PREFACE
In writing this book I wanted to identify the crucial elements involved in the successful operation of a restaurant and show their interrelationships. In providing what John Fuller, the former head of the Scottish Hotel School, called the "meal experience," the restaurant manager brings together three elements: customers, the operation (consisting of food and beverage items as well as the physical facility), and employees. The operator's task is to manage these elements to produce satisfied customers. How to do this is the thrust of this book.
In Chapter 1 we provide a financial overview of the restaurant industry while looking at the major factors affecting the growth of the business and considering the factors that make the difference between success and failure in running a restaurant.
In Chapters 2 through 6 we consider the first of the three elements of the meal experience: the customer. The eating habits of the various segments of the market are described in Chapter 2 and the major trends in customer behavior that affect the business are identified. Chapter 3 goes on to show how to develop a marketing plan to attract one or more of the segments identified in Chapter 2. The importance of promotion as a marketing tool is recognized in Chapter 4 as we consider how and when to use various types of advertising to bring people in the front door. The role of the menu as a crucial part of the marketing effort is covered in Chapter 5, with sections on pricing and design to develop the strongest possible promotional vehicle. The culmination of the marketing effort to the customer is the provision of high-quality service, the topic of Chapter 6. The features that make the service encounter unique are identified and strategies developed to provide service to the customer that will result in satisfied patrons who want to return and who will tell their friends to visit.
Chapters 7 through 11 deal with the physical facilities. In Chapter 7 we show how the front of the house can be designed to positively impact on the psychological needs and behavior of the customer. The effect on employee productivity of the design of the back of the house is also covered. Chapter 8 follows the flow of food and beverage items from supplier to customer through the various departments within the operation in developing procedures for effective purchasing, receiving, storing, and issuing of items used. The various production and service systems are compared within the context of developing effective cost control. Chapter 9 focuses on kitchen equipment and interiors. Guidelines are given on the proper procedures to follow in selecting, cleaning, and repairing kitchen equipment. Readers are shown how to develop a comprehensive energy management program. The importance of sanitation and food safety is stressed in Chapter 10. The major sanitation problems faced by restaurant managers are identified and procedures developed for preventing foodborne diseases. A program to build effective employee habits is presented. In the final chapter in this section, Chapter 11, we show how to analyze financial statements systematically to determine the profitability of the operation.
In the third section of the book we examine the role of employees. Chapter 12 deals with employee selection, identifying the work groups that managers will turn to increasingly in the next decade. The legal environment within which managers must operate is described and the steps involved in staffing the operation are noted and guidelines given on how to improve the quality of employees selected. The design of effective orientation, training, and development programs is covered in Chapter 13, together with tips on how to develop the skills necessary to be an effective trainer. The topic of employee motivation is dealt with in Chapter 14. Suggestions are given as to why employees behave the way they do, and techniques are developed that will allow managers to channel and maintain employee behavior through the implementation of various process theories of motivation. In the final chapter we examine the National Restaurant Association's report on the manager in the year 2000, indicating the major skills and knowledge that will be required of restaurant managers by the turn of the century. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to Professor John Fuller who, as head of the Scottish Hotel School, first brought the phrase "the meal experience" to my attention.
While the layout for the book languished on a piece of paper for over twenty years it was Prentice Hall's Robin Baliszewski who believed in the concept sufficiently to push the idea into reality. I am also indebted to the reviewers who gave their experience and knowledge to suggest excellent improvements: John D. Britto, San Joaquin Delta College; Stephen E. Carlomusto, Johnson and Wales University. Many thanks to Marion Gottlieb of Prentice Hall who oversaw production of this second edition and Patty Donovan of Pine Tree Composition, Inc., who, as a superb project manager, greatly improved this text.
Last, but by no means least, this book would not have been completed were it not for the heroic efforts of Michael R. Rogers, Jill Lamoureaux, and Terra J. Pugh, my research assistants, who updated quick bites, completed the index, and vastly improved the instructor's guide. I, of course, take full responsibility for any and all errors.
