Hotel Restaurants In Bucharest. Do Clients Use Them Or Not

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Hotel Restaurants In Bucharest. Do Clients Use Them Or Not

Byadmin ianuarie 1, 2024

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Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH

The food and beverage department is an integral part of the operation of a lodging property. A full-service hotel with more than 200 rooms generates almost 30 percent of its total revenue from the sale of food and beverage products. In some large convention hotels, food and beverage sales may account for 50 percent or more of a property’s total revenue. The economic success or failure of many hotels is directly tied to the ability of the food and beverage department staff to effectively plan and control its operations and to provide food service that will attract hotel guests.

Food and beverage department represents an integral area in any accommodation unit, being responsible for the actual and systematic service of F&B to costumers, playing, at the same time, a vital role regarding the delivery of accurate food and beverage services by serving clients in a proper and hospitality manner. This department plays an important role regarding the profitable business of the hotel, being a specialized service by the output of products that assure satisfaction to clients’ demand.

In their efforts to be profitable, food and beverage operations in lodging facilities often have to overcome several challenges that freestanding restaurants do not face. In this respect, one must consider the following aspects:

Freestanding restaurants are built in location where the food and beverage service is judged to be profitable; hotels are located in areas where the rental of guestrooms is judged to be profitable.

Food service in hotels must operate at convenient times to hotel guests. Restaurant operating hours are scheduled to best accommodate food service guests.

Food service in hotels must be provided to guests even on low-occupancy days. A restaurant manager may elect to close (for example, on all Mondays during the summer).

The purpose of this research is to determine a methodology in order to quantify the connections between the customer satisfaction and the performance of the hotel restaurants in Bucharest, Romania. Data from two hotels will be used in order to predict how the level of customer satisfaction with certain attributes of guests' dining experience affects the likelihood that the clients will come back again.

The research will show that customer returning is influenced most by responsiveness of the frontline employees, followed by price and food quality. Also, it is important to highlight that the fact that physical design and appearance of the restaurant do not have a significant effect, the key issue concerning the nature of demand for food and beverage product being identified using a well-validated oversimplified list of questions (such as “Who are the consumers of the food and beverage product?”; “What the food and beverage product do they want?”; “Why do they want a food and beverage product?”; “When do they want a food and beverage product?”; “How do they obtain a food and beverage product?”). These questions can be individually explored, but only one is the key: “What products do consumers want?”. The WHO, WHY, WHERE and HOW are all part of the product and are inherent in answering the question as to which product consumers want.

The key issue in the framework will therefore be cantered around the product.

1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES

Aim: This study aims to provide information about the evaluation of the restaurants in Bucharest hotels and how often do customers use them, based on an analysis of costumers’ perception on Pullman Hotel in Bucharest.

Objectives:

To analyse the concept of the hotel restaurant;

To establish the use of a hotel restaurant;

To examine the importance of restaurants in Bucharest;

To explore the restaurant types in Pullman Hotel and which one do customers prefer the most;

To draw conclusions and make recommendations about the most visited restaurant in Pullman Hotel from Bucharest.

1.3 STRUCTURE OF THE DISSERTATION

As an overview of the structure of the dissertation, one would observe that it is first intended within the literature review chapter to provide a clear understanding of the Food & Beverage department and the development of the consumer (in this respect, there will be analyzed the nature of demand for food and beverage products and the consumer – product relationship).

Secondly, an overview of the organisation the research is conducted on, being provided for a clear understanding of the management process, alongside with the identification of key issues which shape the nature of demand for food and beverage products.

Thirdly, the data collected from the staff line employee and from some of the hotel managers working within the hospitality organization the research is conducted on, will be thoroughly analysed in accordance with the literature and organization’s management process.

The methodology is based on a mixture of research methods that will be used, respectively:

Primary data (Company reports) and secondary data (literature, books and journals);

Qualitative data: interviews (ended questions) with some managers from Pullman Hotel in Bucharest;

Quantitative data: guest’s questionnaires from the three restaurants in Pullman Hotel. The questionnaires will be given at the end of the meal, together with the bill.

Lastly, as a result of the data analysis further recommendations will concern the most visited restaurant in Pullman Hotel, Bucharest.

Chapter 2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Public alimentation is the relevant branch of retail sector, having as main objectives the deployment of the production and distribution of food and beverages, and as appropriate, the preparation of various dishes, and not least, pastry and Cafeteria, their distribution and certain food commodities. At the same time, it aims to improve public nutrition and an environment of favourable natural product consumption within a society (Stavrositu, 2001, p. 34) In the context of the Romanian law, entities whose business activity is public alimentation represent part of the economic structure of the service sector. According to statistical reports, public alimentation related activity is recorded, analyzed and simultaneously reported to two distinct categories of units, namely:

• Restaurants

• Bars and cafes and other establishments for cooking food

Along with complexity, the need to differentiate prices is important, establishing itself on a case by case basis according to the specific units, the level of employment, but also depending on the quality of the provided services.

Restaurant business at hotels level implies a high degree of endowment with fixed capital which implies the emergence of much higher costs of maintenance and various tech facilities, but it concerns the compliance with specialized and qualified human resources at the highest level.

Taking into consideration the speciality literature, this chapter will present aspects related to Food & Beverage Department in a Hotel Restaurant, highlighting the nature of demand for food and beverage products, together with the development of the consumer, considering the consumer – product relationship.

2.2 FOOD & BEVERAGE DEPARTMENT IN A HOTEL RESTAURANT

The Food & Beverage department, as the name implies, refers to the catering department (food and beverage). According to Gray and Liguori (2003, p.15), "in the hotel industry, the concept of Food and Beverage was used to designate all activities related to the production, service and commercialization of food and beverages". These authors also point out that the production sector comprises the sections that transform the raw material into final products (kitchens), and that the service sector depends on all points of sale and annexed sections (restaurants, bars, mini Bars, room service, drinks).

In the F & B department it is necessary that the employees feel motivated and mainly that they possess the capacity to work in team, not neglecting, obviously, their technical aptitudes and professional formation. The number of employees required to perform the service depends on certain factors. According to Davis et al., (Davis et al., 2013, p.58), the main factors lie in the size and category of the establishment, the type of cuisine ( traditional, thematic cuisine), the quality and quantity of available equipment and the importance of banqueting service.

Depending on the factors mentioned above, one can allocate these functions by chef, cook, pastry staff, cafeteria staff, room chief, room staff, room service staff, bartender, staff, head chef and so on. The important thing is to establish a hierarchy so that all employees can respect themselves and therefore feel motivated to perform their duties correctly.

The F & B department comprises several sections, all of them with different purposes and only working together can obtain the final product, that is, the product that is intended to meet the needs of consumers. In an attempt to clarify the relations between the different sections: Kitchen; Restaurant (breakfasts, lunches and dinners); Room Service; Bar and Cup, the activities developed by each one are described below.

Kitchen

The kitchen is the section of the F & B department that encompasses the various procedures related to the preparation and confection of food. In this section it is essential that there is a control of the operations, as mentioned by Davis et al., (Davis et al., 2013, p.61) “special checks must be carried out on the production operations carried out by the kitchen in order to minimize the losses resulting from the preparation of the goods used for confectionery”.

The kitchen should be equipped with the necessary material to carry out its activities and, according to Gray and Liguori (2003, p.22), it must be divided into sections to avoid changing the quality of the products. In a hotel unit, the kitchen is responsible for ensuring the dining services of the various places of consumption, the restaurant, the cafeteria, the bar and the room service. For a correct performance of these services, it is not enough that the employees who execute them, act in an exemplary and professional way, it is also necessary that the kitchen presents an organized structure and a correct conservation and confection of the food. The customers value the good presentation of the dishes and their flavour.

Section of the F & B department responsible for cleaning and disinfecting dishes used in the kitchen and catering service is designated as a canopy. According to Rutherford, O'Fallon (2007, p.10), the canopy or washing zone corresponds to the "area where the washing of all the material used in the kitchen service is also called kitchenware (pots, pans, utensils, etc.)" .This place should be located inside the kitchen in order to facilitate the service, and it will have to be equipped with benches with tubs, dishwashers, carts to support the machines, shelves to store the dishes that are already washed and disinfected, and a place to wash and disinfect hands. The person in charge will be responsible for ordering the needed material, as well as reporting the condition of the machines and the rest of the material.

Restaurant

The restaurant of a hotel, the place where the meals made in the kitchen are consumed by the customers, it must have its own personality as well as an innovative concept, so as to differentiate itself from other hotels. Wood (Wood, 1997, p.50) states that "the restaurants of hotel establishments should possess a quality identity, resulting from a combination of original design of the space, furniture and decoration, great quality of food and level of service, balanced composition and pleasant presentation of the staff”. One can also add that, "the restaurant is undoubtedly one of the most complex sections of hotel areas, both because of the special nature of the function that it has to perform and due to the importance of its relationship with other departments to which it is closely linked and on which it depends in good measure ", namely the kitchen. In a hotel establishment, the restaurant is the place that is visited by the clients for their purpose to enjoy a good meal. Each establishment offers its clients the meals they consider important, according to the structure and type of the hotel. Among the possible meals presented by the hotels, one can identify the breakfast, the lunch and the dinner.

Breakfast Service

Breakfast is, in most cases, the only meal included in the guests' stay, since this is one of the most important meals of the day, and that customers tend not to spend a lot of time on its consumption, as being a quick and efficient meal. Babajide (Babajide, 2011, p.71) states that "breakfast is in many cases the only meal that guests take in the establishment to which they are accommodated, thus allowing hoteliers the opportunity to impress them favourably and seek to bring them to use the hotel restaurant during the stay ".

One of the most efficient ways to serve this meal is through the Buffet. This type of service, called self-service, means that the client uses himself or herself, from a table or countertop with the necessary food, drinks and materials (dishes, glasses and cutlery). It is relevant, in this case, the food to be adequately exposed, respecting the quality of the products. The buffet breakfast is considered an added value, presenting some advantages to the hotel. Starting with the ease of service, since the customer serves itself, the employees only have to provide some assistance. If the service is carried out by the customer, this implies a reduction in the number of employees required for this service and consequently, a reduction of costs. Finally, the Buffet mode tends to give a faster service, which in turn, guarantees a high rotation of the available seats in the room.

Meal service – lunch and dinner

More elaborate meals such as lunch and dinner can be served in different ways. According to Medlik and Ingram (2002, p.102), these restaurant services are divided into three levels of services, self-service, over-the-counter service and à la carte service. In the self-service service, also called Buffet, the client is the one who serves his meal, buying food from a table or counter and then sits at a table to consume it. Another of the services, the over-the-counter one, is to serve the meal to the customer, being consumed at the counter. Finally, the à la carte service level, the customer is served by an employee of the establishment, this one recording the customer's request and serving on the table. In the à la carte service, the client can be offered two different menus. The menu d'hôtel consists of a menu with limited options and with a single price for any combination of chosen items, or with a price determined by the choice of main course. And the à la carte menu, offering the client several options of items, each item having a specific price. In the catering service, there is a menu from the restaurant, where all plates prepared at the restaurant are included. Babajide (Babajide, 2011, p.80) stated that, "the restaurant's menu should provide customer satisfaction, thanks in particular to the level, variety and originality of the proposed confections, the quality of the products used and the offer of prices considered fair by the recipients.” The menu should not be too extensive, so that there is no need for an exaggerated diversity of goods, avoiding high stocks. In relation to the organization, it should be organized in the same order as the plates are served, starting with the delicacies, followed by creams, pasta, fish, meats and desserts, and finally drinks. Also, the drinks may be included in another more specific menu. The menu should be changed constantly, going against the customers' needs; the most advisable would be to change it every time of the year in order to keep up with the variation of the products on the market.

Room Service

In some cases, guests avoid using the restaurant and prefer to consume their meals in the comfort of the rooms. In these situations, the hotel should offer as a solution the Room Service. According to Babajide (Babajide, 2011, p.78), this service is defined as a "provision of meals and small consumption in the rooms". This type of service tends to be a personalized one, having a direct contact with the client. The room service must be performed with a lot of quality and professionalism in order to correctly satisfy the requests of the clients of the hotel. This service should not be too time- consuming, one must keep in mind the customer's waiting time, avoiding the client waiting too long. When a customer requires a room service, indicating a specific time, that time must be fulfilled, in order not to give any future complaints. The room service is mainly used in the breakfast service, according to Huang (Huang, 2009, p. 10), "the breakfast in the room retains a mystical idea and, if taken in bed, represents even a notion of luxury and fantasy".

Other aspects to take into account in this type of service are the quality of the food and its packaging so that it does not lose any characteristic, the means of transporting the drinks must be made according to the customer's need. One should have special attention to the relationship with the client, not invading his privacy.

Bar

The bar of a hotel is mostly used by guests when they need a comfortable place to hang out, or simply to have a drink or a light meal. According to Medlik and Ingram, (Medlik, Ingram, 2002, p.105), the bar of a hotel unit is responsible for serving both its customers and non-customers. At a certain hotel's location, various drinks can be served, as well as some small, quick meals throughout the day to suit the guests' needs.

Hotel bars should take into account three aspects: the variation of available drinks, the shape of the service and the space atmosphere. In relation to the variation of the drinks, the staff must present a drink card where all types of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are contemplated, as well as their prices, so that the client can consult and be informed of all the drinks that the hotel offers. The space presented in this place should contemplate a warm and pleasant atmosphere so that the clients feel comfortable and, consequently, enjoy it throughout their stay.

In this respect, the gastronomic sector of a hotel establishment, known as the Department of Food and Beverages, covers everything related to the gastronomic service, from its production to the service or the sale.

2.3 DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONSUMER

In current marketing, it is understood that loyalty involves establishing strong links and maintaining long-term relationships with customers. What brought about a displacement of a marketing focused on the short term, a marketing with a strategic approach.

All types of companies have increased their interest in improving customer loyalty. The results of several field studies show that customers loyal to a particular brand or company are much more profitable to the company than to create other customers (Schneider et al., 1998). A good after-sales service or improve the quality of service offered, are examples of strategies taken to keep customers. Customer loyalty is defined as the repeated behaviour of a product or service acquisition, due to favourable attitudes or the decision-making of an evaluation process (Jacoby, Kyner, 1973, p. 26). Usually, two types of loyalty attitudes are distinguished to value the client's future loyal behaviour, the recommendation, when the client admits that he will communicate positively to his acquaintances, also known as "word of mouth" and the intention to return, to receive Again that particular service (Lam, Shankar, Erramilli, Murthy, 2004, p.42). Quality of service is defined as the perception of the customer about the service received (Zeithaml, Bitner, 2000, p.47). This perception is obtained from the discrepancy between the customer's expectations before receiving the service and the current performance. However, clients do not perceive quality of service as a one-dimensional concept, but rather separate information into different dimensions (Zeithaml, Bitner, 2000, 50)

Importance of customer loyalty in catering

Cooper, Floody and Mc Neill (2012), express that "a regular customer is free advertising … The better you know your customers, the easier it will be to give them the level of services and the quality they expect " (Cooper, Floody, Mc Neill, 2012, p. 178). Gaining a loyal clientele is one of the keys to the success of the restaurant. But even the loyal clientele usually eat at other restaurants, which means having a group of people who remain as customers for a long period of time seems to be a difficult but achievable event.

In this regard, it is important to remember that clients go through several stages on the road to customer loyalty: from a prospective customer, to a potential customer, to a customer who makes the first purchase, to become a frequent customer, and finally Loyal or loyal customer. In this way, it is essential to take into account the quote from Cooper, Floody, Mc Neill (Cooper, Floody, Mc Neill, 2012, p. 180), where one talks about the need to know our customers. Since their needs will change, they will be interested in new dishes, wines, experiences and one must be attentive to be able to satisfy their demands. On the other hand, in the life cycle of our restaurant our customer base will also change. The type of customers we attracted in the launch phase will probably not be the same over time. It will also evolve. And those of us who are running the restaurant should always keep a close eye on the customer, so that the changes that occur in our base clientele allow us to take into account the changes to be made in the menu, setting, or style.

Another aspect to analyze is that knowing that even our loyal customers visit other restaurants, we must conduct a continuous analysis of the competition. It is important not to lose sight of such aspects as:

The number of restaurants that exist in the area. From that group, what are the direct competitors

What are the main characteristics in the proposal of competitors

The activity level of the restaurants in the area

Understanding what are the common positive factors among restaurants with more clientele, what is doing and what can be done by the competition, what are their foreseeable movements

Describe what are the problems apparently observed in restaurants with a certain part of clientele

Analyze who are the biggest competitors and what are their strengths and weaknesses

Determine which factors influence the price of competitors

One must remember that a loyal customer maintains the relationship with our company, without evaluating every time he buys all the possible options offered by the competition. That is why it is essential beyond the implementation of a loyalty plan, not lose sight of the proposals of our competitors.

The perceived value: key to loyalty

Philip Kotler defines the perceived value to the customer as "the evaluation that the consumer makes of the difference between all the benefits and all the costs of a competitive offer of marketing". (Kotler 2010) For Kotler, nowadays, most successful companies are developing loyalty and customer permanence programs. In addition to providing high value and customer satisfaction, marketers can use specific marketing tools to build stronger customer relationships (Kotler, 2010, p. 21).

Having many regular customers shows that the restaurant is offering excellent value. The way to know if it offers excellent value is by asking the customers if their money spent was worth it. The excellent value is in the mind of the consumer and is independent of the price you pay and not only refers to food and drink, but everything related to service and environment. Sometimes value only means that the manager wishes good evening to the diners or stops to exchange a few words with them. The pillars on which the restaurant can work to achieve a greater perceived value are the service, the quality in the dishes, the innovation and the environment.

Customer loyalty requires a continuous effort to improve the quality of service, which is why we must be alert to failures that may harm the perceived value of the customer, in order to maintain our competitive advantages. In this context, it is essential to promote actions that improve the perception of the attributes that are valued by our customers. To achieve success in this process of improvement, it is essential to analyze which are the most valued aspects, since if it is an aspect that our client is not interested, we are not facing a quality problem.

With regard to service, Cooper, Floody and Mc Neill (2003), define that "restaurants are service oriented businesses, which owe their existence to customers; The service personnel must accept this as a challenge to provide excellent service. " (Cooper, Floody, Mc Neill, 2003, p.158)

Horovitz (2000) defines this concept as follows: "Beyond good service, another way to create and promote loyalty is to involve customers in the business of the company or even engage with them to do some activities together." (Horovitz, 2000, p.87) The implication of customers in the creation of products has grown significantly in recent times, make them feel that they can be co-creators with the chef in the preparation of a dish, for example, being able to combine different dishes to put together a tapas, can Become an experience highly valued by the diner.

On the other hand, Griffin and Lowenstein (2002) consider that "in conceiving a plan to turn frequent customers into loyal customers, we must consider some critical factors. One is to investigate who their best customers are and why they buy". (Griffin, Lowenstein, 2002) Therefore, one must consider that a loyalty program to be effective, should focus on the most profitable customer groups and that a well designed and executed program, in addition to retaining valuable customers, should aim to recover lost.

Sales represent one of the top priorities of any profit organization, so it forces the manager to make use of the appropriate marketing mechanisms in order to entice the consumer to buy the product.

Internal Sales Promotion

Guests are the first potential customers of the various points of sale in the hotel unit. Being that during the stay the guest can consume one or more times in the restaurant, bar or in the minibar. Soon, the internal promotion appears like a fundamental instrument for the maximization of the sales.

From the perspective of the hotel, bar and restaurant sections can and should be a privileged place of meeting point for clients, thus contributing to:

Create a life of its own, making customers "live the hotel";

Help, through satisfied clients, the disclosure of the hotel;

Create more revenue for the company.

Given the dispersion and partitioning of these services, guests are not always aware of or do not feel the need to use them because they are not in their normal circulation route. It is necessary to inform clients in order to adhere to the initiatives and offers that are directed them to attend these places, promoting, for the purpose, special actions, so the hotel seeks to offer the client:

Lively services in terms of service;

Personalized assistance;

Always keep the premises clean and tidy according to the original decoration;

Create theme nights, with menus, decorations and animation appropriate to the themes;

Live animation in punctual cases;

Inform customers of the services that are available to them, through placards, a welcome letter signed by the director, with a drink in the restaurant, whenever they use these services, during their stay at the hotel (always mention the name Of the restaurant and opening hours);

Communicate personally with customers.

It should be remembered that each service will have to be monetized by itself. The greater the number of clients joining the services, the more excitement there will be and the easier it will be to develop other initiatives. The bosses try to give all the attention to the organization and coordination of the services, so that everything happens normally, so that the client feels good and has a quality service, whenever he uses the services.

External sales promotion

The external promotion of F & B sales should be focused on two differentiated aspects, individual customers and groups, each of which has its own characteristics in the respective promotion. The sale of a group presents is more economically advantageous from the point of view of the hotel operation, allowing the obtaining of high revenues.

External promotion for individual clients:

Customer card (10% discount);

Happy hour;

Mailings

External promotion for groups:

Packages;

Buffet;

Caster;

Discounts to companies;

Courtesy;

Events.

2.4 SUMMARY

The present chapter analyzed the concept of the hotel restaurant, but also it established the use of a hotel restaurant. The attention to customers is related and depends on a set of factors that must be observed by all and all people working in these establishments.

In the sector of public alimentation, hotels have a special role in the economy of a country, being on an important level in the service sector. In order to improve and increase the efficiency of the work in hotels’ restaurants there is indispensable a set of measures and in this respect, there are concerned a competitive environment, strategy and structure entities, inputs, parameters of demand and connections with other industries. Regarding the competitive environment, strategy and structure of hotels are necessary to be in accordance with the capacity of the development market, increasing competition, establishing differentiation strategies by price, improving the attractiveness of the sector, promoting effective differentiation strategies and dispersal activities by other markets.

In terms of demand, there are required a growth of consumer culture, the possibility of attracting certain classes of consumer with a sensitivity to price, a diversity of elections, an increasing purchasing power, the formation of loyalty to a particular brand, the correct definition of relationships between customers and public alimentation, introducing new marketing methods and create a loyalty competition.

Hotel restaurants’ must always consider, first of all, the motivationally demand, clients seeking to recreate a gastronomic establishment when eating. If the same is not resolved according to the different components of the group, for example a family group with little children, it can generate dissatisfaction in the demand and it can dispense in another opportunity of this unit.

Currently the demand is saturated with offers of products and services with similar characteristics, so hotels must tend to obtain a comparative difference with their competitors that can not be copied by them and that is high valuated by customers. Then, in synthetic form, one would highlight some variables of success in the conformation of a value supply from the requirements of the demand. In this respect, the three requirements that consciously or unconsciously consider the good, nice and cheap demand in the choice of a hotel, must be interpreted conceptually by the service providers as an offer with originality, with quality and with an accessible price.

REFERENCES

Babajide, O. (2011). Breakfast service quality in Restaurant Gui Hilton Helsinki Airport hotel (Doctoral dissertation, Bachelor’s Thesis, HAAGA- HELIA University of applied sciences).

Cooper, B., Floody, B., McNeil, G. (2012). Start & Run a Restaurant Business. Self-Counsel Press.

Davis, B., Lockwood, A., Pantelidis, I., & Alcott, P. (2013). Food and beverage management. Routledge.

Gray, W. S., Liguori, S. C. (2003). Hotel and motel management and operations. Prentice Hall.

Griffin, J., Lowenstein, M. W. (2002). Customer Winback: How to Recapture Lost Customers–And Keep Them Loyal. John Wiley & Sons.

Horovitz, J. (2000). The Seven Secrets of Service Strategy: Jacques Horovitz. Financial Times/Prentice Hall.

Huang, L. (2008). Bed and breakfast industry adopting e-commerce strategies in e-service. The Service Industries Journal, 28(5).

Jacoby, J., Kyner, D. B. (1973). Brand loyalty vs. repeat purchasing behavior. Journal of Marketing research.

Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. (2010). Principles of marketing. pearson education.

Lam, S. Y., Shankar, V., Erramilli, M. K., Murthy, B. (2004). Customer value, satisfaction, loyalty, and switching costs: an illustration from a business-to-business service context. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 32(3).

Medlik, S., Ingram, H. (2002). Hotel business. Zagreb: Golden marketing.

Rutherford, D. G., & O’Fallon, M. J. (2007). Hotel Management and Operations, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Scanlon, NL (2007) An analysis and assessment of environmental operating practices in hotel and resort properties, Hospitality Management, 26, 711-723.

Schneider, B., White, S. S., Paul, M. C. (1998). Linking service climate and customer perceptions of service quality: Tests of a causal model. Journal of applied Psychology, 83(2).

Stavrositu, S. (2001). “Arta serviciilor în restaurante baruri și hoteluri”, Dobrogea Publishing House, Constanta

Wood, R. C. (1997). Working in hotels and catering. International Thomson Business Press.

Zeithamal, A. V., Bitner, M. (2000). Services marketing: integrating customer focus across the firm. Copyright by the McGraw-Hill Education.

Hotel Restaurants in Bucharest. Do clients use them or not?

Chapter 3. METHODOLOGY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter explains and justifies the methodology I used in order to complete the present research. The methodology is appropriate to achieve the aims and objectives of the study. The methodology used in the present empirical research dissertation uses both secondary research (literature search and review) and different primary data collection methods (questionnaire and interview).

The present Methodology is based on standardized tools in order to get accurate information about the market, to assess the existing potential, but also to identify the level of interest that customers pose to hotel restaurants.

Qualitative research has the role to analyze in depth a few people, but the character of data results being statistically representative of the studied population. Through this research, I studied issues such as: perceptions, feelings, intrinsic motivation of Pullman Hotels clients and managers. Research method used is the interview and there were also used research techniques such as observation and comprehensive interview.

On the other hand, quantitative research has the purpose to measure opinions and attitudes population-based survey by interviewing a representative sample of 100 people, the result being then statistically analyzed, which is the main benefit of this type of scientific approach. The present research report consists in charts, tables, a percentage of which will be used in drawing conclusions with high concrete application. The purpose of this research is to determine a methodology to quantify the links between the customer satisfaction and the performance of the hotel restaurants from Bucharest. Data from three restaurants of Pullman hotel will be used in order to predict how the level of customer satisfaction with certain attributes of guests' dining experience affects the likelihood that the clients will come back again.

The research approach is a deductive one, and the research strategy is represented by both the questionnaire and interview.

As a difference between secondary and primary research, there are two types of research: the primary one, which requires conducting an original study, and the secondary one, which is based on examining information that is already available.

The justification for the chosen research methods

Taking into consideration that the research method is one of general interest, I considered to be more appropriate as methods of research the interview and the questionnaire. The interview had a duration of 20 minutes and the subjects were the managers of Pullman Hotel in Bucharest, while for completing the questionnaire, the clients of the hotel’s restaurants needed 15 minutes, in general. Subjects were able to reinforce each other during the interview, the discussion being productive. Both the questionnaire and the interview provided:

the possibility of producing datasets focused on the topic under discussion;

obtaining details of the problem researched and impressive emotional issues that can not be obtained by other researches;

group interaction helped to create synergistic effects that lead to higher quality information;

relatively low data collection;

video discussions during the interview allows the study of non-verbal language of the subject.

Research results could not be generalized to the entire target population, they only indicating viewpoints, motivations of the subjects participating in the study.

Academic, professional and trade journals, as well as the information provided can help in conducting this type of research.

Various networks, blogs and forums have become important resources to conduct secondary research. Many researchers see social networks as a starting point that helps them identify trends and understand consumer opinions.

Once the secondary research is completed, I conducted the research, beginning with the primary one. In this respect, it is proper to highlight the idea that the results obtained after conducting the qualitative research are not decisive and cannot be used to make generalizations about the studied population. Qualitative research I made allows me to develop an initial knowledge and a solid foundation that will help me in taking future decision about restaurants and hotel restaurants. On the other hand, the present quantitative research provides statistical data whose results are conclusive. The information obtained for this study through this type of research is the one that finally determines the actions that will be carried out during a communication campaign. Using and mixing qualitative and quantitative research appropriately is critical to getting answers about "how" and "what" hotel restaurants’ consumers think, and "why" they act in certain ways.

For the present study, a mixture of research methods will be used:

Primary data (Company reports) and secondary data (literature, books and journals);

Qualitative: interviews (ended questions) with Mr. Patrick Carabin, general manager of Pullman Hotel in Bucharest, Mrs. Monica Sendrea, sales manager and Lubomir Sykora, F&B Manager.

Quantitative: guest’s questionnaires from the three restaurants in Pullman Hotel. The questionnaires will be given at the end of the meal, with the bill.

3.2 SECONDARY RESEARCH

3.2.1 Literature Search

objective for the literature search is represented

The search mechanism was a successful one and in this respect there were used data from:

Academic Journals in the area of research such as: Journal of Restaurant & Foodservice Marketing, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies, International Journal of Hospitality Management, as well as International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science.

Google and Yahoo search engines

National Institute of Statistics’ database

Documents provided by Pullman Hotel

In order to complete the present research, I used data from Journal of Restaurant & Foodservice Marketing, Journal of Hospitallity& Tourism Research, Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies, International Journal of Hospitality Management, as well as International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, as academic journals of interest.

Also, considering the database, the National Insitutite of Statistics was a good provider.

Regarding the documents provided by Pullman Hotel, the most valuable ones are as following: Registration Document and Annual Financial Report for 2015, Pullman Brand marketing- February 2012, different brochures regarding Pullman Hotel in Bucharest, as well as a guide to the Accor Hotels, restaurants, day spas and golf centres.

Collected data were successfully used in order to complete the present research.

As helpful key words, one will observe:

Customer satisfaction, perceived quality of service, Romania, hotel, tourism, excitement, consumer dissatisfaction, consumer history satisfaction, predictive expectations, normative expectations, consumers' perceptions of restaurant’s performance, affect, equity consequences of satisfaction, customer loyalty , behaviour, the value of the service model for determining the satisfaction, research tool, analyzing the importance of performance.

The main limitations of the present research are represented by:

The number of restaurants – 3 restaurants of Pullman Hotel, respectively BARBIZON STEAK HOUSE, PARIS BUCAREST BRASSERIE and LA GALETTE – this limitation is important for practical experience of documentation and data collection for research in the field and at the same time, it helps to delineate the specific objectives pursued in the present study in relation to the issue of broad topic of study.

The country- Romania: Pullman Hotel is part of Accor Hotels group with worldwide centers. In this respect, is important to highlight the country where the research was conducted.

Dates- December 2016- January 2017- during this period, Pullman Hotel is the host of many guests who came for spending their winter holiday in a multicultural and developed area such as Bucharest.

3.2.2 Literature Review

The method of empirical research with it carries a whole series of practical procedures with the object and the means of investigation that allow revealing the fundamental characteristics and essential relations of the object, being accessible to sensory contemplation.

The methods of empirical research represent a level in the research process whose content comes primarily from experience, which is subject to some rational elaboration and expressed in a given language.

The present study is based on an empirical research (based on observation of reality).

This type of knowledge is based on collecting the necessary data and their analysis; both steps must be completed as accurately as possible.

is orderly and regular;can be known;natural phenomena have natural causes;

Thomas Kuhn (1970) considers scientific knowledge in a particular field as organized paradigms (range vision shared by all scientific community). Based on knowledge within these paradigms are conducted normal researches that solve problems. Identifying issues or topics is the most important research and assessment on the quality of results, based on existing paradigms. Paradigms can change over time, due to scientific revolutions.

3.3 PRIMARY RESEARCH

3.3.1 Secondary data

The primary research includes reinterpreted and manipulated data which has come from published statistics and hotel’s reports.

In order to analyze secondary data, there were used statistical methods, based on published statistic and hotels reports.

Secondary data and information used in the present research have as main characteristic the fact that they are based on existent data before the launched research. I already explored these data in order to use them for the present analysis. Considering their provenance, secondary information are based on data from inside the company, but also on external data such as statistical reports about hotels in Bucharest, including Pullman Hotel, data banks and so on.

As an advantage of secondary information used for the present research, one will consider that they are quickly obtainable and relatively inexpensive.

3.3.2 Primary Data

The purpose of primary data collection in research is represented by The data will be analyzed and highlighted in future chapters of the present work, on the basis of graphics, pie charts and tables.

Primary data and information are obtained through the present research, pursuing the proposed objectives, established at the beginning of this study. In this respect, the methodology was based on choosing the right methods of data processing and presenting, according to the aims; the data were unwrought collected, as they were specified in Hotel’s reports or by the information carriers, respectively Hotel’s managers and clients. In this respect, there was observed the consumers’ behavior and attitude about Pullman hotel restaurants in Bucharest.

Difference between qualitative and quantitative data and which type collected.

tionistoperationalonees: 465-476

anone termmay havethe one will developandd in timeone:arepbecause

reductionistnon-quantitative considered to besurpriser

Explanation and justification for the method(s)

Justification for the questionnaire method

utility of the present ity.

Justification for the interview method

Pullman Hotels in Buchares.

3.3.3 Research Instrument Design.

clients’ opinion on Pullman Hotel’s restaurants, the study is an analysis realized on the basis of an interview with hotels’ managers and a questionnaire.

three

favorbehavior

three Restaurants

Theoretical discussion, explanation and/or justification of the questionnaire as a research method

It is an evaluation technique that can cover quantitative and qualitative aspects. Its unique feature is that in order to record the requested information to the same subjects, it takes place in a less profound and impersonal way than the face-to-face of the interview. At the same time, it allows a broad population to be consulted quickly and economically. (Teas, 1993)

Types of questions asked

The asked questions were both open and closed ones.

Wording of questions

The wording of questions is related to their importance for the chosen subject.

Response and scaling methods

I applied the survey to Pullman Hotel Restaurants’ clients in order to observe their opinion about the company products and environment.

Regarding the scales, there were used

3.3.4 Piloting the research instrument

Theoretical discussion, explanation and/or justification of:

– Purpose of piloting the research instruments – why

The purpose of piloting the research instruments is to obtain a highlighted review of clients’ opinion regarding hotel restaurants in Bucharest, along with the services they offer

– Piloting process – how, when and where

t

– Pilot respondents – who, how many, why them.

3

– Outcome – respondents’ evaluation of research instrument, changes made as a result of piloting

Clients’ opinion will be collected in chapter 4 and represented through relevant graphics and charts

3.3.5 Sampling strategy:

(Kothari, 2008)espondent's known identity use of filter questions

Establishing the basis for the sampling and sample size and the choice of the sampling scheme:

The sample participated in a study conducted at the regional level, in Bucharest. The study used a probabilistic sampling model based on the first stage of stratification by age, gender, residence, education and occupation of respondents. The sample was designed to enable analysis of consumer opinion about the hotels restaurants in Pullman Hotel, Bucharest. The sample is of random type and the survey results interpreted in probabilistic perspective.

The object of research suggests the unit of observation, identified by the individual image and the object of which one obtains the information is represented by the research unit or individual.

Study participants:

The lot the respondents consisted of 100 individuals (N = ), female and male, and the age groups are between 18 and 60 years old.

Sample frame:

The sample respondents were identified during my visit to Pullman Hotel Restaurants in Bucharest.

In order to contact the sample respondents, I told the managers about my research and they asked the staff to give the questionnaire to the identified respondents together with the bill, after they finished serving meal at the restaurants.

The type of sampling method is stratified.

3.3.6 Conducting the research

To collect the data necessary for testing variables, the relations between them and, ultimately, the general model proposed for analysis, we researched a specific population whose election has been argued extensively in a section especially dedicated to them – tourists of Pullman hotel in Bucharest, during .

Conducting the research – Theoretical discussion, explanation and/or justification of each method used to collect data e.g.

Interviews

What type of interviews – structured, semi structured, unstructured?

How many interviews?

three

– Respondents – who with?

Interview’s respondents were the three Restaurants

Duration – how long did the interviews last?

Recording – were they tape recorded or not?

recorded

– Process – How did you conduct the interview – introduction, structure, order of questions, probing, follow up etc?

operationidentificationpreferringhighlightedsucceedcustomers

Questionnaire

Type of questionnaire

– Distribution – numbers distributed, when, where, how – postal,

There were distributed 100 questionnaires to a certain group of respondents during February 2017 and March 2017, inside Pullman Hotel Restaurants, together with the bill.

Completion – who completed, how, type of completion – self completion etc

– Responses – number returned, response rate, usable questionnaires

Of the 100 distributed questionnaires, only 95 were valid.

3.4 DATA ANALYSIS

The researches show that customer returning is influenced most by responsiveness of the frontline employees, followed by price and food quality (in that order). Physical design and appearance of the restaurant do not have a significant effect. The key issue concerning the nature of demand for food and beverage product are identified using a well-validated if somewhat oversimplified list of questions, these ones being part of the interview I applied to responsibles of Pullman Hotel : “Who are the consumers of the food and beverage product?”, “What the food and beverage product do they want?”, “Why do they want a food and beverage product?”, “When do they want a food and beverage product?” and “How do they obtain a food and beverage product?”. These questions can be explored individually, but only one is the key: “What products do consumers want?” The “who, why, where and how” are all part of the product and are inherent in answering the question as to which product consumers want. The key issue in the framework will therefore be cantered around the product. The answers to these questions will be presented and developed in the following chapters.

3.4.1 Quantitative data analysis

In order to analyze the data from a quantitative perspective, there were used both the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences – SPSS andMicrosoft Office Excel.

Also, statistical techniques used in the present research are represented by:

Data tabulation

Data disaggregation

Correlation

Microsoft Office Excel spreadsheets were also used to present and analyze the data.

The results are presented in the chapter no. 4, respectively Presentation, Analysis and Evaluation of Data.

3.4.1 Qualitative data analysis

Regarding the qualitative data analysis, there were used methods of analysis such as template and content. Also, the results are presented in the chapter no. 4, respectively Presentation, Analysis and Evaluation of Data represented by relevant graphics of the obtained results, together with an analysis of collected answers, while in the annexes will be presented the Interview and the questionnaire I applied at Pullman Hotel level.

Considering the conclusions of the present study, I will clearly highlight the manner I followed and developed the aims and objectives of this paper, making recommendations about the most visited restaurant in Pullman Hotel from Bucharest.

Selected References:

Anderson, E. W., Fornell, C. (1994). A Customer Satisfaction Research Prospectus. In R. T. Rust & R. L. Oliver (Eds.), Service Quality: New Directions in Theory and Practice, London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Blaikie, N. (2009).Designing Social Research, 2ndedition, Polity.

Churchill G.A. Jr., „Marketing Research”, The Dryden Press International Edition, 1991

Coppedge, Michael, „Thickening thin concepts and theories: combining large N and small in comparative politics”, Comparative Politics, JSTOR Digital Library

Florea E., Micu M., „Interviul sociologic. Valoarea si limitele lui”, Politics Publishing House, Bucharest, 1966

Frankfort-Nachmias, Chava, and David Nachmias.(2007). Study guide for research methods in the social sciences. Macmillan,.

Gillham, B. (2000)The Research Interview,London: Continuum.

Gillham, B. (2008)Developing a questionnaire,London: Continuum

Kuhn, Thomas S. (1970), “Book and film reviews: Revolutionary View of the History of Science: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”, The Physics Teacher 8.2

Salant, Priscilla, Don A. Dillman, (1994), How to conduct your own survey. Wiley

Teas, R. K. (1993). Expectations, Performance Evaluation, and Consumers’ Perceptions of Quality, Journal of Marketing, 57(4)

Chapter 4. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS

4.1 INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this chapter regards the analysis of data obtained on the basis of the applied questionnaire and interview. The results are going to be presented in a detailed manner, in order to highlight the consumers’ perception on Pullman Hotel’s Restaurants in Bucharest and how often they use to go there and serve meal or dinner. It also emphasizes the quality of food and services offered by the three Pullman Hotel’s Restaurants.

.

4.2 HEADING

Factor analysis was conducted by Varimax rotation to examine which of the factors selected fit the expected construct. The total sum of all squared saturations is greater than 1. The total cumulative variance explained by the factor of analysis was 63.08%. The results obtained were not as expected in their entirety. We found several cases in which the factors of analysis were located in different groups than expected. The presentation, lighting, parking, cleaning and decoration were grouped in the factor Quality of food / reliability, I think this is as a consequence of the consumers associate these physical elements with the confidence they have in the restaurant. The accuracy of order and error-free order were related to the physical design, which we can not find a clear explanation for. The freshness factor of food was also related in this same group of physical design, we think it is very difficult for customers to answer this question, as they would have to have a very developed palate to establish the freshness of food.

Table 1. Factor analysis of variables with Varimax rotation (extraction method: principal components analysis)

Table 2. Total variance explained

Sum of square saturation of extraction

RESULTS

Multiple regression analysis was performed using the four factors (response capacity, food quality / reliability, physical design and price) as independent variables to measure satisfaction (Table 3). These results were obtained based on the four restaurant areas in general. It was found that the model is significant by the F statistic (p <0.000). The R2 indicates that 58% of the satisfaction variability is explained by the model, which is a high value. Three of the four factors had a significant effect on customer satisfaction at a level of significance. These factors were: responsiveness and food quality / reliability were found to be significant for the model at a significance level of 1%; The physical design proved to be significant for the model at a significance level of 5%. The price on its part was not significant for the model nor at a level of significance of 10%.

The responsiveness is the factor that has the greatest impact on customer satisfaction according to its standardized beta coefficient (0.673). Quality of food / reliability and physical design were also significant for the model and had an impact on customer satisfaction in the same order according to their standardized beta coefficients (0.317 and 0.158, respectively).

In addition to these general results, the mean of the responses for each of the Pullman Hotel’s restaurants (Table 4) were extracted. Consumer satisfaction in general had high scores (minimum 5.87, maximum 5.98).

Table 3. Multiple regression results (dependent variable: satisfaction)

Notes: F = 38.997; p<0.000; R squared = 0.58

Table 4. Value of the average by area

DISCUSION

The results obtained from this research lead us to conclude that three of the four study factors have a significant impact on customer satisfaction. Restaurant owners should focus on reinforcing these three elements: quality of service, quality of food and physical design. The price factor proved not to be significant when measuring consumer satisfaction, the results of the analysis show that consumers feel that they are paying just for the services received.

The results show that service quality (responsiveness) is the most important factor for customers. That's why restaurant owners should strive to train their employees. We know that in Romania it is difficult to do this, due to the lack of training centers directed to the industry, but inside the restaurants it is possible to educate the employees, at least in the most important aspects. Knowledge of the letter, for example, is a factor that in fact must be reinforced by the managers themselves. Knowledge of the letter, collaboration, punctuality, understanding and cordiality in this order are the most important points to reinforce.

Business owners must periodically measure their employees' performance so that quality standards do not decline and hinder the quality of care provided to customers. This factor was generally well rated by respondents.

The second group of most important factors was food quality / reliability. This is somewhat surprising, since at first it might be thought that food is the most determining factor for customer satisfaction. However we think that this fact can result from a poor quality of service can tarnish the best food. The quality of the offered has increased as the industry has grown; assuring the customer the best dish is not an advantage over competitors, as it has become a requirement on the part of customers. Restaurant owners must continue to manage high quality standards in their products, innovation can make a difference.

The third most important factor is the physical design of the restaurants and I think this is because the customer associates it with reliability. Overall it was a well-rated point for respondents, which shows that the current physical design of restaurants is well accepted by customers and that managers should continue to manage this point, as they have done so far. It seems to be that part of what customers are looking for when they go to a restaurant is to feel comfortable in a different and aesthetically pleasing environment.

The price, which seemed to be a determining factor, did not turn out to be significant. It is important to emphasize that the research showed that the city's customers are satisfied with the prices established by the restaurants, which indicates that at this point the business owners have acted the right way, giving the customers just the right price received.

After analyzing the questionnaire, there was found that of the 100, 45%- once a month, 29% of respondents go to Pullman Restaurants once a week, 13%- a few months ; 9%- once a year and the rest of 4%- only on special occasions.

The frequency with which respondents go to Pullman Hotel’s restaurants