The Impact of Meal Duration to Spending in a Fast-Casual Dining Restaurant

Abstract

This study examined the impact on spending associated with meal duration. The Onion restaurant, a fast-casual dining restaurant is located in Perry Barr, Birmingham, this operation will be used as a case study. This restaurant currently enjoys reviews for their fast food and takes away services (as shown from the restaurant website). Currently, the regular restaurant customers are students from a University. Additionally, there is a diverse cross-cultural mix in the local demographic. This situation impactsto the type of customer as this may influence service planning. Value focussed fast casual operations are dependent on delivering quality products and sales volume. In looking at volume, the researcher wanted to explore the correlation between meal duration and spending derived from the customer party mixes. The research finding identify that there is a pattern that the more number of party, the longer meal duration and shows the trend that spending increase as the number of party mixes increase. The research findings also identify that there is a correlation between meal duration and spending, the longer meal duration, the more spending achieved. This finding will be use as direction for restaurants manager to decide service planning appropriate for restaurant operation, especially the decision whether the restaurant need to reduce meal duration so that the table turn over time can be maximizing and more revenue can be achieved or the restaurant allows the customer stay longer and spend more based on the correlation between mean meal duration and average customer spending.

Rationale: Fast casual independent small medium enterprise restaurant operations represent an overlooked subsector of the hospitality industry. Survival in a value conscious arena, facing cost constant is challenging. Optimising capacity from retail space and balancing meal duration with spending to achieve volumes necessary are factors which may determine the restaurant with a future. This research explores the assumption that operations not accurately managing capacity, meal duration and spending are matters of substance.

Method: This research consists of secondary and primary research. The secondary research was conducted using journals and books diverse relevant data was collected and analysed. Primary research was observed through observations and interview. Observational data was collected having examined Kimes (2004) method to obtain accurate data on meal duration and customer's spending in the fast-casual dining restaurant. Interviews to learn of the restaurant manager's views on service planning. 46journals and three books were used to test the theories relevant to this study. 231 different party groups from 503 customers were observed to obtain data on average meal duration and spending of different groups. Also, an unstructured interview with the restaurant manager obtained information on the restaurant's service planning. All the information from the secondary and primary research was analysed, interpreted, and presented in detail to explain the impact of the average meal duration to spending of customers in a fast-casual dining restaurant.

Findings and conclusion. The findings and conclusion, as well as the recommendations of this studyaddress fast casual dining restaurant managers or those in a similar restaurant setting. Information on the average meal duration and spending of different group in a fast-casual dining restaurant setting has been provided by the results of both secondary and primary research. Recommendations have also been provided to help restaurant managers managing capacity by providing the information on how long customer's meal duration and how much their spending derived from party mixes. As this study only focuses on a fast-casual dining restaurant, and the data was obtained from one restaurant, the research findings and conclusion can be applied in other similar restaurants settings, but not all restaurant settings in general.