Service Audit of St. George's Restaurant: Hospitality Management

This paper presents a comprehensive service audit of St. George's Restaurant in Preston, Melbourne, evaluating various aspects of the visitor experience from pre-arrival to post-visit. It examines the restaurant's online presence, arrival experience including parking and first impressions, the attraction itself focusing on layout, visitor flow, and content, cleanliness including toilets and catering outlets, retail offerings, and staff performance. The audit provides detailed observations and recommendations for improvements in each area, aiming to enhance the overall quality of service and visitor satisfaction. The analysis is supported by relevant literature and aims to provide actionable insights for the restaurant to optimize its operations and attract more customers.

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AN AUDIT OF THE SERVICES OF THE ST. GEORGE’S RESTAURANT, PRESTON
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Executive Summary
This paper conducts an analysis of the services provided by the St. Georges Restaurant located in
Melbourne to help understand the hospitality industry. The paper will use a criterion that studies
various stages aspects of the hotel industry and different stages in service provisions. The paper
looks at the pre-arrival segment of the restaurant. In this section the online presences is studied
as well as the restaurants use of other means such as leaflets to reach potential clients. The
second section assesses the restaurant at arrival. What is the first impression given to clients?
How good is the entry point management and parking? Are visitor information and signage
provided? The paper then looks at the attraction in terms of how it manager the flow of clients,
the appearance of the grounds or gardens, the state of the buildings in terms of maintenance, the
quality of displays as well as interpretation. The hygiene of the restaurant follows where the
toilets and other segments are investigated. Are they properly cleaned and maintained? The paper
seeks to know if they are convenient to use and whether the range of menus provided meets the
required standard. The catering is also featured followed by the retail, where the manner in
which the merchandise is presented is investigated. Is the range of merchandise appropriate?
Lastly the staffs are also looked into.

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................5
Pre-arrival........................................................................................................................................5
Online Presence............................................................................................................................5
Leaflets and brochures.................................................................................................................6
Arrival..............................................................................................................................................6
Car Parking..................................................................................................................................6
First Impression............................................................................................................................6
Layout and entry point management............................................................................................6
Visitor’s information and signage................................................................................................7
The Attraction..................................................................................................................................7
Layout and visitor flow................................................................................................................8
Range of Content versus Expectation..........................................................................................8
Visitor Information and Signage..................................................................................................9
Appearance of Garden and Grounds............................................................................................9
Appearance of buildings..............................................................................................................9
Decorations and maintenance....................................................................................................10
Appearance of grounds and gardens..........................................................................................10
Presentation of Displays.............................................................................................................11

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Interpretation..............................................................................................................................11
Cleanliness.....................................................................................................................................11
Car park and arrival area................................................................................................................11
The Attraction............................................................................................................................12
Toilets.........................................................................................................................................12
Catering outlets..........................................................................................................................12
Retail outlets..............................................................................................................................13
Toilets............................................................................................................................................13
Provision and Location..............................................................................................................13
Decoration and maintenance......................................................................................................13
Fixtures and fittings...................................................................................................................13
Catering..........................................................................................................................................13
Layout and ease of use...............................................................................................................14
Ambience and Fist impressions.................................................................................................14
Decorations Furniture and fittings.............................................................................................14
Menus and range........................................................................................................................14
Food quality and presentation....................................................................................................15
Retail..............................................................................................................................................15
Ease of use and Visitor flow......................................................................................................15
Display unit’s fittings and lighting.............................................................................................15

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Presentation of merchandise......................................................................................................16
Range and appropriateness of merchandise...............................................................................16
Staff................................................................................................................................................16
Appearance of Staff...................................................................................................................16
Customer Care............................................................................................................................17
Efficiency...................................................................................................................................17
Knowledge.................................................................................................................................17
Recommendations..........................................................................................................................18
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................18
List of References..........................................................................................................................20

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Introduction
The hospitality industry remains one of the most vibrant drivers of the economies of several
countries. It is heavily dependent on the state of the country’s attractions and the quality of the
services they offer. In the wake of globalization accompanied by great strides in information
technology, traveller world over can access information about almost any hotel, restaurant or any
another attraction and conduct a comparison before they make a choice. This paper takes a look
at the selected restaurant St. Georges Restaurant in Preston, Melbourne’s with a view of
understanding the range and quality of services they have. The analysis looks at the whole
process from pre arrival, to arrival and the attraction itself and makes recommendations as to
what improvements could be undertaken to make things better.
Pre-arrival
Online Presence
This section of the paper takes a look the manner in which the restaurant meets the client’s needs
before interacting with the client. Before one can visit a hotel or any other destination, they must
know about it. This means that the attraction must do its best to make itself known to its clients
and potential clients. One of the platforms through which clients can access the restaurant today
is through the internet. In a fast changing world, the focus service providers in the hospitality
industry have to increase their online presence (SiteMinder 2016). St. Georges Restaurant has a
fair online presence; they have an official website as well as a Facebook page. Clients can access
information about the hotel on their official website regarding their services and facilities. The
contacts of the restaurant are also provided so one can directly make inquiries and ask questions
of concern.

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Leaflets and brochures
The restaurant also makes itself known through brochures and leaflets.
Arrival
Car Parking
St. Georges Restaurant has several parking lots. Visitors driving in have a variety of parking lots
to choose from. They could park at the designated parking spaces right outside building K. the
challenge posed by this space is its size. Owing to this clients have to park in alternate spaces
such as the parking lot outside building Q which is very far from Building K where the restaurant
is located. Alternatively they could park at the parking spaces outside buildings C or H which are
still far (St. George’s Restaurant 2018).
First Impression
The first impression that one gets when they get into the compound is actually impressive. The
place looks fairy organized. The lawns are beautifully manicured and the flowers neatly done.
The grass is kept short too. All these give the impression of a place that is well taken care of and
gives the customer an anticipation of what to expect in the restaurant itself. As SmartMeetings
(2018) submits, making the right first impression makes a lot of difference in the hotel industry.
Layout and entry point management
The hotel appears fairly accessible. It can actually be accessed from several roads such as the St.
Georges Road and the Bruce Street through, Jessie Street. Access to a hotel or restaurant is one
key factor that will either encourage or discourage clients from visiting the attraction (Fall 2017).
There are also a number of entry points into ST. Georges Restaurant. All the entry points are
managed by trained security guards who make sure there is controlled entry and exit. They also

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ensure that the appropriate security checks are conducted on persons seeking entry in order to
guarantee the safety of all. Safety of a hotel or restaurant begins with the management of the
entry and exit points. In the wake of terror attacks which have happened at a number of public
places and entertainment joints in the recent past, this safety and security has become a priority.
Incidents such as the terrorist attack on a French supermarket early this year in March which
claimed four lives would have been avoided if proper security was maintained. The security
officers at the gates of St. Georges Restaurant are well aware of this and are not taking any
chances.
Visitor’s information and signage
Signage is very important in the tourism sector because it helps the visitors to locate their
destinations of travel easily. It is projected that in the year 2018 and beyond there is going to be
an exponential rise in the number of millennial traveller- those of ages between 18 and 34
(Forbes 2017). Although it is the age of internet technology and the average millennial traveller
can simply use GoogleMaps to find their location and destination, it is incumbent upon the
destination owners to erect signage posts direction their clients and potential clients to their
location. Visitors’ information must be availed and St. Georges restaurant knows this. Driving to
the location is easy thanks to the signage posts that have been erected along the way.
The Attraction
Layout and visitor flow
The layout of a hotel or restaurant premise affects the visitor flow. As pointed out by Miller &
Washington 2017, p. 491, facility layout is a vital component of the overall success of the
operations of the business. A good restaurant layout must provide ease of access to the facility. It

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must also provide an ease of movement of the customers once in the facility and facilitate ease of
exchange in movement between the customers and the staff.
The arrangement of St Georges Restaurant is quite impressive. The customer entrance is a wide
double door big enough to allow smooth passage during entry and exit. The advantage of this
kind of odor is seen best in moment of emergency. At such moments it becomes facilitative of
the movement of a large number of people at the same time. There is a door that leads to the
restaurant seat area which is also wide enough. Behind the seated restaurant area is the bar. There
is a large space behind the seated restaurant area that allows the exchange of clients and the staff
between the bar area and the seated restaurant section (St. Georges Restaurant 2018). This is
very necessary as there are usually movement between the two sections. Staff also makes
frequent movements between the two areas as they do service. It is fair to say that the flow of
visitors at the St. Georges restaurant is well taken care of.
Range of Content versus Expectation
This section of the paper takes a look at the reality on the ground in the operations of St. Georges
Restaurant against the expectations that one has while visiting especially for the fists time. When
visiting for the first time one does not expect much from the attraction given the fact that it is
located within a polytechnic setting. It is necessary that what the reality looks like marches the
expectation on the gorund (Mihailović, Simonović & Ćurčić 2017). Most people actually
wrongly assume that all activities are handled by inexperienced students. Quite on the contrary,
the services are above board and are atypical of what one would expect from students. The level
of hygiene is not the kind that would be expected in an environment with students for example.

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Visitor Information and Signage
Signage is very important in the tourism sector because it helps the visitors to locate their
destinations of travel easily. It is projected that in the year 2018 and beyond there is going to be
an exponential rise in the number of millennial traveller- those of ages between 18 and 34
(Forbes 2017). Although it is the age of internet technology and the average millennial traveller
can simply use GoogleMaps to find their location and destination, it is incumbent upon the
destination owners to erect signage posts direction their clients and potential clients to their
location. Visitors’ information must be availed and St. Georges restaurant knows this. Driving to
the location is easy thanks to the signage posts that have been erected along the way.
Appearance of Garden and Grounds
Urban and suburban landscapes today are very different from what they looked like before.
People are growing to appreciate the value of having a flower garden that is properly kept. The
demand for this is even higher in the hotel and tourism sector. In the provision of hotel and
restaurant services, appearances and first impressions count a lot (Lundberg 2011). St. Georges
Restaurant has a garden with flowers that are well kept although the gardens are not elaborate in
terms of the flora and fauna. In order to make the site more attractive, a wider variety is required.
Appearance of buildings
The buildings that houses the St. Georges restaurant is designated as building K according to the
plan provided. From the look outside, the building looks properly kept. The painting on the wall
and other surfaces appears fairly new. It is fair to say that the buildings are routinely checked and
maintained in terms of renovating the painting, roof and fittings. The impression that this gives
to clients is that of a place that is kept hygienic and clean, a factor that is very good for business
in the hotel industry (Forbes 2014). Clients want to feel like they are walking in to a nice place

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when they walk into a restaurant, this is why the appearance of the walls and other surfaces form
the exterior is very important.
Decorations and maintenance
This section takes a look at the state of the interior of the restaurant in terms of maintenance and
decorations. A look at the interior wall of the St. Georges restaurant reveals a beautiful art. These
are a number of beautiful wall hangings and paintings displayed on the walls. These give the
rooms a feel of ambience and luxury and are very necessary in order to enhance the guests
experience. According to Mansbach & Kolton 2010, p. 2, interior design plays a significant role
in shaping the consumers mood and their overall experience at their choice destination. St.
Georges Restaurant has this going for them too. Their customers get quite a good customer
experience sitting in the restaurant area which has just the right amount of paint and color.
Appearance of grounds and gardens
Urban and suburban landscapes today are very different from what they looked like before.
People are growing to appreciate the value of having a flower garden that is properly kept. The
demand for this is even higher in the hotel and tourism sector. In the provision of hotel and
restaurant services, appearances and first impressions count a lot (Forbes 2017). St. Georges
Restaurant has a garden with flowers that are well kept although the gardens are not elaborate in
terms of the flora and fauna. In order to make the site more attractive, a wider variety is required.
Presentation of Displays
In a crowded hotel industry, where interior design artists are jostling for opportunities to do the
interior of hotel and restaurant walls, it is difficult to get it done right. Wall displays in the hotel
industry today is taking on a more prominent presence (Lundberg 2011). This is accompanied by

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the right kind of lighting in order to create the right kind of ambience and feel.at St. George’s
restaurant, lighting and display is nothing better than ordinary. The millennial client is unlikely
to settle for anything ordinary. They are looking for the best. Presentation of displays is one of
the areas where the restaurant requires improving on.
Interpretation
The role of hospitality interpreters in this century cannot be overemphasized. Tourist destination,
hotels world over today are receiving international guests and St. George Restaurant is not an
exception (Miller & Washington 2017). Just like many other hotels in Australia, it receives
international guests notably from Asia. There is therefore a great need for interpreters who
comprehend and speak a variety of Asian languages to aid guests of Asiatic origin to understand
what is going on. Like has already been mentioned in this paper, customer satisfaction is what
drives success in the hotel industry. The number of interpreters at the St. Georges restaurant is
not sufficient. There is need for the management to consider hiring more interpreters.
Cleanliness
Car park and arrival area
The car parking spaces are supposed to be kept clean just like they are at St. Georges Restaurant.
It might look like a small matter but it is not. Clients will be attracted by minute details about the
hotels and restaurants just the same way they will be repelled by such small things as dirt in the
parking lot.