SECTION A

1. Marketing is defined as "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large." As technology and trends change, your marketing tactics should adapt, too. While many of the traditional techniques still hold true today, new strategies, like internet and environmental marketing, are emerging as key components of any successful restaurant marketing campaign. Explain FIVE (5) ways to market your restaurant efficiently
2. During customer's visit to the restaurant, they compare what they expect to get with what they encounter. If the perception of the service received is less than expected, the customer is dissatisfied. Describe service problems that usually occur in restaurants.

SECTION B

Case study 1: New Ideas at Work

"It's obvious that our food costs are higher than they should be," explained Salmi. "Our new Point of Sale system tells me that we sold 425 portions of beef steak last month. However, we purchased more than 600 portions, and I just did a physical count of the steaks in inventory, and there were only 25 units available. I don't know the number of steaks in inventory at the beginning of the month but whatever that number is just represents additional steaks which are unaccounted for."

Salmi is a general manager of the Herbal Restaurant, and she is talking to its owner, Syaza. Syaza had inherited some money and had always wanted to own a restaurant. However, she had other business interests and had hired a manager who had been with her in another business for the last four years to manage her new restaurant venture. Salmi was hired about three months ago after that general manager quit, and Salmi was quickly learning about the restaurant's operation including several 'loopholes' in its control system.

"I'll bet you're correct, Salmi," said Syaza, "it's getting more difficult to pay the bills with cash from operations, and my accountant tells me that the restaurant's profitability is decreasing each month."

Source from: The Restaurant: From Concept to Operation

Questions:

a)Identify the ideal storing and issuing systems which should be in place at the Herbal Restaurant.

b)Describe what Salmi should do, to involve existing staff members in the design of the control system.

c)Based on your answer in (b), elaborate ways in implementing your suggestion.

Case study 2: Be good to your customer

Arif, a server at Lemuni's Bistro, knew from the beginning that the guests at table 6 were not likely going to have a 'positive' memorable experience. They were seated about one hour after their reservation time, they were given the worst table in the restaurant (on the main traffic aisle right outside the doorway to the kitchen), and the receptionist had spilled water on one guest and over almost the entire table immediately after they were seated.

The manager then visited the table before the receptionist could even get there and had apologized profusely. The manager had informed them that they would receive a complimentary appetizer and before-dinner drink ("just tell the server"), but he had forgotten to inform Arif!

After the initial confusion ("Oh, I'm glad you will be receiving a free appetizer and dinner drink, but let me talk to my manager."), Arif just knew that the guests thought the restaurant procedures and communication systems were ineffective (non-existent!). Arif figured that they were probably waiting to receive poorly prepared food before they called the manager to inform him that they would never return nor would they pay for any portion of the bill for this evening's meal.

Source from: The Restaurant: From Concept to Operation

Questions:

a)Identify what the manager could have done to establish a system of empowerment after staff members were trained to handle these types of incidents..

b)Explain what he should have done with the guests at this specific table. Should he have gone to the table before Arif arrived or after Arif arrived or together with Arif or ignore the guest.

c)Describe what kind of assistance the manager should give Arif in efforts to provide quality service to make a bad-to-this-point guest dining experience memorable by the time it concludes.

SECTION C

People dine in a restaurant because they are looking for an experience that they cannot replicate at home. One way to provide this is to create an atmosphere where people can socialize and feel comfortable. If people enjoy your atmosphere as well as your food, they are more likely to develop an emotional connection to your restaurant, which is a prerequisite to creating loyal customers. Specify in detail FIVE (5) elements to be considered in decorating the front of the house.