Archive for Research

Free: Restaurant Industry, Hospitality, and Foodservice Discussion Forums

August 2, 2006 at 1:44 pm · Filed under Advice, Free, Internet, Research, Resource Site, Web Site

If you would like to hear how others in the restaurant, hospitality, and foodservice industry feel about a topic, then visiting and/or participating in a discussion forum can be very helpful. While there are some fee-based membership forums for restaurant owners, here are some message boards where restaurant folks are talking for free:

Foodservice.com’s Industry Discussion Forums

sample forums:
Restaurant Biz Talk
TechTalk – Restaurant POS / Software
Chefs and Cooks Corner

Chef2Chef’s Professional Community Forums

sample forums:
Ask a Chef! Get an Answer!
Restaurant Equipment Forum
Wine Beer Spirit and Beverage Forum

Topix’s Restaurant Management Forum
Restaurant Report’s “The Great Debates” and “Question & Answer“
StarChefs’ Message Board
ChefTalk’s Cooking Forums
Atlanta Cuisine’s Restaurant Talk

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Newsletter: “MarketBrief” from AMEX/Technomic, Inc.

July 16, 2006 at 8:19 pm · Filed under Competition, Financial, Free, Newsletter, Research

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excerpt:
“For full-service restaurants, an increased focus on strategies that drive check averages, such as promoting sides, appetizers, desserts and adult beverages can help to drive not just revenue growth, but also profitability, as many of these items have higher average margins than do the main entrées. Align the incentives of servers and line managers with selling activities that will drive profits.

For those not in the Top 100, unit growth remains important to drive to a position of better economies of scale. In addition, look hard at opportunities to improve processes in the back of the house. While smaller chains do not have the buying power of large chains simply due to size, they do have the opportunity to hold a tighter rein on operations due to size. For many chains, there is significant opportunity to take cost and inefficiency out in this area, which can be a major profit-driver…”

source: “Public Company Reports” by Technomic (MarketBrief, July 2006)

“MarketBrief provides chain restaurant operators with research-based analysis of key industry developments. Access to past issues is offered free of charge by logging into this section of our site.

MarketBrief is produced by Technomic, Inc., the leading provider of consulting and consumer research to the restaurant industry.”

link: Amex MarketBrief Newsletter

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Research: “Dining Out is a Quintessential American Pastime, According to Scarborough Research Restaurant Report” (Jul.2006)

July 14, 2006 at 3:16 pm · Filed under Article, Demographics, Free, Research

excerpt:
“Ninety-six percent of U.S. adults dine out at a restaurant at least once per month. Two-fifths (40 percent) of the population visited a Quick Service Restaurant, such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s or Subway, six or more times during the past month, according to a new report on the restaurant industry from Scarborough Research…

The Restaurant Report analyzes a wide variety of consumer dining-out behaviors, including:

* Demographics of Quick Service restaurant and Sit-Down restaurant
patrons.
* Demographic and lifestyle analyses of consumers who are the most
frequent patrons of Quick Service and Sit-Down restaurants.
* Restaurant patronage by African-American and Hispanic consumers.
* Local market analyses, highlighting the top local markets for restaurant
patrons.”

source: “Dining Out is a Quintessential American Pastime, According to Scarborough Research Restaurant Report” (Scarborough Research, Jul.13,2006)

link: Dining Out is Quintessentially American: The Scarborough Restaurant Report [pdf]

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Article: “What Your Customers Want” (July 2005)

May 29, 2006 at 9:10 am · Filed under Article, Demographics, Magazine, Research

excerpt:
"…RESTAURANT HOSPITALITY recently commissioned consumer research to provide original and actionable information about consumer usage and ordering habits that you can take to the bank.

The research captured consumer frequency of eating at full-service restaurants on weekdays and weekends; how often they eat at your restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner; the types of restaurants they've eaten at in the past six months and what makes them want to return to a restaurant.

…We, the editors of RESTAURANT HOSPITALITY, hope that this consumer research will give you a better insight into dealing with customers. We're convinced that it will confirm information that you may have already believed in your mind, while also revealing areas of opportunity that you may not have known existed. Use this information wisely and watch your business grow."

source: "What Your Customers Want" (Restaurant Hospitality, July 2005)

Note: Restaurant Hospitality offers a free magazine subscription and newsletter.

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Article: “Going with the Crowd” (Jan.2005)

May 16, 2006 at 10:10 am · Filed under Article, Psychology, Research

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excerpt:
"All three restaurants served types of food that we enjoy. Although it was early in the evening, one was already quite crowded. Another had a couple at one table near the window. The third appeared to have no customers.

In such a situation, many people might think that there must be some reason why no one is at the third restaurant. Maybe there's something wrong with it. The restaurant with just one couple might also appear questionable for the same reason…"

source: "Going with the Crowd" by Ivars Peterson (Science News, Jan.2005)

Interesting research on why your competitor's restaurant may be much more crowded than yours. The findings differ from popularly held beliefs. Restaurant owners may wish to consider early-dining specials to use this research to their advantage.

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Web Site: The Center For Hospitality Research’s Tools for the Hospitality Industry

May 15, 2006 at 7:20 pm · Filed under Research, Resource Site

excerpt:
"The CHR plans to release a variety of tools for use by the hospitality industry. All of these tools may be used without charge for a 90-day period. Should you wish to use a tool for more than 90 days, there is a modest charge, which varies by tool. We expect to release a new tool approximately every two months, so check back often."

link: The Center For Hospitality Research's Tools for the Hospitality Industry

sample tools:

Restaurant Table-Mix Optimizer
Turnover Cost Evaluator [Web Application]
The Tipping Quiz Tool

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Article: “Study: “Price Endings Have Psychological Effect on Restaurant Customers” (May 2001)

May 8, 2006 at 9:50 pm · Filed under Article, Pricing, Research

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excerpt:
"This isn't a decision-making tool that's based on economics," said Parsa, associate professor of hospitality management in the College of Human Ecology. "It's more psychological. If you are in the high end of the market, you want to maintain the image of quality.

When reviewing the responses, the researchers found that participants tended to choose "0" price endings when choosing for high quality, and tended to avoid "0" endings when choosing for high value.

The research shows a synergy between consumers' expectations when they see the price of an item, and the image that restaurants hope to project, Parsa said."

source: "Study: "Price Endings Have Psychological Effect on Restaurant Customers" by Martha Filipic (Ohio State Univ., May 15,2001)

research paper: "Menu Price Endings That Communicate Value and Quality" by Naipaul, Sandra; Parsa, H. G. (Cornell Hotel & Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Feb. 2001)

This may already be common knowledge among restaurant professionals, however it is always beneficial to know the source, science, and research behind the practice.

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