Good Term Paper About And The Survey Says:

Insight into Restaurant Customer’s Needs

Research Methodology.3
Procedure..3

Measures3

Analysis4
Data Analysis5
Conclusion.6
Insight into Restaurant Customer’s Needs

Research Methodology

Restaurant diners have an ideal for their dining experience. They have expectations regarding service, food selection, price and quality. In order for a restaurant to compete in the market, they must understand what the majority of diners are looking for, and take action to cater to their customer base. The purpose of this research is to determine differing factors in the dining experience, and how important they are to the diner.
Diners at the Prime Grill restaurant were asked to fill out a short survey. The survey takers had to be over the age of 19, narrowing the demographic to adults only. Other than that, the demographics cover various income ranges, marital statuses, and family types. This allowed for a random sampling of diners to gather data from in order to analyze.

Procedure

A random sampling of diners were given a survey to fill out. Surveys were then collected by the researchers. A total of 128 responses were received. Questions received between a 7.8% and 100% response rate, although the questions with a lower response rate may be attributed to survey takers not having dined at the restaurant in the question.
Diners were instructed to answer the questions honestly since the answers would be anonymous. This procedure allowed for a comparison between what the survey takers want in dining experience, and how they viewed competing restaurants.

Measures

Questions included in the survey pertained to demographics, classifications of the diner, dining habits, preferred food types, social media usage, and ratings of other restaurants. The demographic questions as well as the major dining attributes used in the survey were taken from a study by Liu and Jang (2009).
Using this approach, we created a survey which included 18 questions. The first six questions determine the demographics of the survey taker. The next two questions determine the survey takers dining habits. Question 10 includes 24 aspects of the dining experience for the survey taker to rate on a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent. Questions 11 and 12 determine spending habits and what time of day diners prefer to eat. The following questions determine the survey takers preferred food types, desire for healthier dining options, social media usage, and favorite restaurants to dine in. The survey taker is then asked to rate six other restaurants on the same 24 aspects of the dining experience from question 10. The final question simply asks the survey taker for any other comments they may have.

Analysis

Data was tabulated into various tables. Demographic information was split into percentages. Standard deviation and mean was calculated for the 24 aspects of the dining experience the survey takers rated. These tables are to be used to figure out various correlations. The data should also be key in improving future diner’s experiences.

Data Analysis

The demographic information indicates that the survey takers were 50% male and 50% female. The majority of diners are single at 56%, 86.7% of diners were residents of Kamloops, 56% of the diners were between the ages of 26 and 40, 58% had some college but no degree, and 60% had an income between $40,000 and $59,999.
The frequency which diners eat out is almost evenly spread, with the outlier being less than once a month at only 7.8%. Approximately 44.9% of diners ate with friends, and 45.7% of diners ate out with family.
The majority of survey takers expect to pay 11-19 dollars per person, at 39.8%. The outlier is the 4.1% of diners who expect to pay between 41-50 dollars. 62.6% of diners prefer eating out for dinner. This correlates to the majority single, middle class demographic.
The most popular food types are Asian and American, respectively at a mean of 3.3 and 3.5 on a 1 to 5 scale with 5 being the most preferred. The food least wanted is French, with only a mean of 2.4 on a scale of 1 to 5.
Considering the majority of survey takers are between 26 and 40, it is no surprise that 86.3% of survey takers use Facebook and only 22.6% use Twitter since Twitter generally caters to a younger demographic. Also, 34.7% use Instagram, which also correlates to the 26 to 40 demographic.
Unsurprisingly, Food Taste was given the highest importance among the dining attributes, with a mean of 4.8 on the 1 to 5 scale. The lowest rating dining attributes were Interior design and Music, with a mean of 3.5 and 3.2 respectively. This most likely correlates to the middle class demographic who place a higher importance on an affordable meal of restaurant ambiance.

Conclusion

The demographic may be slightly skewed, since 33.6% of the survey takers have a bachelor’s degree, while only 25% of the population has any type of college degree (College Completion, 2013). Although this may be a minor discrepancy, it may mean the average income is slightly higher than the general population. The impact this has on the results is unknown.
The survey takers places a low importance on the ambiance inside a restaurant. This is probably a reflection of the survey takers desire to pay less for their food. A restaurant that is better decorated, or plays better or live music, is going to charge more for food. Also, since almost half of the diners were with their families, that affects the expectations of the restaurant. A family with children wants a restaurant environment where their kids can get messy, and they can affordably feed their family.
Since the demographic was primarily between the ages of 26 and 40, it comes as little surprise that the preferred time to dine out was in the evening for dinner. The majority of this demographic would have day jobs, and save their dining for night time.
The popularity of Asian food among the survey takers is probably due to the increased trend in Asian restaurants. Korean and Vietnamese foods are becoming more popular, in addition the already popular Americanized Chinese and Japanese foods (Taylor, 2014). Yum Brands, who owns Taco Bell, has opened a Vietnamese sandwich shop in Dallas; this shop is a forerunner to many more future ones (Taylor, 2014).
The fact that the majority of diners who took the survey eat out either once per week (26%), or twice per week (23.6%) reflects the majority single population. Single people are less likely to cook for themselves, so therefore eat out more.
The majority of diners are on Facebook, at 86.3%. 26.7% of respondents use Twitter, and 34.7% use Instagram. This has bearing on the way a restaurant effectively advertises. Using social media effectively is essential for any business, and understanding the percentage of social media users will allow the restaurant to concentrate its advertising budget on appropriate social media.
The portion of the survey that asked the diners about other restaurants gives Terra the highest rating in food taste. Since this is the most important dining attribute according to the survey, this means Terra offers the highest amount of competition to the Prime Grill.
Taking the data into consideration, several conclusions can be reached. First of all, more research should be done into the 25-40 demographic and their desires. By catering to this age group, the restaurant will cater to its highest demographic, and gain lifelong customers. The challenge will be balancing the needs of customers with children and the needs of those without children. The amount of diners who come with friends and those who come with families is almost even, so it is important to find a mix that appeals to both demographics.
Given most survey takers indicated they wanted to pay between 10 and 19 dollars per person, pricing of appetizers, sides and entrees must be figured out with these numbers in mind. A diner should be able to order an entrée and one other item and have the price be within the target range in order to best serve the demographic.
If the restaurant follow these suggestions, they will create a more inviting atmosphere for their customers and increase their business.

References

Liu, Y., & Jang, S. (2009). Perceptions Of Chinese Restaurants In The U.S.: What Affects Customer Satisfaction And Behavioral Intentions? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 338-348.
Taylor, K. (2014, October 28). The 10 Biggest Restaurant Trends for 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
Points for the presentation
The majority of respondents were between the ages of 26 and 40.
58% had some college but no degree.
86.7% of diners were residents of Kamloops.
Survey takers were 50% male and 50% female
44.9% of respondents dined with friends, and 45.7% dined with family.
The challenge will be balancing the needs of customers with children and the needs of those without children.
56% of respondents were single with no children.
60% of respondents make between $40,000 and $59,999 per year.
Respondents rated Music and Interior Design as the least important dining attribute.
The most important dining attribute is food taste.
Diners are most likely to eat out at dinner time, with 62.6% of respondents choosing it.
39.8% of respondents want to pay between 11 and 19 dollars per person for their meal.
Pricing of appetizers, sides and entrees must be figured out with these numbers in mind.
The majority of diners are on Facebook, at 86.3%. 26.7% of respondents use Twitter, and 34.7% use Instagram.
It would be a mistake to ignore Twitter and Instagram though, since this reaches a younger group.
The demographic may be slightly skewed, since 33.6% of the survey takers have a bachelor’s degree, while only 25% of the population has any type of college degree (College Completion, 2013).
The popularity of Asian food among the survey takers is probably due to the increased trend in Asian restaurants. Korean and Vietnamese foods are becoming more popular, in addition the already popular Americanized Chinese and Japanese foods (Taylor, 2014).
The fact that the majority of diners who took the survey eat out either once per week (26%), or twice per week (23.6%) reflects the majority single population.