Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 14

PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

AN ASSIGNMENT ON HOSPITALITY PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

TOPIC : Critically evaluate the changing nature of consumer demand for


restaurant services within India. Base your evaluation upon a type of
restaurant of your choice and illustrate it with appropriate industry examples.

RESTAURANT TYPE : REGIONAL CUISINE THEMED RESTAURANT

COMPILED BY : PUNAM GARU


MATRICULATION NUMBER : 08015439

1
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

CONTENTS PAGE

1) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – PAGE 3

2) INTRODUCTION – PAGE 4

3) FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMER DEMAND – PAGE 5-7

4) THE MEAL EXPERIENCE – PAGE 8

5) FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION- PAGE 9

6) REGIONAL CUISINE THEMED RESTAURANTS – PAGE 10-12

7) CONCLUSION – PAGE 13

8) BIBLIOGRAPHY – PAGE 14

2
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The assignment is critical evaluation of the changing consumer demand in the


restaurant services in India. Here the restaurant type chosen for critical evaluation is
the regional cuisine themed restaurant which is gaining popularity in the Indian
market. Since India is a country of varied cultures , cuisines and customs, therefore
a wide range of choices are available to the restaurateurs to experiment with this
segment of restaurants. But then this segment also has its own set of advantages
and disadvantages. The factors which influence the consumer demand are culture,
subcultures, convenience, variety, status, impulse and necessity. The meal
experience of the consumer is guided by the consumers physiological needs,
economical needs, psychological needs and convenience factors. Customer
satisfaction depends upon the ambience, facilities, quality, service, customer care,
value ,safety and security of the food and beverage outlet. Hence these factors
collectively influence the consumer demand and is also responsible for any change
or drift in consumer demand.

INTRODUCTION

3
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

The topic chosen for the assignment is the critical evaluation of the changing nature
of consumer demand for restaurant services within India. The evaluation is based
upon the regional cuisine themed restaurants. These restaurants are the most
upcoming type of restaurants in India and are gaining a good footage in the Indian
market. The first half of the report tells about the factors which influence the
consumer demand , the meal experience and factors affecting the quality of the meal
experience and also the factors which contribute towards consumer satisfaction. The
last half of the report talks about the relevant industry examples, which proves the
theory which is discussed before. The report is made by consulting books and
hospitality journals.

FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMER DEMAND


4
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

CULTURE

As per Blythe (1997:90) , ‘Culture is a set of beliefs and values that are shared by
most people within a group......it is passed on from one group member to another....it
is learned and is therefore both subjective and arbitrary’. Hence the consumer
demand is profoundly influenced by the cultural beliefs and values. The cultural
values and beliefs are so deeply embedded in the minds of the consumer that
sometimes the choices made by them are unconsciously influenced by culture.
Culture is responsible for the communication and language of the consumer, their
dress and appearance, food and eating habits, time and time consciousness,
relationships formed by them, values and norms, beliefs and attitudes, mental
processes and learning and work habits of the consumer. Moreover culture gives
a sense of self and space to the consumer. Therefore many of these factors affect
the consumer demand of hospitality goods and services. The consumption of
hospitality goods and services is done not only to experience their physiological
benefits but also to express the culture of the consumer through socialising ,
participating in ritual, expressing symbolism, etc.

[Reference : Williams, A.,2002.Understanding The Hospitality Consumer.1st ed.


Burlington. Butterworth- Heinemann]

SUBCULTURES

According to Chrisnall (1995: 123), ‘ A national culture is made up of several sub-


cultures that have their own distinctive characteristics, some of which may be very
different from the total pattern of culture’.

AGE SUBCULTURES

Age is a commonly identified subcultural characteristic , though there is enough


debate on the homogeneity of the age groups. The market could be segmented into
particular age groups, who have particular requirement, trend or demand for
hospitality goods and services. These differences have long been recognised by the

5
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

hospitality companies and hence they design their goods and services to suit these
age groups.

GEOGRAPHIC SUBCULTURES

Geography as a subculture is not very specific in nature as the designations may be


too large to identify the specific groups, but still the hospitality marketers try to cluster
the consumers as per their designations. It is being believed that people of the same
region share some common interests, needs ,etc, therefore subcultures could be
formed as per the geophaphic segmentation of a region.

RELIGION SUBCULTURE

Religion is a subculture which is very closely associated with tradition and custom
and hence the consumer behaviour could arise from religious beliefs. Religion holds
certain rules and norms which ought to be followed by the consumers to stay in the
society, hence these norms and traditions influence the consumer demand.

ETHINICITY SUBCULTURE

The process in which people use labels to define themselves and others is known as
ethinicity. Ethinicity is an important factor in determining consumer demand as the
consumer behaviour is dependent upon the strength or weakness that consumers
hold in their associations with their ethnic group.

[Reference : Williams, A.,2002.Understanding The Hospitality Consumer.1st ed.


Burlington. Butterworth- Heinemann]

CONVENIENCE

The hospitality product or service should be convenient enough for consumption.


Inconvenience could form a negative reaction in the minds of the consumer.

VARIETY

6
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

There should be enough variety or options available to the consumers to make their
choice, lack of options could create a monotonous environment for the consumers.

STATUS

The consumption of the hospitality product or service should enhance or maintain


the status of the consumer.

IMPULSE

Sometimes an impulse is generated in the minds of the consumer which drives the
consumer to consume the hospitality services or products. Such an impulse may be
created due to many factors like any upcoming trend, social influence, etc.

NECESSITY

Necessity of the hospitality product is a major factor for influencing the consumer
demand. Necessity refers to the basic requirement for the consumption of the
hospitality product, therefore it is a strong factor for influencing consumer demand.

[ Reference : Hospitality Product Development Napier Slide, Lecture 4]

THE MEAL EXPERIENCE

All food and beverage operations are aimed at achieving consumer satisfaction or
meeting the consumer’s needs. The needs that the consumers would want to satisfy
are:

7
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

PHYSIOLOGICAL : physiological needs refer to the bodily/physical requirements of


the guest, e.g. to quench the thirst or the need for special foods (organic, low
calorie).

ECONOMIC : the value for money factor should be present in the meal experience.
The need for good value, rapid, fast service and convenient location is important.

SOCIAL : the place should be bear a good social environment so that social
gatherings are possible.

PSYCHOLOGICAL: the meal experience should offer an enhancement of self-


esteem, fulfilment of life-style needs, variety, etc.

CONVENIENCE: the meal experience must be convenient to enough to have. The


physical impossibility of having the meal experience could hamper the consumer’s
intention of having the meal experience.

[Reference : Lillicrap,D. & Cousins. J,2002. Food and Beverage Service.6th


ed.Hodder and Stoughton Educational : London]

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

AMBIENCE – ambience refers to the environment, decor, hygiene and other soft
elements which enhance the beauty of the place and also affects the psychological
needs of the consumer.

FACILITIES – the facilities which are offered at the food and beverage outlet also
contribute to the customer satisfaction.
8
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

QUALITY- the service quality or food quality is a major factor for customer
satisfaction. The quality or standard of the food and beverage outlet enhances the
customer satisfaction and makes a status statement for the customer.

SERVICE – however good the food may be but unless it is served in a proper
manner customer satisfaction can never be attained. Therefore the service quality
plays a vital role in customer satisfaction.

CUSTOMER CARE- customer care or giving the required attention to the customer
is important for customer satisfaction.

VALUE- the value for money factor is very important in satisfying the customer. The
customer should not feel cheated, therefore the standards of the outlet should be
such maintained that it returns the customer the value of the money he/she paid.

SAFETY- the food and beverage outlet should provide a safe environment to its
customers so that they can enjoy their meal experience without any fear or stress

SECURITY- proper security arrangements are a necessity in a food and beverage


outlet to provide the customers a satisfactory meal experience.

[ Reference : Hospitality Product Development Napier Slide, Lecture 4]

REGIONAL CUISINE THEMED RESTAURANTS

Regional cuisine restaurants have always existed in India in different shapes, sizes
and formats and have always strived to bring a Taste Of India to the people of other
cultures and to the true gourmands who wishes to experiment with the diverse tastes
that comprises India.

A number of small, standalone single-cuisine restaurants are spread all over India
that are trying to make a mark for themselves with quality and authentic regional

9
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

dishes. According to Dr Suhas Awchat, the owner of three regional cuisine


restaurants – Goa Portugesa, Diva Maharashtracha and Culture Curry, most
consumers today are biased about a particular region’s cuisine and they think that
the entire cuisine comprises of only two or three dishes. Therefore regional cuisine
restaurants help in removing myths and a variety of dishes from the particular region
gets introduced.

According to Vivek Bhanushali , the General Manager of Chetana restaurant in


Mumbai which is reputed for its Gujrati and Rajasthani cuisine, people mostly think
that Maharashtrian food is limited to jhunka bhakar and vada pav, which are the
most popular Maharashtrian dishes. Therefore the Maharashtrian Thali was
introduced in Chetana Restaurant to give the consumers a feel of an authentic
Maharashtrian meal. Restaurants like Kandahar that serves North Indian cuisine
at Oberoi Hotels and Resorts in Mumbai, Vindhyas which serves South Indian
food at The Orchid hotel in Mumbai, etc all promote regional culture through food.

But according to Anuj Gupta of Samrat Restaurant that offers Gujrati and
Punjabi cuisines , the concept of standalone restaurants offering just a single
cuisine is just not feasible. And moreover consumers today look for options when
they go out to eat. But single- cuisine restaurants can be afforded by star hotels
as the clientele visiting these hotels demand authenticity and they also posses the
purchasing power.

According to Meldan D’Cunha the owner of Soul Fry chain of restaurants


famous for its Konkan Coastal cuisine in Mumbai, people have the enthusiasm to
try out new cuisines and they come from near and far to try it , but this enthusiasm
fades away eventually and then the restaurant will have to sustain itself to hold
on to the taste and demand of its clientele and its then when the issue of
authenticity arises.

According to Kamlesh Barot while doing research for the Rajdhani chain of
restaurants that specialises in Rajasthani cuisine, an exclusive tour of Rajasthan
was made to collect recipes , observe culture and finally bring down the chefs

10
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

from the region to train the other chefs of the restaurant and prepare authentic
food.

According to Vishwas Sarpotdar, manager of Vividh restaurant which specialises


in North West Frontier cuisine, menu selection is equally important and even
when it concerns the cuisine of the North West Frontier Province , there are subtle
differences that exists in the cuisine from various areas of that province. It is a
challenge to decide which recipes will be more liked by the people.

Another way of making authentic food is to use the right equipment for the
preparation of the dishes. As per Naveen Bakhru, manager of Rice Boat
restaurant which specialises in Kerala cuisine, the authenticity in the operations of
the restaurant is maintained by the special equipment procured that is traditionally
used in the region. A thorough research was done in Mumbai before the opening of
Rice Boat restaurant , and it was seen that apart from a few food festivals in five-star
hotels there was no other single restaurant in Mumbai which specialises in Kerala
cuisine. Hence the concept of opening Rice Boat was thought about as a large
number of keralites resides in Mumbai.

But as per Virji Safiya, the food and beverage manager of Dum Pukht and
Bukhara at ITC Maurya in Delhi, the consumers of the restaurant are not region-
specific as a little bit of all the cuisines is embraced by even regional cuisines. And
Indian food is like music which is universal and is even popular among the foreign
guests.

Traditional service and the apt ambience in which the food is being served , along
with the quality of food prepared by the speciality chefs from the region , all
complement to the popularity of the restaurant. Therefore just having the right
equipment and crockery with perfect interiors and ambience is not enough.
Speciality restaurants also require well-trained staff who are well versed with the
menu and traditional serving techniques and are traditionally dressed. The manager
or chef at the Chetana restaurant goes personally to individual tables and gives a
brief summary of the dishes served in the restaurant, which can otherwise be found
in the menu. Therefore regional cuisine restaurants require specialised kitchen ,

11
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

authentic ingredients , speciality chefs, traditional décor and well trained


sevice employees.

The past few years have seen a boom in the regional cuisine restaurants , as these
restaurants have started springing up all over the country and the already existing
restaurants have undergone changes to keep pace with the changing consumer
demand. It has been realised by the hoteliers that offering a single cuisine where
authenticity is promised is much better than offering multiple cuisines under a single
roof, where the degree of authenticity is questionable and the taste is mediocre.
Another probable reason for the increasing popularity of the regional cuisine
restaurants is that these dishes at quite tough to prepare at home due to the
unavailability of authentic raw ingredients in the local market and is also time
consuming.

[Reference : Anon,2008.Tastes Of India. Express Hospitality, Dec 1-15, Pg 19-21]

CONCLUSION

Therefore the above report discusses about the factors which influence the
consumer behaviour such as culture, sub cultures such as age subcultures, religion
subculture, geographical subculture, ethinicity subcultures, convenience, variety,
status, impulse and necessity. These factors are responsible for the consumer
behaviour and their needs and demands. Nextly comes the Meal Experience , which
defines the wants of a consumer from a particular food and beverage outlet. These
wants or requirements are categorised as physiological, economical, psychological
and convenience. Factors such as ambience, facilities, quality, service, customer
care, value, safety and security are responsible for consumer satisfaction. Hence it
12
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

seen that all these factors directly or indirectly affect the consumer demand. After
this the real industry situation is focussed upon. It is seen that regional cuisine
restaurant chains are coming up and consumers are preferring single or speciality
cuisine restaurants rather than multicuisine restaurants because the present
consumer is more focussed on the authenticity , taste, variety and quality of the food
and service rather than just having a meal. It is also observed that since these
speciality cuisines are tough to prepare at home due to unavailability of proper raw
material and skill, therefore consumers demand such kind of regional cuisine
restaurants. Such is the demand for these restaurants that when a new regional
cuisine restaurant is set up people travel from far and wide to experience the food
and service of the restaurant , but again this phase is just temporary and once this
enthusiasm of the consumers is over, the restaurant will have to strive continuosly to
hold on its clientele. But then according to some people, it is difficult to have a
standalone restaurant serving only a single cuisine , but as seen again a lot of
variety can be brought out and a lot more experimentation can be done with these
regional cuisine restaurants so as to always offer something new to the consumers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1) Anon,2008.Tastes Of India. Express Hospitality, Dec 1-15, Pg 19-21.

2) Lillicrap,D. & Cousins. J,2002. Food and Beverage Service.6th ed.Hodder and
Stoughton Educational : London.

3) Napier CD ROM.

4) Williams, A.,2002.Understanding The Hospitality Consumer.1st ed. Burlington.


Butterworth- Heinemann.

13
PUNAM GARU

MARTICULATION NO : N08015439

14

Вам также может понравиться