is hard for the employees but they have to so it to survive a day and been not subject for foreclosure. Meanwhile, the other franchise restaurant also experiences this kind of down sales. The other restaurant is a little far from the first one, but the slack sales hits them in the morning. The only reason is because the restaurant stood near the other restaurants which the competition is extremely high. To answer this kind of problem, the restaurant participates in giving gift cards, where an individual can avail their product whenever he wishes to. All he has to do is to present a card that was authorized by the management. It is very effective especially in holiday seasons. Analysis The two Pizza Hut franchises are operating for almost 10 years in their own community. The growing competition and advantages of the two franchises are continuously affecting the performance of the restaurant. In the aspect of marketing, the differences are indeed obvious, but still both aims to achieve the additional sales and still part of their objective are taking care of their customers. The two restaurants are aware of the emerging global competitions and the managers in their respective restaurants are planning to stand against the different market changes.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Pizza Hut

Comparison of the Pizza Hut Branches Pizza Hut: A Brief History Began in 1958, the brothers Frank and Dan Carney borrowed 0 from their m...

The Chinese Spring-Rolls Restaurant

The Chinese Spring-Rolls Restaurant   Introduction             In the world on the verge of moving to the 21st century, everything needs to be changed for the better. Businesses need to be always on the cutting edge. And as modern technology is there to help it, it is never left behind. Modern management strategies are constantly being developed, as well as technologies that aid these advancements.             The management of the Chinese Spring Rolls Restaurant, after seeing that their business is fast gaining popularity, invested for itself a database that would help it efficiently manage itself ad hopefully help increase profits too. The following segment is taken from the reference material. It may provide a better introduction onto why the restaurant employed the aid of the database.             “After rave reviews in the local press regarding its ‘Prawn Ball & Noodles’ speciality dish the Spring Roll Chinese Restaurant has decided to implement a database to help organise itself and increase efficiency and hopefully profits.  The restaurant offers a wide range of Chinese dishes, which are prepared on the premises from the finest ingredients stored in its stock room.  There is a need to regularly order fresh stock from a number of selected suppliers.  The database is required to record the items of stock and make sure that if items run low the system will automatically prompt the owners to place a new order, as well as keeping track of the payments for these orders.    The meals that the restaurant offers are also to be recorded as well the ingredients that go into making the dish.  For example their speciality dish Prawn Ball and Noodles is made up of prawns, batter, noodles and their secret ingredient MSG.  Some meals are set meals for 2, 3 or more customers and these are a collection of carefully selected individual meals.  The main purpose of the database will of course be to record customers booking tables for particular nights.  The restaurant has a number of stylish dinning areas with tables that seat a wide number of customers, from cosy couples to large parties of 15.    As part of the efficiency drive the restaurant want the database to be able to calculate how many customers they will have on any particular night and to make sure that there is enough staff working that night to serve everybody.  So staff details and the days they are working must be recorded as well as their important contact details should they be needed on short notice.  Finally, when the customers have arrived and selected their meals, the information is recorded into the database so the system can automatically calculate and produce an itemised bill.  The consultant that got the contract to build their database was expected to produce a system that would provide answers to at least the following set of typical questions.   1.    List all the meals and their individual ingredients both in alphabetical order.    2.    List all the current orders which are outstanding, indicating the items on order and from which supplier, showing if the order has been paid for.   3.    List by order of popularity the meals that have been selected since the restaurant started.   4.    Produce a menu that shows all meals including set meals and their individual dishes. In the above statement, we can see the purpose of the database. The database provides the solution to the questions stated above. In the following segments, we shall discuss the importance and significance of the database to the Chinese Spring Rolls Restaurant.   Discussion             Suitability of the application to the case scenario. As was mentioned above, the application was custom made for the establishment. It was designed to answer most of the needs that existed in the restaurant.  The consultant had asked the designer of the database to address most of the queries of the restaurant management and to at least answer the following four basic questions: List all the meals and their individual ingredients both in alphabetical order.    List all the current orders which are outstanding, indicating the items on order and from which supplier, showing if the order has been paid for.   List by order of popularity the meals that have been selected since the restaurant started.   Produce a menu that shows all meals including set meals and their individual dishes. And as the restaurant is getting busier and busier by the day, the application is well suited for its everyday undertakings.   Need for further development and / or improvements. As of the moment, the database is quite fitted for its use in the restaurant. Maybe in the near future, the restaurant may need to update its features to fit its growing needs. As of the moment, I see no need for improvement since it really well suited to its function. And since it helps in the management of the restaurant itself, further improvements can be put on hold, as of the moment.               Ease of use and need for training of staff in case of adoption of the application by the business. The application is very easy to navigate and manipulate. Indeed, the staff will need training on the application since it may be new to them. But since it is the age of computers and that most people nowadays are computer literate, it would be relatively easy for them to navigate and manipulate the database application, if in case, the management would wish to invest on it. It would not be a grave loss for the management if they invested on this application. Though maybe they would still need to give the staff a bit of training on the application, still, it would be greatly beneficial to them in the end since the application not only helps in the management of the restaurant, it makes it relatively easy.   Functions of the system that helps decision-making. Certain functions of the application really help in the difficult task of decision making. Since the application already weighs the needed ingredients for each type of recipe that the restaurant prepares, the management need only buy the ingredients needed from their trusted suppliers. This is a very good feature of the database. It saves the management the trouble of doing an inventory for its ingredients because the database already does that for them. The prices and the number of goods needed are already carefully calculated by the application. All the management needs to do is to program the application with the information about the goods that are needed and to update the information stored in the application. Another good feature that helps in the decision making of the company is  that the computer is pre programmed on the reservations and bookings of the clients. The management needs only to feed the information on the clients booking and the application will take care of the rest.    Functions that you would expect to be there but are missing. Since the application contains several functions that were really beneficial for the management, I was not really expecting anything else. But as I reviewed its general functions, a function that I was expecting was missing. It’s actually a very simple function that would aid the efficacy of the service and would help keep the anger of the waiting customer at bay. The management should at least have a timetable that has the estimated how long it took to process a certain dish. And they should have included that function in the application. It would have helped speed up the preparation of the food and the customers would at least know how long it took to prepare the dish they chose to order. And also, the management should brief their cooks to stick to the time frame estimated for each dish since the customers are waiting for the dish. If this is incorporated in the application and they provided a monitor for the cooks to refer to, there would be more efficient in serving their customers, not to mention the increased number of orders they could meet per day which would in turn increase their number of profits per day.   Recommendations             The application, in a whole, is very good in helping the efficacy drive of the management. But the training for each employee must be undertaken. Not only for the application itself but on all aspects that has any relation to the employee. In the case of the Chinese Spring Rolls Restaurant, high vigilance must be adopted in order to attain a better and more efficient work force. The staff must be well equipped, not only in the aspects of efficiency in operating the system, but also in the overall performance of each employee. An automated tool provides a consistent, transparent method to record and review the agreed-upon standards and progress toward achievement. Improvement upon automation may not only provide results, employee-wise, but also regain and attain more profits. According to a research paper that I came across, people are more driven when they are exposed to certain factors. ‘ “At the individual level, the performance management system (PMS) must drive employee engagement, focus, and alignment. People perform best when they: Ø  Understand and agree with what they are expected to achieve at work; Ø  Gain specific feedback and agree with others’ assessment of their progress based on objectives and relevant information; and Ø  Are encouraged to take responsibility for their own performance and plan their own development. The company wants its employees to have control, choice, and self-help; but it also wants to make sure its employees’ contributions are aligned with business objectives. That is possible if employees have good, collaborative conversations with their managers. One of the key strategies in any performance management implementation is to clarify, document, and train people on the company’s performance management process before selecting or implementing any tool.” Furthermore, the staff is also asked to create more attainable and individual goals taken from the whole company’s objective. Having said this, it may help the overall performance of each employee since they can be treated as individual persons with personal goals rather than a staff working to create a very vague and large objective. Though of course it may seem very good to have objectives which can be easily pursued, it may not be as the same for the staff. They may think it is humanly impossible to attain such Herculean tasks. The management should also think of how the employee can accomplish each task and if it is humanly attainable for them. In addition to that, development and adaptation of technological innovations by the management is greatly encouraged since it will result in a better and more efficient service to the clients and also help create better managerial approach for the company itself. Moreover, acquiring such an application can help in keeping an edge over other competing businesses.     Conclusions             Therefore, the application that the management decided to acquire is greatly beneficial. Also, in the near future, it may require a little tweaking here and there. It may also need a bit of upgrading when the needs increase, but for the time being, the application is really very good at meeting the demands of the management.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Chinese Spring-Rolls Restaurant

The Chinese Spring-Rolls Restaurant Introduction In the world on the verge of moving to the 21st century, everything need...