Customer Satisfaction in the Hospitality Industry

This assignment examines the importance of understanding customer needs and wants within the hospitality industry. It analyzes the relationship between provided services and customer perceptions, highlighting the need for continuous improvement to ensure customer satisfaction. The report explores practical strategies to address service gaps and enhance the overall dining experience.

Food and beverage

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
1. SUMMARY.................................................................................................................................1
2. Critical evaluation of experience.................................................................................................2
3. Issues of customers services at food and beverage management................................................2
4. Models for improving customer satisfaction...............................................................................3
Recommendation.............................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
In hospitality industry, food and beverages can be determined as the most profitable
sources as people prefer to visit restaurant in order to celebrate each any every event of their life.
In this context, it includes birthdays, anniversaries or to enjoy various festivals, etc. in all aspects
food and beverages play vital role (Sungur, Köroğlu and Özkan, 2014). With this respect, there
are many organizations which provide all types of facilities with the help of which visitors enjoy
their moment with different types of food and beverages. Restaurants focus on developing
unique and attractive dishes and services so that customers could be attracted effectively. Present
repost is about Prezzo which is an Italian restaurant located in UK and has about 200 branches
within the country. This report will cover my experience for the visit to Prezzo. Further, it covers
the issues which are faced by me during my dining experiences related to food and beverage
management. Lastly, it also includes the theories which can be used in order to improve the food
and beverage management.
1. SUMMARY
There are many organizations which are involved in food and beverage management. All
firms focus on developing products and services with the help of which customers are attracted.
Different restaurants use different types of methods, strategies and facilities that are helpful in
gaining profit through food and beverages (Carter, Signal and Maher, 2013). This report is about
an Italian restaurant named Prezzo. It is an Italian word which means 'Price'. With about more
than 200 restaurants in UK, they understand customer’s needs and wants effectively.
Accordingly, they develop products and services in order to satisfy them. This report will state
the experience which I had for the visit to Prezzo. In order to select a restaurant, I made a search
for top restaurants in UK, then I got to find out different firms like TGI Fridays, Prezzo,
Dishoom, etc. I prefer to have Italian food and Prezzo was the only one which provides the best
Italian food and was near to may place. I went on to their website; it showed the place in which I
could enjoy my food. I select the restaurant which was nearer to my place. Then clicked on book
a table, it showed a calendar in which I can select the date and the table within the selected
restaurant. After booking the table, it also asked for food and drink which I will prefer to have. In
the drink section, there were different categories like cocktails, sparkling wine, white wine, rose
wine, red wine and liqueurs. Among the list is selected sparkling wine in which there were four
drinks and I choose Jacquart Burt. For starters, I choose Calamari and for main course, I choose
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Chicken, Bacon and Avocado. Lastly, I selected Tramisu from the various categories of dessert.
This was the whole procedure which I had to go from booking the table to selecting the food.
On the date, I went to the restaurant and enjoyed by dinner. The payment was done
directly to the reception which was not that high, it was affordable and in my budget.
2. Critical evaluation of experience
When I entered the restaurant, I was warmly welcomed. However, the table which I had
selected was already taken by someone else who had come before me. Those people were asked
to sit somewhere else. Then, I sat on my table and waited for my food to come. Meanwhile,
waiter handed me by the menu, if I wanted to make any change or if I wanted to add on to any
other dish. It took a while for the waiter to bring the chosen food to me. When the food arrived, I
noticed that the drink which I ordered was not the same, and then they changed it to the drink
which I have ordered while booking the table. The drink was really appreciable but they did not
bring me the correct drink at first that disturbed me. Further, the dish (Chicken, Bacon and
Avocado) which I ordered was also delicious. On the other hand, dessert did not meet my
expectations. However, over all services by management was good. Lastly, I when to the
reception and paid the bill for the dinned. Thus, it can be stated that over all services were good
but management took time to deliver the selected food on time. However, management have to
work more on providing more delicious dishes and add additional flavours on their desserts.
They also need to make proper records of people who would be visiting the restaurant and the
dishes which they have selected should be placed properly and on the given time so that
customers waiting time could be reduced. Customers do not prefer to wait for long and it is
important for the management to provide their services in such a way that the waiting time could
be reduced easily.
3. Issues of customers services at food and beverage management
There are few issues which I faced because of improper facilities or services provided by
food and beverage management of Prezzo. Among which one of the main issues which I faced
was improper management. I had already booked the table but when I reached the restaurant
someone else were already on by table, then management ha to request them to move on to other
table. This happened because of improper management and this causes inconvenience for me as
well as those people who sat on my table (Palermo, Muscarella and Centonze, 2013).
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Management should have been more careful and should have provided the table according to
bookings done.
Another issues which I faced was waiting time. I had already given all the orders when
the table was booked but still they made me wait for long. This shows that they lack in
coordination because of which they were not able to deliver the chosen food on time (Monosik,
Stredansky and Sturdik, 2012). It is very important for the management of restaurant to select
employees who would be capable enough to provide the required food on time. Customers
should be attended and the required order should be place to them on time.
One more issue which I faced that they did not bring the order which I ordered. I ordered
for Jacquart Burt but they bought me Prosecco. Management should deliver which has been
ordered by the customer. Then they took more time to change the drink and to bring the one
which I had actually ordered. Lastly, the taste of dessert was not up to my expectations. It was
not good as compared to other restaurant. They should have focused more on adding more
ingredients which would add to taste (Thorndike, Sonnenberg and Levy, 2012).
Rest services and other food ordered by me were delicious and it can be stated that over
all experience was good but they could have done better.
4. Models for improving customer satisfaction
There are different authors which have given different types of models with the help of
which organizations can improve their customers satisfaction level. Among which following are
few of them:
Gap model: According to this model there are five steps involved which are as follows: Listening gap: This gap determines the customer's expectation and the perception of
management towards the customer (Huvaere and Skibsted, 2015). Standard and services design gap: This determines the perception of expectation of
customers made by management and the customer driven standards and service design. Performance gap: This shows the gap between service delivery and services users driven
standards and service design. Communication gap: It states the difference between communication to customers
externally and delivery of service (O’Brien, Livingstone and Pourshahidi, 2015).
 Customer gap: Gap between perception made management on the service provided and
expectations of customers.
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By filling up the gap between all the five stage, firm will be able to provide effective services to
their customers.
Kano's model: According to this model there are six factors because of which customers
satisfaction is driven. Factors involved in this model are as follows: Basic factors: This includes the minimum requirements, if they are not fulfilled, then it
will dissatisfy customers (Kano's model, 2012). Excitement factors: It includes the services because of which customer gets excited or get
highly delighted. Performance factor: If the performance of the management is high, then customers will
get satisfaction. Indifferent attributes: Features of the products are not taken into consideration (Popkin,
2014). Questionable attributes: It is not clear that this type of attributes are excepted by services
users.
 Reverse attributes: Customers expect the reverse towards the features of product.
Recommendation
Among both the models Prezzo should use gap model as it will help the management to
understand their customers and in providing them services with the help of which customers
could be satisfied. According to this model, it is important for the management should develop
services and provide them with products which would help in develop good perception of
customers towards the organization. This model will be help in determine the gap among the
perception and services provided by the firm. Management will be able to satisy customers
effectively.
CONCLUSION
From this report, it can be articulated that it is very important for the hospitality industry to
understand customers needs and wants. Accordingly, they should provide them services which
will be help in satiating them. In addition to this, it also important for the firm to focus on
improving their services so that customer could enjoy their meal provide by the organization.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Sungur, Ş., Köroğlu, M. and Özkan, A., 2014. Determinatıon of bisphenol a migrating from
canned food and beverages in markets. Food chemistry. 142. pp.87-91.
Carter, M.A., Signal, L. and Maher, A., 2013. Food, fizzy, and football: promoting unhealthy
food and beverages through sport-a New Zealand case study. BMC public health. 13(1).
pp.126.
Palermo, C., Muscarella, M. and Centonze, D., 2013. A multiresidual method based on ion-
exchange chromatography with conductivity detection for the determination of biogenic
amines in food and beverages. Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry. 405(2-3). pp.1015-
1023.
Monosik, R., Stredansky, M. and Sturdik, E., 2012. Application of enzyme biosensors in analysis
of food and beverages. Food Analytical Methods. 5(1). pp.40-53.
Thorndike, A.N., Sonnenberg, L. and Levy, D.E., 2012. A 2-phase labeling and choice
architecture intervention to improve healthy food and beverage choices. American Journal
of Public Health. 102(3). pp.527-533.
Huvaere, K. and Skibsted, L.H., 2015. Flavonoids protecting food and beverages against light.
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 95(1). pp.20-35.
O’Brien, S.A., Livingstone, M.B.E. and Pourshahidi, L.K., 2015. Secular trends in reported
portion size of food and beverages consumed by Irish adults. Analysis. 11. pp.13.
Popkin, B.M., 2014. Nutrition, agriculture and the global food system in low and middle income
countries. Food Policy. 47. pp.91-96.
Online
Kano's model. 2012. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.12manage.com/methods_kano_customer_satisfaction_model.html>.
[Accessed on 2nd February 2016].
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