The effect of freshness in a foodservice context

The purpose of this research was to study how consumers respond to differences in the freshness of lettuce based only on sensory properties in the foodservice context. Another objective was to measure consumer response to the modification of the consumption context. Data was collected from consumer studies in two separate restaurants with three different products (n=238). The reference sample was a packaged ready-to-eat lettuce, which was compared using two freshly prepared samples. The results indicated that consumers did recognize differences between product properties that depend on the level of freshness when served in a foodservice environment. By serving fresh products, the perceived level of sensory quality showed a significant increase. Keywords: Foodservice, Freshness, Vegetables, Fresh-cut, Sensory evaluation, Consumer perception, Lettuce, Contex

Customer satisfaction of dining experience in Malaysian malay restaurants.

The subject of this Ph.D. thesis is Customer Satisfaction in Malaysian Malay Restaurants Dining Experience. The research was conducted in three Malay family restaurants in Malaysia by using an inductive Case Study research approach. The aim of the research was to propose a conceptual framework for customer satisfaction dining experience. It focused on dining experience satisfaction consumption related to factors in, and the management of, customer satisfaction. The implications of the findings provide a theoretical and methodological contribution to the knowledge in both, Malaysia and the rest of the world. Adopting the Case Study research approach gave an opportunity to collect data that stems from three Malay family restaurants in Malaysia using a wide variety of data collection methods. The findings presented in this thesis were based on an in-depth interview with 108 restaurant customers who dined at the restaurants and 18 restaurant staff, particularly front of house and kitchen staff, besides the owner and manager of each restaurant. Daily participant observation for each restaurant took 5 to 9 hours a day for between 27 and 30 days. The findings were also based on a number of supplementary data from documentary evidence such as staff working timetables, menu cards/ books, staff attendance punch cards, stock check lists, reservation records and restaurant organisational charts. The contributions of this study comprise of six major themes: Firstly, dining experience is a continuous process which starts with the customers’ first engagement with the restaurant at the reservation stage and continues until they leave the restaurant at the departure stage. Therefore, to ensure customers’ loyalty, restaurateurs needed to ensure all tangible and intangible factors that influenced satisfaction at each stage of the dining process (pre-meal experience; antecedent experience; reservation experience and arrival experience; the actual meal experience: seating experience and food experience; and post-meal experience: payment experience and departure experience) were integrated together (they did not work as separate entities and should not be treated individually) to provide valuable, meaningful, memorable and holistic satisfaction to every customer who dined at the restaurant. Secondly, factors influencing customer satisfaction at the pre-meal experience were the availability of a reservation service, both formal and informal, and customers’ phone calls for reservations being answered quickly by restaurants’ polite and professional staff. Meanwhile, at the dining arrival stage, factors influencing customers’ satisfaction were being assisted by a free parking attendant, having a parking area close to the premises, punctuality of restaurant business hours and offering a 24-hour restaurant operation to the public. The meal experience stage was found to be a major stage among seven stages of the dining experience process, with menu variety, and food presentation and display as the core of restaurant service. iv Factors influencing dining satisfaction during the actual meal experience were related to a unique cultural preference concept for Malay restaurants such as private dining space, food quality attribute of authenticity, eating style, restaurant decoration, waiting activities, prayer room, and traditional live band. Satisfaction influence factors for post-meal experience were self service payment, being bid farewell and being escorted to the exit door. Thirdly, this study because it adopted a qualitative research approach, managed to venture the role of Maslow’s Theory in customer satisfaction through the hierarchy of satisfaction of dining experience. The lowest level satisfaction was achieved when the basic needs of the customers’ dining at the restaurant was fulfilled or what restaurants provided to the customers was adequate or equal with customers’ expectation. A moderate level of satisfaction was achieved when customers could control their own dining activities. A high level of satisfaction resulted when the restaurants offered something above ordinary or which exceeded customers’ expectation. The highest level of satisfaction was achieved when the restaurants provided something that was outstanding and which surpassed the ordinary needs of the customers. Fourthly, the major way of managing factors influencing customer satisfaction dining experience was based on a systematic restaurant operation system. However, the key element that was responsible for the management of a systematic restaurant operation system depended on human resource management (the restaurant manager, front of house staff and kitchen staff), staff training and development, and restaurant rules. Fifthly, the analyses of customer satisfaction in a new socio-cultural context: Malaysian Malay restaurants provided an opportunity for a cross-comparison of ‘western’ and ‘eastern’ research findings and the identification of what was the same and what was different depending on the cultural context. Sixthly, the development of a conceptual framework had three major concepts: the input for the dining experience satisfaction (which consisted of factors influencing dining satisfaction and ways of managing it); the consumption of dining experience satisfaction at three phases: pre-meal, the actual meal and post-meal experience and the cognitive evaluation process of dining experience that led to satisfaction. And, lastly, the outcomes of dining experience satisfaction (in a form of pleasurable feelings and behavioural changes) which aided the understanding of customer satisfaction with the dining experience and ways managing it. This research suggested future research should consider additional factors to explain the overall satisfaction with the dining experience at Malaysian Malay restaurants (and /including) cross- type of restaurants and demographic profiles of customers; expand this research throughout the country to improve the transferability of the findings to other types of restaurant to assist restaurant managers in better matching the needs of each customer segment; extend the research to different ethnic restaurants that have different characteristics and attributes; undertake a comparative study of factors influencing customer satisfaction in Malay restaurants between two different groups of customers, such as Eastern versus Western; conduct a longitudinal study to compare changes in factors that influence customers’ satisfaction with dining experience at different times; and investigate whether the meal experience stage still plays the most important role in different types of restaurants

The complexity of freshness and locality in a food consumption context

The life cycle of food trends have shortened considerably, but freshness and local origin seem to retain their appeal. These two concepts are often discussed in academic as well as consumer contexts, but they lack generally accepted definitions. Local food is typically bound to information that include cues such as place of production or farming practices. The concept is similar to freshness, which is not verified using only the senses, but also product-related information. Freshness and local food are often referred to as being desirable, but the true appeal to consumers requires further study. The supply chains for fresh and locally produced food are constantly developing, but the main focus is on solving practical issues rather than providing new input for academic discourse. The overall aim of the thesis was to study freshness and locality as valueadding factors in the food consumption context, as well as examining the similarities and differences between these concepts. For both of these concepts, models were constructed to broaden the academic perspective, and thus enabling more thorough research on the subject. This study investigated the role of sensory properties on the experience of freshness (fresh and cooked), the effect on the experienced quality of information on food origin, and the effect of personal value orientations. In this work, both locality and freshness added value to the product. The results indicated that the effect of freshness can also be perceived in the cooked product, and not only, as is usually considered, when it is uncooked or in a raw state. The appreciation of freshness was seen to be more relevant to individuals valuing good sensory qualities, while the appreciation of local food was related more closely to personal value orientations. The concept of local food is based on expectations of desirable product attributes, because the locality cannot be standardized. Personal values explained the preferences based on product origin, but the effect was dependent on product type and demographic factors. Freshness is more often seen as a token of good quality and safety, which may be more appealing especially to hedonistic individuals. Even though the two concepts overlap, they do not describe the same concept, as local food has stronger ties to ethical conduct, which is not typically connected to freshness. This work provides a starting point for conceptualizing freshness and local foods, and the link between them, by introducing models. Despite the two concepts being separate, the similarity between them in certain areas infers an existing link that should be considered in the future

Internationalization of the Japanese convenience store model - marketing strategy approaches for the entry of seven-eleven Japan in France

This research paper, Internationalization of the Japanese Convenience Store Model –Marketing Strategy Approaches for the Entry of Seven-Eleven Japan into France”,analyzes the significance of the Japanese convenience store model and its potential to gain further relevance in other markets. The Field Lab critically reviews possible entry countries for Seven-Eleven Japan to expand internationally –with France identified as the most attractive market in Europe. Subsequently, the paper formulates entry recommendations, allowing Seven-Eleven Japan to differentiate its offer and launch effectively in the French market through the implementation of marketing strategies

Tum Tum Yum Yum

Not include

A tasteful education: healthy and delicious lessons about food

Thesis (LCB M.A.(Gast.)) -- University of Adelaide, School of History and Politics, 200

Ethical consumerism. How are caterers coping?

Active ethical consumerism is much less obvious in the behaviour of consumers when they eat outside the home. The catering industry argue that the majority of consumers are primarily driven by the taste of food, convenience and the service they receive when eating out. This article examines the drivers for ethical provisioning within the catering industry

Michelin starred restaurants as drivers of gastronomic tourism and the main experience dimensions: The Portuguese case

With the rise in popularity over the last years, the restaurant industry has become one of the most important sectors of tourism. Furthermore, the number of gastronomic destinations is increasing, with the Michelin starred restaurants being crucial for that. Therefore, this dissertation investigates the role played by Michelin starred restaurants as drivers of gastronomic tourism and identifies the main experience dimensions that might be contributing to this phenomenon. We applied a mixed content analysis method to further explore this phenomenon, considering the case of Portugal. The research used 564 customers reviews shared on TripAdvisor website, which referred to dining experiences at Portuguese Michelin starred restaurants. The main experience dimensions results include eleven themes: food service, restaurant, wine, experience, menu, chef, view, trip, dinner, culinary and red. The results show that the most relevant dimensions for customers when evaluating their experience are related to the quality and taste of the food. The results also confirm that Michelin starred restaurants are drivers of the development of gastronomic tourism in Portugal. These findings contribute to the literature of gastronomic tourism by enhancing the knowledge of the dimensions present in a Michelin starred restaurant experience and the role of these restaurants as drivers of gastronomic tourism. Regarding the managerial implications, these findings give valuable insights about the Michelin starred restaurant sector for both restaurant managers and governments.Com o aumento da sua popularidade ao longo dos últimos anos, a restauração passou a ser um dos mais importantes setores do turismo. Além disso, o número de destinos gastronómicos tem vindo a aumentar, sendo os restaurantes com estrela Michelin um fator muito importante para tal. Tendo isto em conta, esta dissertação investiga o papel desempenhado pelos restaurantes com estrela Michelin como impulsionadores do turismo gastronómico e identifica as principais dimensões da experiência que poderão contribuir para este fenómeno. Foi usado um método de analise de conteúdo misto para explorar este fenómeno, considerando o caso de Portugal. Para esta pesquisa foram usados 564 comentários publicados no TripAdvisor, relativos a experiências em restaurantes com estrela Michelin Portugueses. Os resultados relativos às principais dimensões da experiência revelaram onze temas principais: serviço de alimentação, restaurante, vinho, experiência, menu, chefe de cozinha, vista, viagem, jantar, culinária e vermelho. Os resultados mostram que as dimensões mais relevantes para os clientes quando avaliam as suas experiências estão relacionadas com a qualidade e sabor da comida. Os resultados também mostram que os estes restaurantes são impulsionadores do desenvolvimento do turismo gastronómico em Portugal. Estas conclusões contribuem para a literatura sobre turismo gastronómico ao aumentarem o conhecimento sobre as dimensões presentes numa experiência num restaurante com estrela Michelin e o contributo destes restaurantes para o desenvolvimento do turismo gastronómico. Em relação aos contributos para a gestão, estes resultados fornecem informações importantes sobre o sector dos restaurantes com estrela Michelin, tanto para os gestores dos restaurantes como para os governos

The Mediterranean and Vietnamese diets: A Historical and Health comparison and a cross-cultural analysis of dietary practice among Vietnamese populations

In un'era di crescente interconnessione globale, si è riconosciuta sempre più l'importanza di comprendere le pratiche alimentari delle popolazioni immigrate per promuovere la loro salute e il loro benessere complessivi. L'importanza della dieta e il suo impatto sulla salute hanno attirato considerevole attenzione a livello mondiale, in particolare con l'emergere di tendenze dietetiche rilevanti negli ultimi anni. Tra queste tendenze, la dieta mediterranea ha acquisito un riconoscimento considerevole grazie ai suoi comprovati benefici per la salute e alla sua associazione con un ridotto rischio di malattie croniche. Inoltre, la dieta vietnamita, caratterizzata dalla sua dipendenza da alimenti a base vegetale, proteine magre e un'abbondanza di erbe e spezie influenzate dalle tradizioni culinarie vietnamite, merita anche attenzione in questo contesto. Pertanto, indagare sulle pratiche alimentari delle popolazioni vietnamite ed esplorare il potenziale per l'adozione della dieta mediterranea tra gli immigrati vietnamiti che risiedono in diverse culture ospitanti è un argomento affascinante e pertinente. Comprendere come queste popolazioni adattino le loro abitudini alimentari in nuovi ambienti può fornire preziose intuizioni sulla dinamica delle influenze culturali sulle scelte alimentari e facilitare la promozione di abitudini alimentari più salutari tra le comunità immigrate. Questa tesi esplora e confronta le diete mediterranee e vietnamite, considerando il loro contesto storico, le implicazioni per la salute e le variazioni interculturali tra le popolazioni vietnamite. Utilizzando un approccio misto, sono stati condotti sia sondaggi quantitativi che interviste qualitative per indagare abitudini alimentari, preferenze alimentari, influenze culturali e sfide incontrate dai partecipanti. I risultati mettono in luce le strategie adottate dai partecipanti per rendere la dieta mediterranea più accessibile e attraente, come ad esempio la fusione delle cucine vietnamite e mediterranee, la modifica delle fonti di macronutrienti e l'inclusione di più noci, pesce e frutta nei pasti. I risultati hanno inoltre rivelato differenze nell'adattamento tra i partecipanti vietnamiti che vivono in paesi mediterranei e non mediterranei.In an era of increasing global interconnectivity, there has been a growing recognition of the relevance of understanding dietary practices among immigrant populations in promoting their overall health and well-being. The importance of diet and its impact on health has garnered considerable attention worldwide, particularly with the emergence of prominent diet trends in recent years. Among these trends, the Mediterranean diet has gained substantial recognition due to its documented health benefits and association with reduced risks of chronic diseases. Additionally, the Vietnamese diet, characterized by its reliance on plant-based foods, lean protein, and an abundance of herbs and spices influenced by Vietnamese culinary traditions, also deserves attention in this context. Therefore, investigating the dietary practices of Vietnamese populations and exploring the potential for adopting the Mediterranean diet among Vietnamese immigrants residing in diverse host cultures is an intriguing and relevant topic. Understanding how these populations adapt their dietary habits in new environments can provide valuable insights into the dynamics of cultural influences on food choices and facilitate the promotion of healthier eating habits among immigrant communities. This thesis explores and compares the Mediterranean and Vietnamese diets, considering their historical context, health implications, and cross-cultural variations among Vietnamese populations. Using a mixed-method approach, both quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews were conducted to investigate dietary habits, food preferences, cultural influences, and challenges encountered by participants. The findings shed light on the strategies employed by participants to make the Mediterranean diet more accessible and appealing, such as blending Vietnamese and Mediterranean cuisines, altering macronutrient sources, and incorporating more nuts, fish, and fruits into their meals. The results also revealed differences in adaptation between Vietnamese participants living in Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean countries