Observation in the Coffee Shop - Measures Taken in Attracting the Right Stream of Customers - Research Paper Example

Qualitative Research Based on Observation Practice Lecturer Introduction I have chosen a coffee shop as my public place to conduct my research-based observation practice. Being a great business, managing a coffee shop is not just about the quality of the espresso but it is about the special touches that will weave a humble purveyor of warm beverages into the communities fabric in their everyday lives as the provision of free Wi-Fi. It is important for every community to have at least one coffee hot spot for serving a third place for the individuals who cannot get their coffee work done at home (Yodanis, 2006). Coffee culture in the American culture can be traced from back in the post-world war 11 eras. Forgetting the billions of beans, milks and flavor combinations, that you will find today, back then coffee was only black, and there were no questions about it. Between the late 60’s and early 70’s the consumption of coffee, hit a decline after the establishment of soda a caffeinated drink. Then the second wave of coffee came as individuals consumed it when hanging out in coffee shops and drinking the espresso became a cool trend (Douceur, Elson, Howell, & Lorch, 2010). Reasons for choosing the setting Coffee shop or a coffee house is an establishment that primarily is designed to serve coffee or other hot beverages. It may share the same characteristics as a bar or a restaurant but as the name suggests it focuses on providing coffee and tea, as well as light snacks. Coffee shops serve as centers of social interactions as they provide social members with a place of talking, congregating, reading, passing time or entertaining each other (Yu & Fang, 2009). My main reason for conducting the observational based practice was to determine measures that coffee shops take to ensure that they attract the right stream of customers. My role a researcher will be to conduct an observation in the coffee shop on some of the measures taken in attracting the right stream of customers. Therefore, I will conduct an observation study for 30 minutes at Caffe Reggio a famous new York City Coffee shop. Caffe Reggio is a famous coffee shop in United States and would expect high standards, therefore, will likely experience some observation bias, but I will manage that through collecting on actual information to be collected on the ground. Description of the facility Caffe Reggio facility is a common coffee shop in New York City that was first opened in 1972. The coffee house is located at MacDoughal Street that lies in the heart of Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. The business is a family enterprise that was introduced into the country by Domenico Parisi in the early twenties. The facility has been featured in many movies among them includes Greenwich Village, Godfather II, The Kremlin Letter and Next Stop. The location has been a place visited by many celebrities who have been spotted or photographed in the area. The hopeful President John F in 1959 made a speech outside the coffee house (Otis & Greenfield, 2010). Caffe Reggio coffee shop out-look The Setting The coffee shop is located at 199 MacDougal Street that is a one-way street in the Greenwich Village in the New York City. To the south of the coffee shop is the Prince Street and the West 8th Street to the North. The Greenwich Village often referred to as “the village” by the locals is a village on the western side of Lower Manhattan (Flippin, 2011). The village is also known as the “Artist Haven” as it was the birthplace of the Beat as well as the “60s counterculture movements”. Interior of Caffe Reggio Coffee Shop The building is supported by stone blocks supported by block pillars that run along the entire length of the shop. The ceiling of the overhang is lined with white painted tiles with evenly spaced recessed lighting. The shop is rectangular shaped with the front being separated into four glass panels and a glass door as well that all painted with a green background. Adhesive block lettering written ‘Caffe Reggio’ are painted in white capital letters on the walls of the walls of the front side of the shop as well as on an umbrella-shaped structure painted blue on the doorstep of the shop. The facility measures approximately 50 feet in length by 30 feet in width. The front third of the store is an open space with tiny marble-topped tables with iron-backed chairs. The rest two-thirds is also equipped with tiny marble-topped tables with iron-backed chairs, with a kitchenette, a break room and bathrooms for the staff and customers located at the backside of the shop. There is also a back door that opens on the street that is only used by employees that is not visible from the front. The interior design of Caffe Reggio coffee shop Gorgeous painting of the Caravaggio school as well as other pieces of art that date from to the Renaissance Italy period covers the walls. Inside the hotel is an important espresso machine, a chrome and bronze beauty that is still on display from Italy that was made in 1902 that the starter of the enterprise first bought with his own savings after opening the shop in 1927. The coffee shop has a bench that is of the mighty Florentine Medici Family of Renaissance fame. Any customer can sit on the bench, as it is not roped-off a 500-year-old bench that is a great symbol in the shop (Flippin, 2011). Gorgeous pieces of art on the walls of the shop The People Six employees and a manager run the coffee shop. Among them are three women and three men with a male manager all with an American descent according to my observation. On entering the coffee shop, I asked one of the employees who was at the counter for permission to observe the coffee shop, and he directed me to the manager. The manager was approximately 4.7 feet 1 inch and roughly 130 pounds of weight. According to his physical appearance, he was approximately 35 years old. He had an average height with black hair on his head. All the employees were English speaking but I did not get an opportunity of interacting with them to know whether they were able to speak and hear any other languages since the coffee shop was a key tourist place destination that was visited by tourist from all around the world. In a brief description of the employees, employer 1 worked from the counter where he received orders and payments. He was fluent in English though I was not able to have a lengthy conversation with him. He had a pitted facial completion and from his appearance, he was in his late 20’s. Employee 2 was a female who stood approximately 4.2 feet 10 inches weighing around 115 pounds in her early 20’s. She was smartly groomed and very descent from her appearance and worked as a customer attendant delivering the customers’ orders and providing them with receipts. She worked hard in hard with employer three who also worked a customer attendant a male who was in the late 30’s from his appearance. He was also very fluent in English and appeared to be calm and polite approximately 120 pounds, 5 feet and 2 inches wide. The other employees were the chef’s two ladies and one man. Employee 4, the only man among them seemed to be in his 50’s as he had a few gray hairs that were scattered in his black head hair. He was thin but appropriately groomed and looked organized. He was approximately 4 feet and 1 inch wide weighing about 112 pounds. He also had a few freckles and spots that were very evident at his face especially on the upper forehead. Employee 5 and 6 were females who both were in their late 20’s approximately 3.7 to 4 feet 11 inches and weighing about 130 pounds each. The action On April 4th, 2015 at 3.00 PM, I visited Caffe Reggio coffee shop for my research-based observational practice to determine the measures that coffee shops take to ensure that they attract the right stream of customers. I meet an employee over the counter who directed me to the manager of the enterprise; he granted me permission of doing so, and I took a seat at the corner of the shop. I was suppressed by the brilliance of the restaurant, and it was a million times worth of visiting. Over the coffee tables were tourist who sat in groups or either alone visiting the place over the weekend. To ensure that I would act like a stranger, I asked one of the client servers if it was possible to purchase a cappuccino cup. She told me yes, but that would cost a lot of money $85 to be exact. I purchased the drink and timed my observation only to last for a period of 30 minutes. Everything looked and felt just as it was described in the literature works. There were massive painting in ornate framework that hanged on the walls, the ceiling was white and bright with dim lighting, and the background was doused in green and earth tones. As for the customers, there were also some younger regulars, who had their laptops and books on the coffee tables as there was free Wi-Fi mixed with older crowds some who were visiting tourists. The art of conversation was very much alive as chatted and relaxed. Besides me was a huge family that held court in the shadows of the café’s espresso machine. I tried to interact with them, and they informed me that they were visiting from different parts of the world in celebration of a birthday, and they kept the place filled with laughter. A customer with a laptop enjoying free Wi-Fi as he enjoys a cup of coffee Correlation of results I was able to make a lot of observations from my research. In dead, plenty of interrelations occurred around the coffee shop but I gave myself permission to tune out stimuli and filter what was coming in. The coffee shop is quite known across the country and is a main tourist destination because it enjoys from its rich historical background. Moreover, it offers high-quality services tough its prices are high in relation to other coffee shops. In attracting the right stream of customers, the coffee shop enjoys from the gorgeous appearance and beautiful pieces of art that are on the walls. Moreover, it has kept up with technological advancement, as customers are able to enjoy free Wi-Fi within in the shop. In the old days, the coffee shop never served food to its customers, but due to customer demand, they do that now. For brunch, you can get an entrée, a cappuccino, as well as a mimosa but the coffee, is their area where they are best at and shine in, and it has always been that over the years. I was able to overcome my expectational and observation bias by making sure that I only observed and noted down what I saw for my study. However, the time for the study was limited only 30 minutes, and I felt it was not enough for the research-based observation. Other difficulties that were experienced in the field setting was feeling out of place as there were times when people caught me staring at them and making notes, but no one was bothered with me. As a researcher, I learned that I am much more observant than I gave credit to myself, and I am looking forward to taking part in more research studies. References Douceur, J. R., Elson, J., Howell, J., & Lorch, J. R. (2010). The Utility Coprocessor: Massively Parallel Computation from the Coffee Shop. In Proceedings of the 2010 USENIX Annual Technical Conference (p. 7). Flippin, A. L. (2011). Frommers New York City with Kids. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Otis, G. A., Greenfield, B., & St, L. R. (2010). New York City: City guide. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet. Yodanis, C. (2006). A Place in Town: Doing Class in a Coffee Shop. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. doi:10.1177/0891241606286818 Yu, H., & Fang, W. (2009). Relative impacts from product quality, service quality, and experience quality on customer perceived value and intention to shop for the coffee shop market. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence. doi:10.1080/14783360802351587 https://youtu.be/AZTvddruSKc - A Video available regarding the Caffe Reggio coffee shop. Read More