Australia Business Analysis: Attribute Group - Case Study Example

Australia Business Analysis Report: Attribute Group Introduction The achievement of any company is achieved by the expertise of itsmanagement, its operating environment, type of employees and their subsequent level of services. Ochre Restaurant is a medium sized restaurant that has operated in the hospitality industry for many years but has not yet grown to the big company status it deserves. Service differentiation is important for the realization of increased customer base and for the increase of its portfolio. The Organizational Structure Ochre company is an Australian medium sized company that has been in the hotel industry for quite some time but has not yet fully realized its potential. The restaurant was formed by Craig Square, who is a talented chef by profession and has maintained the operations of the company. Mr. Squire is a hardworking chef who most of the time is found in the kitchen preparing and aiming to perfect his menu dishes. Based on his cooking skills, he is occasionally called to prepare dishes for top and medium sized corporate meetings. Ochre restaurant mostly specializes in local cuisines like the sea foods and the beef tenderloin which are mostly common in Australia (Atkinson, 2012). Services The restaurant offers a range of services that include: food and beverage catering, outside catering, entertainment services, transportation services, wedding caterings, private and corporate catering and above all, it’s also a center for small and medium sized conferences (Atkinson, 2012). The restaurant serves a variety of non alcoholic beverages with different taste and varieties. The drinks are both from local and international origins based on the diverse customers that enter the restaurant. The restaurant also has an in-house bar which is fully licensed by the authorities and provides a range of wines and beers. The restaurant has a menu for beers and wines which are sometimes matched with the type of food served (Atkinson, 2012). The restaurant staffs hired are trained from their respective hospitality institutions. It was noted the waiters and bartenders possess the relevant qualifications in their fields and are chosen in terms of merit, to promote fairness and professionalism in the industry. In the entertainment section, the restaurant has an in-house disk jockey at the bar and the jazz band at the food bar, to entertain the revelers and to promote a relaxed environment for the dining customers respectively (Atkinson, 2008). Service characteristics: Perishability In Ochre restaurant, once the customer has been served by the service person and has paid for the services, the value for the customer’s money ceases. If the customer wants to be served again, he or she has to pay for the new service. This is because the worth of his money diminished once he or she paid for the initial service (Atkinson, 2008). Intangibility The service rendered by the waiters cannot be assessed in terms of actual amounts by the customers. Whether the service is of poor quality or high value, the customers cannot see or touch it. The service people just deliver the service ordered by the customers, but the customers cannot purchase it or attach a value to it (Atkinson, 2008). Heterogeneity The quality of service delivered in Ochre restaurant depends on different customers’ expectations and demands. The perception of quality by each customer will be different regarding their level of satisfaction. Also, the service delivery in Ochre restaurant is different from that of its rival Macdonald’s restaurant (Atkinson, 2008). Simultaneity The service people in Ochre restaurant can be able to serve and sell the company’s name at the same time. The service people be it the waiters, the cooks or the head chef; can brand the company’s name by interaction with them as they are serving the customers (Atkinson, 2008). Service Package The company is usually designed to accommodate different classes of clients and their diets, thereby providing wide variety of choices for them. The breakfast menu contains the standard menu, tropical light buffet and winter warmer buffet. The morning packages differ according to the prices and the varieties of each package. The lunch package contains the super sandwich buffet, gourmet burger bar menu, antipasto ploughman buffet, cocktail parties and the banquet lunch. The lunch packages also differ in terms of varieties, price and service (RawlingsWay & LPP, 2009). Unique characteristic The company practices differential in its services in order to stay different from other restaurants. Ochre its own brand of delicacies that has seen it won a number of awards in the restaurants and caterers category. The company entirely focuses on local cuisines as compared to other restaurants. Through its focus on its local delicacies, Ochre restaurant has innovated some of the most unique and enjoyable delicacies in Australia. One of its outstanding innovations is the Australian beef-tenderloin which won the ‘best beef’ during the Brisbane show. In 2006, the restaurant also won the best modern Australian and tourism Restaurant category in the North Queensland’s awards (RawlingsWay & LPP, 2009). Nature of the service The company provides services that are only related to the Australian community only. This is evident through the provision of local cuisines for the individual, private and corporate caterings. The company does not provide for any foreign dishes due to the differentiation of its services from its competitors (RawlingsWay & LPP, 2009). Recommendations During entertainment, the adults are the only ones entertained leaving their children bored which hinder the effectiveness of the company. If the children reject the service of the company, their parents would definitely reject it too. The restaurant being on a limited space, can provide puzzles for the children which they can play as they as dining with their parents. The puzzles can make the children busy in order not to get bored. The restaurant can also customize the puzzles with its name on it which the children can take home and act as a marketing tool (Ver, 2008).  It was noted there was the challenge of frequent visitations by the staffs per customer. This is due to improper work frame within the waiters. The service staff must be organized and be natural at all times. The restaurateur must control the staffs’ guest interaction in order to avoid discomfort of the customers. He can therefore introduce minimum standards where there would be minimal table visitations by the staffs. A service timetable provides the best solution to solve the customer staff inconveniences (Ver, 2008).  The restaurant is also run and entirely managed by the owner. The owner supervises the employees’ service delivery which hinders their performance at some point. Mr. Squire prepares the restaurant’s delicacies and also manages his staff. This indicates lack professionalism which can adversely affect the restaurants operations. Issues pertaining to employees welfares would not be solved professionally due to biasness. The owner should hire management staffs who can manage the company on his behalf, and likewise channel his energy on more crucial matters (Atkinson, 2012). The restaurant staffs have little knowledge pertaining the history and knowledge of wines. This is evident through the misunderstanding of the customers’ preferences by the staffs. Even though the waiters have qualified certificates from their institutions, they lack remedial training to enhance their knowledge. The introductory wine classes are effective because it enriches the waiters’ knowledge on the fundamentals’ of wines and their respective food complementary. The training can be offered by the newspaper columnists, culinary colleges or by the provincial liquor control board. Having this type of knowledge will improve the service provider’s interactions with the customers, by advising them the wines they would enjoy most and with what complements (Atkinson, 2012). The service providers should approach the job as sales people in order to improve their effectiveness. The service providers need to interact more with the customers in order to improve the quality of their service. The exquisite service delivery by the waiters will have a positive impact on the customers, by meeting their goals. Meeting of the customers’ needs will market the company freely and widely. In addition, the owner can motivate his employees through the provision of commission if they attract new customers or if the clients are satisfied with the employee’s services. The company can motivate the employees through incentives. The company can improve its financial capacity through the provision of financial incentives to its service providers (Brown, 2010). The incentive can make the employees compete between each other and improve service delivery. The service providers can also employ suggestive selling in order to boost the company’s services as well as the clients’ time. Most of the clients don’t know what to take when they enter the restaurant. The service providers can focus on the spendthrift populations like the children and ladies to sell particular type of products. For example the children can be persuaded to buy milkshake while the ladies can be persuaded to buy fries (Brown, 2010). There is also lack of extra attention to special groups. Some of the disabled people are left hanging without any attention by the service providers and this can create a bad picture to the other customers. Service should be rendered to everyone with dignity and respect irrespective of their physical challenge. These classes of people require their own needs in order for the company to prove its quality of service. The company should improve its level of service in order to effect fairness and to compete globally so as to achieve economies of scale (Brown, 2010). References Atkinson, L. (2012). Brisbane. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Atkinson, L. (2008). Frommers Australia 2009. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley. RawlingsWay, C., & Lonely Planet Publications (Firm). (2009). Central Australia. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet. Ver, B. R. (2008). East Coast Australia. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet. Atkinson, L. (2012). Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Brown, L. (2010). Discover Australia. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet. Read More