Quality Analysis of Vojvodina Restaurants

dr Snježana Gagić , Ana Jovičić, MSc, Irma Erdeji, MSc, dr Bojana Kalenjuk, dr Marko D. Petrović

INTRODUCTION

• In order to ensure desired quality, it is necessary to constantly work on the improvement and identification of the factors which determine it.

• It is very important to identify what represents a value for guests and implement necessary measures in order to achieve the desired business results.

• The paper analyzes the Vojvodina restaurants quality.

• The questionnaire for quality measuring was created according to researchers suggestion in this field.

• The sample consisted of 600 guests from thirty restaurants selected in 19 towns in Vojvodina.

• The primary objective was to involve the most important attributes that determine restaurant quality (food, service and atmosphere quality).

• The results shown which quality attributes should be improved in order to increase guest satisfaction. Those are healthier options in menu, food presentation, menu variety, service competences and behavior as well as music and odors choice.

• The possible solutions to correct founded failings are given in paper.

RESULTSVariable Category Number of respondents Percent of respondents

GenderMale 382 62,7

Female 281 37,3

Age

≤ 20 27 4,5

21-30 156 26,0

31-40 164 27,3

41 – 50 153 25,5

51 – 60 73 12,2

≥ 61 27 4,5

Ocupation

Student 45 7,5

Employed 336 56,0

Entrepreneur 113 18,8

Retiree 45 7,5

Unemployed 61 10,2

Education

Primary school 1 0,2

High school 315 52,5

College or faculty 152 25,3

Master studies 110 18,3

PhD studies 22 3,7

ItemsMean Std. deviation

Minimum Maksimum

Food taste 4,82 3,00 5,00 0,42

Food freshness 4,78 2,00 5,00 0,46

Food presentation 4,29 2,00 5,00 0,78

Portion size 4,74 2,00 5,00 0,49

Food temperature 4,61 2,00 5,00 0,58

Constant quality

4,59 2,00 5,00 0,61

Variety of menu items 4,40 2,00 5,00 0,78

Healthy options 3,93 1,00 5,00 0,96

Food safety 4,64 3,00 5,00 0,62

Table 1. Evaluation of food quality

ItemsMean Std. deviation

Minimum Maksimum

Attentive employees 4,73 3,00 5,00 0,47

Friendly and helpful employees

4,70 3,00 5,00 0,51

Employees have knowledge of the menu

4,49 2,00 5,00 0,70

Prompt service 4,52 2,00 5,00 0,64

Dependable and consistent service

4,63 2,00 5,00 0,59

Employees serve food as you ordered

4,61 2,00 5,00 0,63

Accurate guest check 4,79 2,00 5,00 0,49

Employees readiness to make an extra effort in pleasing the guests

4,41 2,00 5,00 0,76

Employee are trustworthy  4,57 2,00 5,00 0,62

Table 2. Evaluation of service quality

ItemMean Std. deviation

Minimum Maksimum

Interior design 4,55 2,00 5,00 0,71

Environmental cleanliness 4,72 2,00 5,00 0,54

Neat and well-dressed employees

4,55 2,00 5,00 0,69

Music 4,34 1,00 5,00 0,81

Lighting 4,40 1,00 5,00 0,81

Temperature 4,41 1,00 5,00 0,77

Aromas 4,38 2,00 5,00 0,84

Decor 4,38 2,00 5,00 0,81

Table 3. Evaluation of atmosphere quality

DISCUSION• By assessing the quality of food it has been found that guests

are mostly satisfied with the taste of food, which is indicated by the mean 4.82. Out of 600 respondents, 498 or 83% considers the food tasty.

• The lowest mean rank 3.93 indicates that guests at restaurants in Vojvodina are the least pleased with the offer of healthy alternatives.

• Honesty of the catering workers is best expressed in charging the delivered service. The highest mean 4.79 indicates that guests are satisfied with this attribute quality.

• Guests are also satisfied with the care given by the caterers during the service encounter (4.73) as well as with the politeness and helpfulness of the caterers(4.70).

• Guests are the least pleased with the readiness of the service staff to make an extra effort in pleasing the guests. Only 55.7% of guests think that the staff is making an extra effort to meet their requests.

• Guests are exceedingly satisfied with the hygiene level at restaurants which is indicated by a high mean rank 4.72.

• The management needs to improve the odors and decoration as only slightly more than half of guests (57.2%) are completely satisfied with theodors in restaurants, and 56.8% are satisfied with decoration.

CONCLUSION• The results indicate that the offer is not sufficiently versatile. • Considering the heterogenity of the Vojvodina’s cuisine which

is a combination of different ethnicities which have been living on its territory for centuries, as well as the natural wealth of the plain, the conclusion is that its POTENTIAL IS

NOT FULLY USED.

• The offer should be extended to dishes authentic for the territory such as homemade processed meat products (aspic from Srem, bećar cheese, kulen, Slovakian sausages etc.), pörkölt, grenadier march, goulash, homemade pasta dishes, venison dishes and homemade desserts (plum dumplings, floating island, apple pies, strudels, layered pastries etc.). Furthermore, Vojvodina’s vineyards of Fruška gora, Palić, Vršac and others, offer numerous autochthonous wines such as Neoplanta, Sila, Muscat krokan, Ausbruch, Bermet and others which need to be included in the offer. This would solve the insufficient authenticity of the offer.

• Food garnish is the next characteristics which is the least pleasing to guests.

• Food presentation needs to be in compliance with the style of the catering facility, thus clay inventory is a better solution in ethno restaurants, while irregularly-shaped china dishesare better-suited for modern classic restaurants.

• Modern food presentation is about using modern inventory, vertical food sacking, using edible baskets, contrasting colors and textures, serving an amount of food which does not make the plate seem cluttered, serving the sauce in a separate bowl on the plate or dropped on the plate as a decorative style etc.

• Considering that food presentation is affected by fashion and trends it is suggested to organize trainings to teach chefs certain skills in order for them to keep in touch with the trends and decorative styles and the use of modern inventory.

• The offer of healthy alternatives was the least pleasing for guests. It is evident that there is a marketing segment which requires dishes which highlight natural taste, ingredients and texture.

• Overall, gastronomic offer needs a new dimension, i.e. the offer needs to be extended to dishes made of ingredients which are perceived as healthy by guests, such as whole grains, organic low-calorie, low-fat, gluten-free groceries. The innovation in offer may also include vegetable-based salads with the addition of chicken, turkey, fish, low-fat cheese etc.

• In order to maintain a long-term relationship with guests, personalized care and service plays the key role in this process, therefore it is important to create a business surrounding where all staff will give their best in order to please the guests.

• The management must recognize the importance of education of its staff and invest in their training since their obligation is not only to serve the guests but also to sell everything the restaurant has to offer as well as build the image of the facility through intangible elements of the service.

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of Marketing Science 30(3), 240–249.– Raajpoot, N.A. (2002). TANGSERV: a multiple item scale for measuring tangible quality in foodservice industry, Journal of Foodservice Business

Research, 5(2), 109-27. – Rimmington, M., Yuskel, A. (1998). Tourist Satisfaction and food service experience: Results and implications of an empirical investigation,

Anatolia, 9(1), 37-57.– Rolls, B. J., Morris, E. L., Roe, L. S. (2002). Portion size of food affects energy intake in normal-weight and overweight men and women, The

American journal of clinical nutrition, 76(6), 1207-1213.– Ryu, K., Han, H. (2011). New or repeat customers: How does physical environment influence their restaurant experience?, International

Journal of Hospitality Management, 30, 599-611.– Susskind, A. M., Chan, E. K. (2000). How restaurant features affect check averages: a study of the Toronto restaurant market, The Cornell

Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 41(6), 56-63.– Susskind, A. M., Chan, E. K. (2000). How restaurant features affect check averages: a study of the Toronto restaurant market, The Cornell

Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 41(6), 56-63.– Tombs, A., McColl-Kennedy, J. R. (2003). Social-servicescape conceptual model, Marketing Theory, 3(4), 447-475.– Tombs, A., McColl-Kennedy, J. R. (2003). Social-servicescape conceptual model, Marketing Theory, 3(4), 447-475.– Weiss, R., Feinstein, A. H., Dalbor, M. (2005). Customer satisfaction of theme restaurant attributes and their influence on return intent, Journal

of Foodservice Business Research, 7(1), 23-41.– Yach, D., Stuckler, D., Brownell, K. D. (2006). Epidemiologic and economic consequences of the global epidemics of obesity and diabetes,

Nature Medicine, 12, 62-66.