Marketing Research - Customer Satisfaction for Charlie Brown's

Marketing research- Customer Satisfaction for Charlie Brown's

November 23, 2004

I. Problem Definition

* Server/ Customer Relationship

* Wait time (to sit, for food, for service)

* Menu choices

* Legibility of Items

* Atmosphere/ Dйcor of restaurant

* Kitchen/ Server communication

* Prices (quality of food and customer perception)

II. Secondary Data

1. Robin Lee Allen. Nation's Restaurant News. New York: September 13, 1999.Vol.33, Issue 37; pg. 96, 2 pages.

In reference to customer satisfaction, this article explains that in the situation of taking food to go, it is hard to develop a customer-employee relationship because it only deals with taking a telephone call and picking up your food. If customers are not satisfied with their order, they will blame the restaurant as opposed to the individual who bagged or prepared the food. Employees need to pay close attention to what they are doing to make sure everything in the togo order is correct.

2. Robin Lee Allen. Nation's Restaurant News. New York: September 13, 1999.Vol.33, Issue 37; pg. 86, 2 pages.

This article gave a lot of information dealing with how "great service is more than accurate order taking." Restaurateurs are upgrading their production capabilities, updating their consumer- profile databases and fine-tuning their training in a push to elevate service levels for increasingly discerning consumers who have limitless dining options. The author explains that good food and memorable dйcor do not only give a positive dining experience, but it is the outstanding service that is the deciding variable. Servers can lift customer's perceptions. Higher check averages often elicit higher customer expectations. If people are paying more, more often than not they expect better service from their servers, better food, and a more memorable dining experience. Great service takes different forms at different restaurants but service begins with a telephone call and ends with the valet outside of a restaurant. The article also notes that Outback Steakhouse servers tend to only have three tables at a time, no matter what their past experience is, to ensure each table is receiving the proper attention. If servers are too busy they will be unable to give each of their customers the attention they need and deserve.

3. Anonymous. Nation's Restaurant News. New York: September 6,2004.Vol38, Issue 36; pg. 31, 3 pages.

This article describes that many restaurants, including Charlie Brown's, is trying to increase guest satisfaction and surpass competition by debuting cutting edge concepts that feature upscale menus and swanky atmospheres.

4. Anonymous. Restaurants & Institutions. Chicago: November 15, 1993.Vol.103, Issue 27; pg.51, 8 pages.

Many restaurants are saving customers the trouble of splitting dishes at the table, and asking the kitchen to prepare it that way for them. It makes the customer feel special that the restaurant will take the extra step to prepare the dishes for them already split.

5. Laura Yee. Restaurants & Institutions. Chicago: July 1, 2003.Vol.113, issue 15; pg. 24.

Many restaurants are expanding their menus to broaden their appeal. They are creating bolder dishes to distinguish themselves from their competitors. Charlie Brown's and Outback Steakhouses are adding many new menu items to add to their steaks but also offer many new dishes to those who do not prefer red meat.

6. Pamela Sebastion. wall Street Journal. (Eastern Edition). New York, N.Y.: September 11, 1997. pg. A.1.

This article talks about how Charlie Brown's does not take reservations, but from Monday to Thursday, they allow for call ahead seating. Guests call to inform the restaurant they will be coming and the wait starts from when they call.

7. Brian Still. Restaurant Hospitality. Cleveland: August 2004.Vol.88, Issue 8;pg.92, 3 pages.

This author provides us with 10 rules of service design to ensure the service support structure does not over promise or under deliver. The 10 steps include,

(1) Configure your service framework, (2) Coordinate service steps, (3) Enable guests to feel in control, (4) Offer choices, (5) Maintain continuity of service, (6) understand service capacity, (7) Maintain consistency in role responsibilities and service method, (8) establish communication, (9) Compensation is the reward for successful service delivery, and (10) Celebrate a service culture. A very important point made is that by offering choices the customer not only has more of a variety to choose from, but they feel in control that they have the ability to choose. Customers enjoy that they have many menu items to choose from, and for example different choices of side dishes to choose from for each of those entrees. All servers must make sure their customers are receiving the service their customers expect, and not under deliver.

III. Experience Survey (Primary Data)

For our experience survey we interviewed Michael