Title: 'Value for money' and the restaurant experience: a case study of supply and demand stakeholders

Authors: Abel Duarte Alonso; Nikolaos Sakellarios; Chris Jones; Leonard Cseh; Sandra J. Cooper

Addresses: School of Business, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia ' School of Business, University of Derby, Buxton Campus, Derbyshire SK17 6RY, UK ' School of Business, University of Derby, Buxton Campus, Derbyshire SK17 6RY, UK ' School of Business, University of Derby, Buxton Campus, Derbyshire SK17 6RY, UK ' School of Business, University of Derby, Buxton Campus, Derbyshire SK17 6RY, UK

Abstract: Using the case of a training restaurant open to paying guests, this study compares the perceptions of two groups of stakeholders with regard to different factors of the dining experience. The first group represents the supply side and is composed of 73 students involved in the preparation and delivery of menu dishes, while the demand side consists of 222 guests of the training restaurant. Both groups' level of agreement was similar when they identified gaps regarding the restaurant's performance in terms of décor, design, lighting and background music. The groups, however, differed in their perceptions of other elements, most notably regarding the selection of beverages, and the entertainment aspect of the dining experience (e.g., deboning fish in front of guests), with students clearly in lesser agreement. Overall, the study's findings demonstrate that involving different groups of stakeholders to evaluate the restaurant's performance could potentially enhance the dining experience.

Keywords: demand side; dining experience; restaurants; stakeholder theory; supply side; value for money; restaurant experience; case study; supply and demand; decor; restaurant design, lighting; background music; restaurant performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLTM.2016.077129

International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing, 2016 Vol.5 No.1, pp.44 - 65

Received: 10 Oct 2015
Accepted: 31 Dec 2015
Published online: 21 Jun 2016 *

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