Factors That Influence the Decision of Patrons to Dine At
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FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE DECISION OF PATRONS TO DINE AT SELECTED INDIAN RESTAURANTS IN THE TWIN CITIES by Prema A. Monteiro A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Science Degree With a Major in Hospitality and Tourism Approved: 6 Semester Credits r. James &ttgermeir Thesis Advisor Thesis Committee Members: Dr. (orge Smeaton Dr. Charles Metelka The Graduate College University of Wisconsin-Stout July 31, 2000 ii The Graduate College University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI 54751 ABSTRACT Monteiro Prema A. (Last Name) (First Name) (Initial) Factors that Influence the Decision of Patrons to dine at Selected Indian Restaurants in the Twin Cities (Title) Hospitality and Tourism Dr. James Buergermeister July 2000 153_ (Graduate Major) (Research Advisor) (Month/Year) (No. of Pages) American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual (Fourth Edition) (Name of Style Manual Used in this Study) This study researched the factors that influence the decision of patrons to dine at selected Indian restaurants in the Twin Cities. The research objectives were: 1. To determine the demographic profile of patrons of Indian restaurants in the Twin Cities. 2. To identify the factors that influence the decision of patrons to dine at Indian restaurants in the Twin Cities. 3. To determine differences in decision-making factors, between patrons of South Asian origin, and those of other ethnic origin, when they dine at Indian restaurants in the Twin Cities. iii 4. To identify the most important factors that patrons consider when making their decision to dine at Indian restaurants, in the Twin Cities. 5. To determine differences, between patrons of South Asian origin, and those of other ethnic origin, regarding factors they consider most important when they dine at Indian restaurants, in the Twin Cities. The data for this research was collected through the use of a questionnaire, which was given to patrons of selected Indian restaurants during the month of June 2000. The sample size selected was five hundred. The SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solutions) software package analyzed and computed these data, with the exception of the open-ended questions. Basic descriptive statistics (Mean and Standard Deviations) and frequency distributions were computed for each variable to determine the actual response rate for each question. In addition, the data was analyzed by means of crosstabs and multivariate analysis of variance. The findings of the study are summarized below: There were an almost equal number of females (51 percent) and males (49 percent). The average respondent was 32 years old and white American (75 percent). Many respondents had bachelor's degrees (44 percent), and approximately one third of all respondents (33 percent) even had postgraduate degrees. The occupation most frequently selected by respondents was Professional (50.6 percent). Total household income was well distributed across the given choices, ranging from 'Up to $24,999' to '$120,000' or more, with the exception of the $65,000 to $99,999 range. The important factors for the entire sample were quality of food, taste of the food, and hygiene and cleanliness, in descending order of importance, while availability of iv vegetarian choices, availability of new items, and cultural familiarity were the least important factors for the whole sample. There were several factors, which showed a significant difference between respondents of South Asian origin, and those of other ethnic origin. Quality of food, and taste of the food were the only two significant factors on which respondents of other ethnic origin had higher expectations than those of South Asian origin. The following in order of importance, are the factors on which participants of South Asian origin had higher expectations than those of other ethnic origin: hygiene and cleanliness; cleanliness of restrooms; employee friendliness; value for money; efficient scrvice; spicy food; atmosphere; price; vegetarian choices; availability of new items; and, cultural familiarity. The top three factors influencing the decision to dine at an Indian restaurant for the sample were: taste of the food, quality of food, and hygiene and cleanliness. The top three factors for participants of South Asian origin were: taste of the food, quality of food, and hygiene and cleanliness together with spicy food. Those for participants of other ethnic origin were: taste of the food, quality of food, and aroma/ smell. Analysis of the open-ended questions resulted in some interesting findings, since respondents were able to accurately describe in their own words, the factors that motivate them to dine at an Indian restaurant. A summary of these findings can be found in the Appendix B. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am very grateful to my thesis committee, for all the time, valuable insight and contributions they made to improve the quality of my study; to Dr. James Buergermeister, who served as research advisor and was always accessible for clarifications or advice, and Dr. Charles Metelka and Dr. George Smeaton, who served as supportive and active committee members. The professional assistance and advice of Dr. Bharath M. Josiam have been invaluable to me. His original proposal for this study, support, and guidance, has been a source of inspiration and encouragement. Special thanks to Ms. Donna Muenich for the professional look of my survey, and my friend Scott Graff for assisting me in setting up my statistical data analysis. Thanks to Chris Ness for competent support regarding statistical analysis. To Mrs. Saida Alam (Shewli), owner of a restaurant in Minneapolis, I add a word of special thanks, for extending unrestricted access to the patrons of her restaurant, which facilitated my data collection and encouraged me to forge ahead. Thanks also to all the other restaurant owners and staff who supported my endeavor. Special thanks also to my mother, father & loved ones for all their support and encouragement. Their own outstanding academic achievements and career accomplishments inspired me to follow in their footsteps, and reassured me that I had the ability to do so. Prema A. Monteiro July 2000 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT........................................................................... ACKNOW LEDGEMENTS ......................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................. xi LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................. 1 Overview of the Study ..................................................... The Food Service Industry .................................................. Consumer Behavior ................................................ 4 Need for the Study .......................................................... 5 Statement of the Problem ................................................... 5 Research Objectives ........................................................ 6 Definition of Terms and Abbreviations .................................. 6 Limitations................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE ................ 11 Introduction.................................................................. 11 The Hospitality Industry ................................................... 13 The Food Service Business ....................................... 13 The specialty restaurant .................................. 14 Ethnic restaurants ........ ................ ................. 15 Vegetarian Cuisine ................................................ 22 Indian Cuisine ...................................................... 24 vii Market Analysis and Marketing of Services ......... .................... 30 Population demographics.......................................... 32 Neighborhood appearance and descriptors ..................... 32 Major traffic arteries............................................... 34 Types of environments............................................ 34 Restaurant Industry Operations/Consumer Profile ...................... 36 Consumer Behavior ......................................................... 38 Models of Consumer Behavior ................................... 39 The Consumer Decision-making Process ....................... 40 Extrinsic influences on consumer behavior ............ 40 Intrinsic influences on consumer behavior ............ 43 The Buying Decision Process ..................................... 48 Potential Gaps in Hospitality Service ............................ 51 Preferences................................................................... 52 Restaurants and Quality Service ..... ..................................... 54 Summary ..................................................................... 55 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ................................................. 57 Statement of Purpose ..................................................... 57 Respondents.................................................................. 58 Research Instrument and the Pilot Test ... ................................ 58 Research Instrument .................................... 58 Demographic data .................................... 59 viii Comparison of frequency of dining at other similar ethnic restaurants ......................................... 59 The importance of restaurant characteristics when making the decision