A CASE STUDY OF ROCKFISH

This article is a study on the service in the food and beverage operation at Rockfish, a seafood restaurant in Plymouth, SuttonHarbor. The paper describes the results of a mystery shopping exercise conducted at Rockfish on May 20th, 2017. Based on a comparison of related activities, it provides an overview of service efficiency, customer engagement processes, business recovery, and best practices. The study is created for Rockfish regional administrators in order to suggest measures that may be taken to improve facilities within the operation.



Service Quality Analysis



Service quality is the extent and manner in which customers are received and treated by the host of food and beverage operation in this case Rockfish. The services experience there include: Customers are approached courteously with timely services as a lot of speed is applied in preparing food, at the same time not putting them under pressure. As self-service food practice has been adopted by the restaurant and this is important for the purposes on a person only serving what they can finish eating (Baum 2006, p. 81).An online voucher gift services to woo customers and online booking for customers who are not in close proximity to the restaurant or are busy at the time of booking, fresh and excellent food cooked to perfection. The refurbishing provides a better bar and waiting space with a lighter d&‌eacute;cor. The place is reliable as the promised service is delivered in an accurate and consistent manner. The employees are polite thus creating trust and confidence and individual attention is accorded to customers by the employees on the basis of need (Pascal 2016, p. 116).



Service Recovery and Customer Feedback Mechanisms



Service recovery is whereby an organization redeems situations where services have gone wrong. In the case of Rockfish there is no failure of services per say except on very few occasions where by there is a mismatch of service delivery to customers, when the place is packed and low on waiters as the number of employees is always fixed. Since the food is fresh there is definitely a little bit of waiting before the meal is ready (Trip Advisor). It is possible to recover from the situation by for example hiring freelancers on occasions like this that are predictable like around holidays and high season. A little bit of waiting is inevitable due o the fresh nature of the foods served. The business can also recover from the situation via apology for delay or mismatch of orders, coming up with long-term solutions for particular issues raised, compensation like offering a drink for delays, follow up and reassurances (World Host Training Services 2013, p. 47).



The kinds of recovery policies appropriate for the business include maintenance of constant training of staff in order to achieve greater customer satisfaction. Training is beneficial in that it improves attraction and recruitment of employees. It also ensures their retention, engagement and innovation. The training is oriented to develop employee potential and addressing deficiencies (Brown et al 2009, p. 23).



The concept of Total Quality (TQ) where by members are approached in a process of continuous learning in examining interaction points with guests. This includes even those in management positions. Total Quality Management (TQM) where by service expectations are created by the entire team collaboratively (Kapiki 2012, p. 114).Customer Relationship Management (CRM) where by certain tools are employed in selecting customers so as to maintaining relationships that increase their lifetime value to the business. This strategy points are used for example when a first time potential customer visits the business website, at reservation as customers personal details are preserved and further interactions online (Service Skills Australia 2015, p. 213).



In terms of customer service the business interacts with its customers to collect feedback in the following ways: customer comment cards that are filled by customers on a trip to the restaurant after utilizing the services there. Surveys like customers surveys where one is required to rate the service provided on any given scale for example 1 to 10. Reaching out directly is also another method. Trip advisor is also another platform the business uses to collect feedback from customers and here customers can be their true self and state categorically what their experience was. Other media platforms like Facebook reviews has high stakes as the cost of negative experience is higher and the same is for positive reviews. Therefore the opportunities in this platform ratings outweigh the risks. Consequently social listening is imperative for the business (Ciotti 2016, p. 717).



The business captures feedback in the following ways: gathering in the moment feedback as in face to face feedback from customers randomly in the restaurant when they visit the place. Open format feedback from customers where by consumers give feedback in their own words voicing issues important to them. Responding and acting quickly on feedback as it mitigates experiences that are negative and promote positive ones. Seeking feedback in a collaborative and constructive environment where proactivity brings more positive results than reactivity approach to feedback. Analyzing and opening of comments in the effort of finding emerging trends (Chaudhry 2014, p. 113).



The business does or should use the feedback from consumers in the following ways: improving the quality of food and services offered to consumers. Identify the best and popular food and beverage combinations in the business preferred by customers. They can determine what is important to their customers whether it is the food or manner in which services in the business are offered. The business can use the customer feedback to identify how the customers rate their products in relation to those of competing businesses (Suttle 2017, p. 89). They can be used to determine whether customers are getting their questions answered or problems solved. They are instrumental in knowing whether service providers in the business are courteous, helpful and generally good to customers. They can be used to determine why the business is losing its customers or why its services are no longer used by some consumers. They determine trends popular with consumers like home delivery services or online booking for reservations of a meal (Suttle 2017, p. 89). They are used to enable communications between the business and the customers and this happens in the online world. They are used to uncover business flaws for instance if there is a technical problem with the website or if pricing is too high. Monitor and track service performance. For overall assessment of the company’s performance. Assess gaps between customers’ expectation and perceptions of the service providers. (Inc. staff).



Benchmarking and Best Practice



This entails the process of looking at similar businesses like Rockfish in the market to identify what they do better. The objective is to learn and have a breakthrough in performance. Proctor and Gable is quite good when it comes to food and beverage. It applies TQ principles and implements TMQ through a bottom top approach. It endorses TMQ by senior managers at the highest level incorporating the chairman and chief executive benchmarking customer and customers’ satisfaction results in its top quality (Kanji 2012 p.211).Myla rectifies cost inefficiencies by using cost effective control alternatives to minimize costs while maximizing profits. The company weighs advantages and disadvantages of alternative methods and picks those that will advance the company. The company’s decisions are crucial when it comes to forecasting, managing inventory and valuation, budget management of food and beverages (Ojugo 2010 p. 13).Myla also uses forecasting alert management in areas of weakness in order to initiate remedial measures in a timely manner. This covers operation issues and financial results. The company must consider the following important criterion: whether the method is practical, resources and data that must be available for it to work, whether there is usefulness and reliability in the method to be employed and cost effectiveness of the methods (Ojugo 2010 p. 13). Myla also uses the executive approach whereby there is a combining and averaging executive view to get the benefit of broad experiences and opinions.Other businesses and styles of services Rockfish can learn from include Japan Food Holding Limited, a restaurant that had a compound interest of above twenty percent from 2006 to 2010. The business seems to be recession proof as it is always filled with customers in all its branches in Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. Japan normally reports food growth in earning even in the middle of financial crisis (Ang & Chng 2013 p. 9). Kraft food is a large brand North American Food and Beverage Company that is convinced of the importance of the internet in building consumer relations and business success. It recognizes the importance of importing customer voices and sharing within the organization. Consequently, it has developed interactive communications via its branded websites. It also partners with consumer research firms in an effort to understand clients’ shopping behavior and need (Prandelli, Swahney & Verona 2008 p. 63).Mountaindew uses social network to assist in choosing flavors of new products. This is done by using the most dedicated customers first then expanded to members of the public. These people were given cameras to record themselves talking about the love they had for each of the flavors. The idea made social media more personable. The company used Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to unite consumers with a common interest. Starbucks on the other hand set up websites to solicit ideas from consumers. (Turban, Strauss & Lai 2015 p.246).Nestle has creative ways of reaching the far corners of the world for example through working with other people i.e. Flavia Medeiro who is a micro distributor in Brazil who sells to Brazilians. Her recruits sell the products door to door. Nestle is also buying local companies in China to sell smoovlet which is coffee that tastes like iced to the drink to Chinese who find coffee too bitter for their liking (Turban, Strauss & Lai 2015 p.246).



Conclusions and Recommendations



In conclusion, it is safe to say that the food and beverage industry has business dynamics and challenges just like any other business. Rockfish is no different and its success is hugely dependent on customer satisfaction. This is a clear indication that customers are the ones to determine whether such a company will stay in business or ultimately collapse. Rockfish, for instance, is a popular food joint that attracts quite a number of good reviews from people who have had the privilege to use its services. This is due to the fact that it serves fresh food on a daily basis and many people prefer having fresh food.



Recommendations



Hiring a third-party consumer provider as this is instrumental in gathering unbiased consumer feedback deploying a variety of methods. Getting back to consumers who have voiced their opinions and given complaints on certain issues to close the loophole (Inc. Staff 2017, p. 123). Motivate frontline employees whose focused is on improving the customer experience as they will work better knowing customers single them out in relation to services provided. Reward or retain employees accordingly by finding out who is engaged to the common sense of providing quality goods and services (Chaudhry 2014, p. 97).A strong social media presence is imperative as there is no industry that can survive today without social media. This also helps to advertise the business and what is entailed and is also a great way of reaching a larger audience wherever a person is.The business should employ an aesthetic environment in creating uniqueness and popularity by investing in iconic structures. Extensional services that come with products on offer should be considered like extra facilities for outing and resorts.



Mystery Checklist



Restaurant appearance - The restaurant outside appearance was quite good. - The outside appearance was clean, including the sidewalks and windows. - The restaurant was clean and attractive on the inside. - The restaurant is spacious from the distance between the tables, the bar, and the waiting areas after the recent refurbishing. - The overall appearance of the restaurant is good. Comment: after the recent upgrade and renovation made to the restaurant, it has improved a great deal as opposed to how it previously was.Restaurant Staff - There was a warm, friendly, and professional greeting from the host. The server was very knowledgeable about the menu and offered a drink and appetizer. - The food was served after a little bit of waiting as they serve fresh food so there is a short waiting period and during this time, I had a drink. - My overall experience with the customer service was excellent as all needs were catered for as requested.Food - The overall impression of the menu was that the less bought items in the menu were sold at low prices to encourage buying. - The meal arrived as ordered and the general presentation was superb. The item ordered was good value for its price. - At the end of the meal, I got a "come back again" from the server. Comment: the food quality is good and certainly mouthwatering.



References



Ang. R, Chng .V,(2013) Value Investing in Growth Companies: How to Spot High Growth Businesses and generate 40% to 400% in investment returns. John Wiley & Sons, New york.



Baum .T, (2006)Human Resource Management for Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure: An international perspective,Thomson Learning, New York.



Brow et al 2009, Using human resource management (HRM) practices to improve productivity in the Canadian tourism sector. http://cthrc.ca/~/media/Files/CTHRC/Home/research_publications/productivity/HRM_Practices_Improve_ProductivitySept_EN.ashx



Chaudhry .K, Five Steps of Capturing Feed Back About Your Business, https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2014/05/06/five-steps-for-capturing-feedback-about-your-business/#6232f3ff59cf accessedMay 6th 2014



Ciotti .G, retrieved from https://www.helpscout.net/blog/customer-feedback/acessed on May 6th 2016



Inc. staff, (2017) How to Make the Most of Customer Feedback, https://www.inc.com/guides/2010/07/how-to-make-most-of-customer-feedback.html



Kanji.G, (2012) Total Quality Management: Proceedings of the first world congress.Springer & Science Business Media,Sheffield.



Kapiki, S. (2012) Quality management in tourism and hospitality: An exploratory study among tourism stakeholders. Retrieved fromwww.academia.edu/1160667/Quality_Management_in_Tourism_and_Hospitality_an_Exploratory_Study_among_Tourism_Stakeholders



Lai.L, Straus.J, Turban .E, (2015)Commerce: Marketing, Technology and Management.Springer Publishers, New York



Pascal, 9 practical methods for measuring service quality, retrieved from www.userlike.com/en/blog/measuring-service-quality, accessed on April 26 2016



Prandelli .E, Swahney. M, Verona .G, (2008)Collaborating with Customers to Innovate: Conceiving and Marketing Products in the networking age, Edward Elga Publishing, New york.



Ojugo .C (2010) Practical Food and Beverage Cost Control, Cengage Learning,New york.



Service Skills Australia. (2015). About. Retrieved from www.serviceskills.com.au/about



Sutlle. R, (2017) Importance of customer feedback retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-customer-feedback-2089.html,2017



Trip advisor (2017) https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186258-d4424524-r457173570-Rockfish-Plymouth_Devon_England.html,2017.



WorldHost Training Services. (2013). Remarkable Service in the Age of Social Media. Retrieved from www.worldhosttraining.com/elearning/

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