Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague

Andrea Vilímová

Analysis of the customers' satisfaction in the Restaurant Planet Sushi

Bachelor Dissertation

2014

Analysis of the customers' satisfaction in the Restaurant Planet Sushi

Bachelor Dissertation

Andrea Vilímová

Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague

Hospitality Management Department

Major field of study: Hospitality Management

Dissertation Advisor: Ing. Jan Jiran

Date of submission: 2014-06-12

Date of defense: August 2014

Email: [email protected]

Prague 2014

Oath

I swear that the bachelor Dissertation titled Analysis of the customers' satisfaction in the Restaurant Planet Sushi was written by me independently, and that all literature and additional material used are cited in the bibliography and that this version is exactly the same as the work submitted electronically.

In accordance with §47b law no. 111/1998 coll. on higher education institutions, I agree to my dissertation being published in its complete form in the publicly accessible electronic database of the Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague.

Signature

......

Andrea Vilímová

In Prague on 12.06.2014 Acknowledgements

This dissertation would not have been possible to create without guidance and aid of several people.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor Ing. Jan Jiran for his valuable time and opinions which contributed much to my work.

Furthermore, special thanks belong to Eva Balážová, HR RIG manager, for providing me with all valuable information.

Additionally, I would like to thank my colleagues and the restaurant manager for the help they have given me.

Last but not at least, I would like to thank my family: my parents, for giving me life, love, caring and believing in me. My sister, thank you for your love and support. My cousin, thank you for being a very special flatmate, which I am very grateful for.

There is too much to say in too few words but without each and every one of you, this could never have been accomplished. I truly appreciate you all!

Abstract

VILÍMOVÁ, Andrea. Analysis of customers' satisfaction in the Restaurant Planet Sushi. [Bachelor Dissertation] Institute of Hospitality Management in Prague. Prague: 2014. Total number of pages: 68

The aim of this bachelor dissertation is identify aspects in need of improvement and suggest recommendations that would enhance customers' satisfaction in the restaurant Planet Sushi located in Prague 5.

A hypothesis was set and that whether Japanese cuisine has a future in the Czech Republic.

The researcher collected both primary and secondary data. A total of 98 customers were addressed; all of them were willing to respond to designed questionnaire. The study comprised of questionnaires with respondents opinions and views from their perceptions.

Key findings from this survey are that restaurant is generally on a very good level, especially then the service provided in the restaurant. Recommendations for improvements are provided.

The author came to the conclusion that the main changes should be to ascertain the cleanliness of the restaurant and to create a special menu at a discounted price in order to attract more customers.

Keywords: analysis, customer satisfaction, Japanese restaurant, Planet sushi, service quality, perceived value, questionnaire

Table of contents

INTRODUCTION...... 3

1. LITERATURE REVIEW - SATISFACTION...... 3 1.1. Customer satisfaction...... 3 1.2. Impact of dissatisfaction...... 4 1.3. Determinants of satisfaction...... 4 1.3.1. Food quality...... 5 1.3.2. Physical environment...... 5 1.3.3. Service quality...... 6 1.3.4. Price...... 7 1.3.5. Culture...... 9 1.4. The importance for quality service in hospitality...... 11 1.5. Tools measuring quality service in the hospitality...... 11 1.5.1. Service quality model...... 11 1.5.2. The five gap model...... 12 1.5.3. The SERVQUAL model...... 13 1.5.4. The critical incident technique (CRIT)...... 14 1.5.5. Survey of satisfaction (questionnaire)...... 16 1.5.6. Mystery quest/mystery shopper...... 17 1.5.7. Self-assessment...... 19 1.5.8. Benchmarking...... 20 1.6. Job satisfaction...... 22 1.6.1. Customer orientation...... 24 1.6.2. Training...... 25 1.6.3. Management structure and professional ethics...... 25 2. JAPANESE CUISINE - SUSHI...... 27 2.1. History of sushi...... 27 2.2. Taxonomy of sushi...... 28 2.2.1. Other sushi definitions...... 29 2.3. Nutritional facts...... 30

3. PLANET SUSHI...... 32 3.1. Planet Sushi Prague...... 32 3.2. History of Rostik International...... 33 3.3. History of Planet Sushi...... 38 4. METHODOLOGY...... 39 4.1. Study design...... 39 4.2. Population and sample selection...... 40 4.3. Survey duration...... 40 4.4. Data sources...... 40 4.5. Data presentation and analysis...... 40 5. RESULTS AND FINDINGS...... 41 5.1. Background of the respondents...... 41 5.1.1. Gender of respondents...... 41 5.1.2. Age of respondents...... 42 5.1.3. Frequency of the visit...... 43 5.1.4. Use of reservation...... 44 5.1.5. Use of recommendation...... 45 5.1.6. Information channel...... 46 5.2. Results of guest satisfaction with the restaurant operations...... 47 5.2.1. Evaluation on rating statements...... 47 5.2.2. Evaluation of open questions...... 49 5.3. Research made on the Internet...... 51 5.3.1. Tripadvisor.com...... 52 5.3.2. Foursquare.com...... 53 5.3.3. Hele.cz...... 54 5.3.4. Restu.cz...... 56 5.3.5. SWOT analysis of Planet Sushi...... 57 6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS...... 59 7. REFERENCE LIST...... 61 8. APPENDIX – questionnaires ...... 65

List of figures: Figure 1 – What is your gender? Figure 2 – Which range include your age? Figure 3 – How often do you visit our restaurant? Figure 4 – Did you have a reservation? Figure 5 – Would you recommend our restaurant to your family members, friends or acquaintances? Figure 6 – How did you learn of our restaurant? Figure 7 – Graphical representation or rated statements Figure 8 – Graphical representation of open questions Figure 9 – Graphical representation of restaurant on tripadvisor.com Figure 10 – Evaluation of rating summary on tripadvisor.com Figure 11 – Graphical representation of evaluation of the restaurant on hele.cz Figure 12 – Evaluation of rating summary on hele.cz Figure 13 – Evaluation of rating summary on restu.cz

List of tables:

Table 1 – Please rate following statements Table 2 – Your opinion is important to us, please type whether you have any suggestions for improvement Table 3 – Summary of comments made on Foursquare.com Table 4 – Summary of comments made on restu.cz

INTRODUCTION

In our mainland which separates Japan from the mythical one thousand kilometres and whose cuisine is characterized mainly by dumplings and gravy are increasingly enjoying rising popularity of Japanese sushi. In Prague, although not too many sushi bars, but those who are there, are full most of the time and it seems that we can conclude that they might be the beginning of a new trend in eating Czechs. With the growing popularity of this culinary phenomenon will gradually increase the number of sushi bars in Prague.

The subject of this study is the restaurant Planet Sushi that is located in Prague 5, near metro station Anděl.

Motivation of the study:

The author of this thesis is currently working in this restaurant and therefore is particularly interested in guest experience, their perceptions and overall satisfaction with the restaurant and services provided. Since the customer perspective is substantial for any kind of services, in this study accounts its base.

The aim of the study:

The aim of this bachelor dissertation is identify aspects in need of improvement and suggest recommendations that would enhance customers' satisfaction. In order to determine customers’ satisfaction in the restaurant Planet Sushi a precisely designed questionnaire was used. The outcome of the questionnaire was analysed and recommendations were proposed.

Hypothesis:

This thesis also stated hypotheses that will be verified at the end of the study.

H: Japanese cuisine has a future in the Czech Republic.

Structure of the study:

I. First part of the thesis contains literature review. Provide readers with the definition of satisfaction, determinants of satisfaction and tools that are used to measure customers satisfaction in the hospitality industry. Introduction

into job satisfaction is also provided, as it is closely connected with the customers’ satisfaction. II. In the second chapter, will provide readers with introduction into Japanese cuisine. Outlines the history of sushi, taxonomy of sushi and explains some important definition used in nearly every Japanese restaurant. Last section is devoted to nutritional facts about Japanese cuisine. III. In the third chapter, there will be information about the restaurant Planet Sushi in Prague. History of Rostik International Company, who owns chain of restaurants Planet Sushi and the history of Planet Sushi itself. IV. Methodology, fourth part of the study, explains research purpose and strategy used to achieve stated aim. Including study design, population and sample selection, survey duration, data sources and data presentation and analysis. For clear presentation, data obtained from questionnaire are transformed into tables and graphs, expressed in numerical and percentage form. V. Finally in the fifth chapter is a conclusion and recommendation. The last section summarizes research results and suggestions for improvement are provided.

Signification of the study:

Since the main aim of this study is to identify aspects in need of improvement, the outcome of this study will mainly benefit to the management of the restaurant Planet Sushi. The study is also expected to enhance the overall satisfaction of customers in the restaurant.

1. LITERATURE REVIEW – SATISFACTION

Satisfaction is derived from the Latin satis (enough) and facere (to do or make). Thus satisfying products and services have the capacity to provide what is sought to the point of being "enough". Two related words are satiation, which loosely means enough up to the point of excess, and satiety, which can mean a surfeit or too much of enough, as if to say that too much is necessarily undesirable. These terms illustrate the point that satisfaction implies a filling or fulfilment, perhaps up to a threshold of undesirable effects (e.g. overindulging, such as credit purchasing beyond one´s financial means). (Oliver, 2010)

1.1. Customer satisfaction Oliver (1981) defined customer satisfaction as the "summary psychological state resulting when the emotion surrounding confirmed or disconfirmed expectation is coupled with the consumer's prior feelings about the consumption experience" (p.27). The term disconfirmation in this context relates to the fulfilment of expectations, and may be positive (where product performance exceeds expectations), negative (where product performance falls below expectations), or zero (where performance equals expectations). More specifically, an individual's expectations are (a) confirmed when a product performs as expected, (b) negatively disconfirmed when the product performs more poorly than expected, and (c) positively disconfirmed when the product performs better than expected. This paradigm, known as confirmation/disconfirmation, leads to an emotional reaction called satisfaction/dissatisfaction.

The concept of consumer satisfaction has been in a central position in Marketing since 1950's till today with an increasing interest and importance. We can consider satisfaction as major output Marketing- activity that links the processes involved in purchase and consumption. It also links postpurchase phenomena such as attitude change, repeat purchase, and brand loyalty. The positioning of the concept in the core of Marketing is reflected by the consideration that profits are generated

through the satisfaction of consumer needs and wants. (Kucukosmanoglu & Sensoy, 2010)

Customer satisfaction is a forward looking indicator of business success that measures how well customers will respond to the company in the future. Other measures of market performance, such as sale and market share, are backward looking measures of success. They tell how well the firm has done in the past, but not how well it will do in the future. (Byrne, 1993)

1.2. Impact of dissatisfaction Dissatisfaction on the other hand has some important implications for future of a business. A customer centric firm must pay attention to dissatisfied customers as much as it pays to the ones that are satisfied. Because dissatisfied customers are not expected to discontinue purchasing and exit leaving the company with erasion or customer portfolio. Yet this is not the only issue to be considered. Dissatisfied customer usually do not complain. (TARP, 1986) They usually exit, walk and talk. They start producing negative word of mouth. Sometimes the situation gets even worse. Dissatisfied customer may become "customer terrorists". They try to ease their dissatisfaction by telling to other, trying to affect the other potential customer by destroying the reputation of the firm in market place (Best, 2009)

1.3. Determinants of satisfaction Considering the pivotal role that customer satisfaction is playing in the food industry, it is not surprising that variety of research in academia and in industry has been devoted to investigating the determinants of customer satisfaction. Majority of the research have indicated food quality, physical environment, service quality, price and culture (Schwarz & Davis, 1981) as constituting important determinants which influences customer satisfaction in food service industry (Kim et al. 2009; Liu and Jang, 2009). Food quality is amongst the important determinants of customer satisfaction in food service industry (restaurant) (Sulek and Hensley, 2004). What is more, it is

essential requirement to satisfy the needs and expectations of restaurant customers (Peri, 2006). 1.3.1. Food quality Influencing the customers' satisfaction levels can be challenging, as many aspects that determine satisfaction may be largely outside the manager's control. For example, the quality of food may be affected by the quality of the items available for purchase. Convenience is obviously affected by the restaurant's and buyers relative locations. Food quality according to Parasuraman (1988) falls under their dimensions known as reliability. The SERVQUAL literature identifies reliability as the ability to perform promised services dependably and accurately. For the restaurant industry, reliability translates into the freshness and temperature of the food (the promise), and receiving the food error-free and as ordered the first time (dependably and accurately) (Andaleeb and Conway, 2006). Namkung & Jang (2008) and Schiffman & Kanuk (2009) are in agreement when their research focused on presentation/ aesthetic appearance, healthy options, aroma, taste, freshness and temperature as some of the antecedents that constitute food quality and primary reason for visiting the restaurant. Clearly, it seems logical to postulate as well that quality of food may be influential in determining customer satisfaction and its satellite outcomes like return intention (Weiss, Feinstein and Dalbor, 2004). 1.3.2. Physical environment In order to be successful, restaurant operators need to create a pleasant servicescape and provide excellent service to their customers. The servicescape is the physical environment of a service organization where the service transaction occurs; it is composed of numerous elements such as the colour, music, scent, and layout and design in a physical environment (Bitner,1992). Similarly, most services are characterized by service encounters; that is, the interaction between service staff and customers throughout the entire service process. Hence, customers evaluate service consumption

experiences in a holistic manner, by paying attention to both the servicescape and employee interactions. In this field study, we address the need for a deeper understanding of the relative impact of the servicescape (e.g., lighting, temperature, colour of the wall, colour of the floor, music, theme, comfort level and the uniqueness of the interior layout and design) and service encounters (i.e., the interaction between customers and service staff) on customers' emotions and satisfaction in a restaurant setting. 1.3.3. Service quality Service quality and customer satisfaction have long been the areas of focus in service marketing literature, as they help in building and developing long-term, value-laden relationship with customers (Berry, 1983). Service marketers are striving for 'high quality service' and 'high customer satisfaction' in an attempt to increase customer loyalty and market share (Oh & Parks, 1997). Nevertheless, one key challenge to service marketers is to identify critical variables that determine customer loyalty. Oh (1999) commented that there have been limited studies focusing on the casual relationship between critical variables (e.g., service quality, customer value and customer satisfaction) and customer loyalty (e.g., repurchase and word-of-mouth recommendation); particularly in the hospitality industry setting.

The role of service quality plays heavily in creating a satisfied and repetitive customer. In other words, delivering superior quality service has been recognized as the most powerful weapon that many leading organizations possess. This means that effective investment in high service quality results in long-term increases in customer loyalty, and this in turn leads to cost savings and improvement in high service quality improved profitability and market share (Zeithaml, Parasuraman, & Berry, 1990). To maintain a superior quality of service, service providers need to understand how customers evaluate the quality of their service offerings. Thus, many large service companies have created quality-measurement programs that include surveys to obtain customers' evaluations of service quality. Feedback

allows service changes to be implemented and then evaluated with follow-up survey data (Hauser & Clausing, 1988; Zeithaml et al., 1990).

Service quality refers to customer's appraisal of the overall excellence or superiority of an organization and its services in a service experience (Zeithaml, 1988). Parasuraman et al. (1985, 1988) believed that customers' perceptions of overall service quality depend on the difference between the actual performance and their expectations. In their well-known article, Parasuraman et al. (1985) demonstrate that customers evaluate overall service quality by five empirical dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. They also suggested that each quality dimension can be quantified by calculating the difference between expectations and perceptions of actual performance of service attributes relevant to each dimension, and then averaging across at attributes. They revealed further that reliability could be the most important dimension, followed by responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The tangibles were of least concern to customers. 1.3.4. Price The price of items on the menu can also substantially influence customers in that price has the capability of attracting or repelling customers (Monroe, 1989) especially since price functions as an indicator of quality (Lewis and Shoemaker, 1997). The pricing of restaurant items also varies according to the type of restaurant. If the price is high, customers are likely to expect high quality, or it can induce a sense of being "ripped off" (Andaleeb and Conway, 2006). Likewise, if the price is low, customers may question the ability of the restaurant to deliver product and service quality. Moreover, due to the competitiveness of the restaurant industry, customers are able to establish internal reference prices. When establishing prices for a restaurant, an internal reference price is defined as a price (or price scale) in buyers' memory that serves as a basis for judging or comparing actual prices (Grewal at el., 1998). This indicates that the price offering for the restaurant needs to be in accord with what the

7 market expects to pay by avoiding negative deviation (Andaleeb and Conway, 2006).

We all make purchase decisions on a daily basis. These consumptive decisions, including brand choices, are influenced frequently by a variety of internal and external cues. How one react to the multitude of encountered promotions significantly shapes willingness to seek out deals (Bawa, Srinivasan, & Srivastava, 1997), as well as the kinds of promotions that one will respond to (Soman, 1998; McCall, Eckrich, & Bruneau, 2007).Consequently, marketers have historically been interested in how consumers respond to changes (big and small) within the marketing environment. Not surprisingly, a specific and significant influence that directs consumptive decision-making is price. Given the importance of price, this article examines the role of perceptions of value, quality, and price knowledge as they apply to price sensitivity. In these stressed economic times, restaurant chains are resorting to a variety of marketing strategies to remain viable, including brand extensions into frozen foods and e-gift certificates with purchases (Horovitz, 2008). Price sensitivity has long been an important topic for marketers and is a particularly salient factor in the restaurant industry. As the very timely opening quote indicates, casual dining, specifically, and restaurant dining, in general, are dependent upon consumer choice. Upon closer examination, the opening quote also offers an important reason for concerns among restaurateurs. Casual dining is often a hedonic choice driven by consumer fulfilment (Wakefield & Inman, 2003). It does not fall into a need category, yet does not fully fit into what many consumers define as a luxury purchase. Put simply, people will often choose to eat out for reasons of convenience (i.e., it will be quicker or easier than cooking at home) and price (e.g., it won't cost a lot).Price-conscious consumers are likely to shy away from restaurant dining when prices increase and/ or other sectors (e.g., fuel costs, economic uncertainty) compete for limited financial resources. Marketers describe this consumptive reaction as price sensitivity (Goldsmith & Newell, 1997). Economists have also studied how

changes in price can affect consumer preferences for competing alternatives (Alba, Mela, Shimp, & Urbany, 1999), while psychologists have examined how pricing practices can influence perceptions of product value (McCall & Lynn, 2008; Nagle & Holden, 2002; Zeithaml, 1988).

Restaurants have many reasons to be concerned about consumers' level of price sensitivity. Numerous surveys have shown that restaurant dining is often the first expenditure to be eliminated when finances become limited (cf., Pride & Ferrell, 2007). 1.3.5. Culture Since the early 1980s culture has become an increasingly important element for academics and practitioners. As organizations seek to manage change in order to maintain advantages and respond to external pressure, the vital role that culture plays in successful change is being realized. Hence, the interest in organizational culture stems from the belief that culture influences behaviour, decision-making and organizational strategies and performance (Denison, 1990; Kotter & Heskett, 1992). Globalization has also heightened awareness of the need to not only understand the organizational culture but also the impact of national and international cultures. The relevant literature shows that organizational culture is viewed in many different ways. Several scholars believe that organizational culture represents the values, attitudes, expectations, norms, beliefs, faiths, and assumptions in an organization shared by all the business members (Deshpande & Farley, 1999, p. 112; Lorsch, 1986, p.95; Martin, Feldman, Hatch, & Sitkin, 1983, p.439; Mitchell & Yate, 2002, p. 33; Smircich, 1983, p. 341; Smirchich & Stubbart , 1985, p. 727). Tunstall (1985) holds that organisational culture refers to the set of norms, attitudes, values, and behaviour patterns that form the core identity of a business or an operating unit within a business (Denison, 1984). In other words, organizational culture allows an organisation to address the ever-changing problems of adaptation to the external

9 environment and the internal integration of organisational resources, personnel, and policies to support external adaptation (Steven, 2000). Ebert and Griffin (2000) further explain that organizational culture helps businesses achieve the following goals:

1) Motivating employees to work hard and assisting employees to work towards common goals; 2) Helping newly hired employees learn the expected behaviour models; 3) Providing the unique characteristics of each company. Robbins (2000) holds that organisational culture can serve as a determinant and control mechanism in order to guide and mould employee attitudes and behaviour.

From the above literature, it appears that organizational culture plays an important role in promoting organizational success, and this could only be achieved by assuring an appropriate culture being developed or shaped in the organisation that matches the managers' values, attitudes, and behaviour (Rashid, Sambasivan, & Johari, 2003).

Organizational culture, in essence is the embodiment of the culture of the working environment. The culture of the working environment is particularly evident in the service companies. Based on this, feel free to say that the nurturing of the culture of the working environment is especially pronounced in the tourism and hospitality. The term "culture of the working environment" indicates the broader relationship of working in hospitality facilities, kind behaviour and creating a pleasant atmosphere and ambience (Celakoski, 1997). In other words, the process of working in business entity is a mirror of the culture of work of each individual and the entire company. Culture is reflected in the deployment of human resources with a common goal and determining the skills and competencies that are needed to staff for more successful accomplishment of its role.

1.4. The Importance for quality service in hospitality Quality service is a management tool that provides companies with a means of monitoring service from the customers' perspective. Quality assurance refers to any planned and systematic activity directed towards providing consumers with goods and services of appropriate quality, along with the confidence that they meet consumers' requirements. Quality assurance depends on excellence of two important focal points in business: the design of goods and services and the control of quality during execution of service delivery which is often aided by some form of measurement and inspection activity (Evans & Lindsay, 2010). Delivering quality service is one of the major challenges the hospitality mangers will be facing in the following years. It will be an essential condition for success in the markets. While the future importance of delivering quality hospitality service is easy to discern and to agree on, doing so presents some difficult and intriguing management issues (Lazer & Layton, 1999).

1.5. Tools measuring quality service in the hospitality industry An old axiom says, You can't manage what you can't measure. Despite the continuous efforts of hospitality properties to deliver high level services, sometimes gaps between the perceived and offered quality may occur. The reference that is to follow includes some of the most well-known models that measure quality service in the hospitality industry. 1.5.1. Service quality model Gronroos (1984) reasons that service quality is composed of three dimensions. The first he calls technical quality. It represents what the consumer actually receives as a result of interaction with the organization and lends itself to an objective measurement by the customer. Examples include a restaurant meal, a hotel room, or the roller coaster ride at an amusement park. The second dimension, functional quality, represents the actual performance of the service. Attitude, tact, skills, knowledge, and friendliness are examples. They are seen subjectively by customers. Together, technical quality and functional quality represent a bundle of goods and services that create

an image, which Gronroos sees as a third dimension of service quality. Although they use different labels – materials, facilities, and personnel, or physical quality, corporate quality (image), and interactive quality – other researchers support Gronroos' notion of three service quality dimensions (Lewis and Klein, 1986). 1.5.2. The five gap model The most well known model is the model of Parasuraman et al. (1985) which is widely utilized in the literature. The model attempts to show the salient activities of the service organization that influence the perception of quality. Moreover, the model shows the interaction between these activities and identifies the linkages between the key activities of the service organization or marketer which are pertinent to the delivery of a satisfactory level of service quality. The links are described as gaps or discrepancies: that is to say, a gap represents a significant hurdle to achieving a satisfactory level of service quality (Ghobadian et al., 1994). Parasuraman et al. (1985) proposed that service quality is a function of the differences between expectation and performance along the quality dimensions. They developed a service quality model based on gap analysis. The gaps include (Seth and Deshmaukh, 2005): GAP 1: CUSTOMER EXPECTATION - MANAGEMENT GAP. This gap addresses the difference between consumers' expectations and management's perceptions of service quality. GAP 2: MANAGEMENT PERCEPTION - SERVICE QUALITY SPECIFICATION GAP. This gap addresses the difference between management's perceptions of consumer's expectations and service quality specification, i.e. improper service-quality standards. GAP 3: SERVICE QUALITY SPECIFICATION – SERVICE DELIVERY GAP. This gap addresses the difference between service quality specifications and service actually delivered, i.e. the service performance gap. GAP 4: SERVICE DELIVERY – EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION GAP. This gap addresses the difference between service delivery and the

communications to consumers about service delivery, i.e. whether promises match delivery. GAP 5: EXPECTED SERVICE – PERCEIVED SERVICE GAP. This gap addresses the difference between consumer's expectation and perceived service. This gap depends on size and direction of the four gaps associated with the delivery of service quality on the marketer's side. 1.5.3. The SERVQUAL model SERVQUAL is an instrument 'for assessing customer perceptions of service quality in service and retailing organizations' [Parasuraman et al., 1988]. The first step of Parasuraman et al. was to define the construct of service quality. They are not interested in 'objective' quality but in perceived quality: 'the customer's judgement about an entity's overall excellence or superiority'. It is a sort of attitude and comes from a comparison of expectations and perceived performance. Expectations have a very precise meaning for Parasuraman et al. [1988]: They are not viewed as predictions (what is likely to happen), but as desires or wants of consumers (what should happen). Exploratory research conducted in 1985 showed that clients judge service quality by using the same general criteria, regardless of the type of service. Parasuraman et al. capture these criteria using a scale composed of 22 items designed to load on five dimensions reflecting service quality as defined by its authors. Each item is used twice: first, to determine customer's expectations about firms in general, within the service category being investigated; second, to measure perceptions of performance of a particular firm. Parasuraman et al. (1985) mentioned ten factors for evaluating service quality (including tangible, reliability, responsiveness, courtesy, credibility, accessibility, communication and understanding the customer). These ten factors are simplified and collapsed into five factors. These five dimensions are stated as follows (Van Iwaarden et al., 2003; Shahin, 2006): 1) Tangibles. Physical facilities, equipments and appearance of personnel.

2) Reliability. Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. 3) Responsiveness. Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. 4) Assurance (including competence, courtesy, credibility and security). Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence. 5) Empathy (including access, communication, understanding the customers). Caring and individualized attention that the firm provides to its customers. The SERVQUAL approach contains a questionnaire that evaluates that five generic service dimensions of factors through 22 questions, evaluating both expectation and performance using a seven point Likert scale. This approach evaluates service quality by calculating difference (gap) between customer expectations and perceptions before a service encounter deliver the actual service (Lewis and Booms, 1983; Parasuraman et al., 1985). If the answer is negative, then dissatisfaction occurs, otherwise, the Service Quality is achieved. 1.5.4. The Critical Incident Technique (CIT) The Critical Incident Technique (CIT) has been developed as a means of centring the respondent to the research problem, through capturing and analysing specific moments of contact between the respondent and the environment or service being analysed (see Flanagan, 1954; Bitner et al., 1990; Gilbert and Lockwood, 1999). These moments, or memories, are framed as identifiable and complete 'incidents' relating to the particular service or environment (Bitner, 1990). They are then classified in such a way as to make them useful in addressing practical problems. The technique has three sequential stages, involving collecting and assembling the data, analysing the data, and constructing explanatory variables. As such, CIT is one of a number of inductive grouping procedures (others include factor analysis, cluster analysis and multi- dimensional scaling) in which theory is derived from the description and conceptual ordering of information ( Strauss and Corbin, 1998).

In the case of CIT, the procedure revolves around a content analysis of anecdotes told by the respondent (Bitner et al., 1990). As Viney has argued, the primary advantage of content analysis is '...its capacity to provide accurate and consistent interpretation of people's accounts of events without depriving these accounts of their power or eloquence (1983, p. 560). Clearly, the events themselves are central to the technique, being based on a person's 'ability to remember and make judgements based on remembered ... incidents' (Edvardsson and Roos, 2001, p. 252). This suggests that incidents themselves may fall into more than one class, being separated, for example, between those genuinely remembered for their exclusiveness or criticality, and those perceived as generic examples of past events. This has led some researchers to request that respondents prioritize the events they have remembered, in order to distinguish the critical events from the generic ones (see Stauss and Weinlich, 1997; Edvardsson and Roos, 2001). For others (Bitner et al., 1990; Bell et al., 1997; Gilbert and Lockwood, 1999), this form of ordering has been achieved by setting specific requirements for the evaluation of incidents. These requirements are:  The incident should involve inter-personal or person- environment interaction;  The incident should be very satisfying or dissatisfying from the respondent's point of view;  The incident should represent a discrete episode; and  The incident should have sufficient detail to be captured by the respondent or visualized by the interviewer (Bitner et al., 1990).

Thus, while the questions are open-ended, it is important that both the interviewer and the respondent are clear about the purpose of the questions and the type of responses that are required (Ronan and Latham, 1974; Guerrier et al., 1992). It is these accounts that are central to CIT, with respondents allowed to focus on the issues that are of critical importance to them.

1.5.5. Survey of satisfaction (questionnaires) The survey of customers' satisfaction is not just a tool to learn the real customers' satisfaction level of the provided goods or services received by customers. The main purpose is to highlight the strengths and area for improvement through the analysis of the evaluation, and to provide the focus on business improvement activities. Based on the analytic results of customers' satisfaction assessment, the firms can take further continuous improvements in order to meet, or even exceed, the customers' requirements, and hence to raise the customers' satisfaction (Kristensen et al.,1992; Eklӧf & Westlund, 1998; Oakland & Oakland, 1998). Therefore, the system of evaluation is very critical,it must fulfil the strict scientific criteria, build a good quality for operational use, and achieve the main functions of the evaluation (Eklӧf & Westlund, 1998). Since the evaluation of customers' satisfaction is so critical, it is necessary to understand how industries assess customers' satisfaction. The evaluation methods of customers' satisfaction commonly used by industries are as follows (Babbar, 1992): 1) Sample survey techniques, including mail survey, 2) Focus group methods, 3) Evaluation and suggestion slips, 4) Delphi or nominal group methods, 5) Complaints analysis.

Among these methods, the survey by questionnaire and the complaints analysis are more popular than the others. However, the complaints analysis is a passive method unable to understand the status of customers' satisfaction completely. As a trend, more firms apply the questionnaire survey method. How to evaluate customers' satisfaction by using the received questionnaires is an important task. The method of evaluation is related to the format of the questionnaire. In general, there are several questions and items in a questionnaire. Each question is designed relative to the satisfaction assessment of a 'quality attribute' or 'quality element'. For example, 'Are you satisfied

with the professional ability of our repairment?', please tick the score which best describes your perception.

very dissatisfied a little dissatisfied it is OK a little satisfied very satisfied

1 2 3 4 5

We use a Likert five-point scale to represent the degree of satisfaction, from 1 as 'very dissatisfied' to 5 as 'very satisfied'. Of course, we can adjust the scale format and the representative number; however, a higher number describes the higher degree of satisfaction level. Usually, customers will evaluate the quality of a good or service form several important attributes or elements considered by them (Deming, 1986; Berry et al,. 1990). So, the quality attributes appearing in the questionnaire in the form of a question items must be designed from the point of view of customers. The proper aim of the customer satisfaction survey is that the company or organization can take further improvement actions in order to raise the level of customers' satisfaction based on the analytic results of the survey, and this result in a substantial increase in profit. 1.5.6. Mystery quest/Mystery shopper Mystery shopping can be used for various purposes. Most of the time the goal is to measure the quality of the service delivery to the customer. Mystery shopping can also be used to benchmark by sending mystery guests to branch offices of competitors. Other goals of mystery shopping are:  Measuring effectiveness of (training) programmes (Morrison et al., 1997).  Testing if customers are treated equally (e.g. testing against discrimination) (Morrall, 1994; Tepper, 1994).

An important advantage of mystery shopping is the quality of the measurement. Mystery guests are well trained and know the processes and are therefore able to measure the critical failure points.

The first step in the design of mystery shopping is to define goals. These goals have to be made transparent and used as the input for the check-list. This check list has to be developed by going through the process of the service delivery and by paying attention to failure points. In most cases it is better to have multiple visits done at the same location over a period of time; these visits should take place at different times of the day (Leeds, 1992). This will reduce the effect of special situations and will also provide means of measuring the effects of improvements made after earlier visits. The second step in the design of mystery shopping is data gathering. The gathered data should not only cover general applicable service quality dimensions (Zeithaml et al., 1990) but should also reflect the key performance indicators defined by the organization in relation to its vision and mission. The mystery shoppers that gather the data should be independent, critical, objective and anonymous. Mystery shopping has to lead to a reliable picture of the normal way of working in a branch office. Although the mystery shopping instrument has to be presented to employees as a way to improve services, individual visits should not be announced beforehand to avoid abnormal behaviour by the employees. The final step in the design of mystery shopping is reporting the results. Cramp (1994) concludes that there is a shift in the type of information that is reported in relation to a mystery shopping. Traditionally, reporting was based on subjective information and open questions. More recently, reporting also covers objective measurements based on checklists. The reports should be presented to responsible managers as soon as possible after visit. Mystery shopping is a useful instrument to create an in-depth insight into perceptions of potential customers. It adds value to customer satisfaction survey data. Mystery shopping can well be used as an instrument to gather qualitative as well as quantitative information. Mystery shopping should be used in an open and transparent way. My communicating the use of mystery guests through the whole organization, it already gives a signal and stimulus to pay more

attention to the perceptions of real customers. Good communication of the results of mystery shopping can also create positive stimuli for improvements. In relation to that, the role of managers in the organization is very important. They are responsible for the communication of the results of the visits. They also have to coordinate the actions for improvement and have to show role modelling behaviour in taking actions. 1.5.7. Self-assessments Self-assessment exercises are attractive to private firms and they have been increasingly used by, and then adapted for, public services organisations (Eskildsen, Kristensen, & Juhl, 2004). This is because quality is seen as a means to develop general service standards that could be monitored over time and used to develop improvement; it is a means to incorporate user views into service standards and practices (Hartley & Downe, 2007). Organizations may choose between different approaches to self- assessment: questionnaire, workshops, pro-forma and award simulation. Irrespective of the approach chosen, the generic stages for self-assessment are following (EFQM, 2003): developing management commitment, communicating self-assessment plans, planning self- assessment, establishing teams and training, conducting self- assessment, establishing action plans, implementing action plans and review. Self-assessment is a tool that helps managers to improve the management of the company. It implies the investment of resources (material, economic and human) and the selection of an approach (Balbastre et al., 2005). Although models and scope vary, this technique contributes to identify strengths and areas for improvement in order to develop an improvement plan, which could be linked to strategic planning; measure performance; involve people in developing a process improvement approach to quality; raise the understanding and awareness of quality-related issues; facilitate the integration of quality factors in every day-to-day practices (Balbastre et al., 2005; EFQM, 2003; Ford & Evans, 2006; Ritchie & Dale, 2000; Samuelsson

& Nilsson, 2002; Sharma & Hoque, 2002; Van der Wiele & Brown, 1999; Van der Wiele et al., 1996a, 1996b) and improve public service (Hartley & Downe, 2007). However, some organisations derive little benefit from self-assessment processes (Conti, 2001). This could be due to the problems that may arise such as the lack of commitment and enthusiasm among management and employees; the time-consuming nature of the process; not knowing where to start; the lack of resources; the lack of support by the quality department and the difficulty in implementing the improvement actions (Ritchie & Dale, 2000). Developing all the stages in the process might be a way to ensure success. In view of all this, there are several success factors helping to overcome these difficulties and leading to successful self-assessment. Such factors are management commitment, employee involvement, open communication, training, the development of an improvement plan and follow-up (Ahmed, Yang, & Dale, 2003; Balbastre et al., 2005; Ford & Evans, 2006; Hartley & Downe, 2007; Ritchie & Dale, 2000; Samuelsson & Nilsson, 2002; Van der Wiele & Brown, 1999; Van der Wiele et al., 1996b; Wilkes & Dale, 1998). 1.5.8. Benchmarking Benchmarking is defined by Camp (1989) as "the search for industry best practices that leads to superior performance." As indicated by Watson (1993), benchmarking is based on performance comparison, gap identification and change in management process. It is "a process of adaption, not adoption," and is based on three principles: quality, customer satisfaction and continuous process improvement. A more recent definition developed by the American Productivity and Quality Center (1999) indicates that benchmarking is "the process of continuously comparing and measuring an organization against business leaders anywhere in the world to gain information that will help the organization take action to improve its performance." Benchmarking usually occurs between similar businesses and within a specific industry sector. However, benchmarking a similar process against organizations in dissimilar nature may be beneficial when a

business wants to make radical change in a process, and is looking to achieve results already proven to enhance future performance. Through benchmarking, best practices are adapted to provide the greatest opportunity for gaining a strategic, operational and financial advantage. As organizations become more focused on core competencies, it is vital that managers and supervisors understand and measure their current operations against best practices in their industry. This is especially true for service areas, as many times these areas are not the core competencies for an organization. Thus, it is important that in-house providers as well as contracted services know their current measures of key performance indicators in comparison to the industry's best practices. As previously mentioned, when used properly, benchmarking takes the guesswork out of performance and measures and organization's success against that of its peers and competitors. It increases learning by sharing, promotes team concepts, introduces new ideas and technology, emphasizes continuous process improvement and focuses on capabilities critical to building a strong market advantage through quantitative information. In addition, it enhances knowledge of cost structure, reduces uncertainty by providing actionable information for critical elements of operations, reduces complacency, provides realistic and achievable goals, identifies current strengths and weaknesses and accelerates process improvement.

Measuring quality service and quality assurance is a long-term consistency, which also represents a cost, but a welcomed and a lower one than that of non-quality. The managers should identify, record and weigh up the impacts of quality cost-profit.

1.6. Job satisfaction Job satisfaction is also known as work satisfaction. As a theoretical construct, it was first presented by Hoppock (1935) in his book Job satisfaction. He indicated that the job satisfaction of an employee comes from the mental and physical satisfaction in the work environment and the work itself, i.e.; the subjective reaction of an employee to the work situation. However, the definition of job satisfaction differs according to the particular emphasis of each scholar. Bussing, Bissels, Fuchs, and Perrar (1999) contend that job satisfaction is based on the desire, needs, motives, and feeling in the working environment, i.e., the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of an employee from his/her work. Porter and Steers (1973) indicate that job satisfaction is the discrepancy in expectation between 'the actual gain of a person in his/her work' and 'what he/she thinks he/she deserves'. Job satisfaction reflects the extent to which an individual enjoys their job. Therefore, it is an emotional response towards various facets. Job satisfaction is not a unitary concept, but rather, a person can be relatively satisfied with one aspect of his or her job and dissatisfied with other aspects (Pool & Pool, 2007).

Satisfied employees can be an asset for the organization. Satisfaction is affected by personal, organizational, and non-organizational factors. Within organizations, factors such as strategies of human resource management, work place benefits, workplace climate, well being of the employees, interpersonal relations, and nature of supervision contribute to satisfaction. Herzberg's (1966) Two Factor Theory has led to substantial research with respect to job satisfaction, The theory addresses hygiene factors relate to salary, working conditions, nature of supervision, etc. The presence of hygiene factors can lead to satisfaction, while their absence can lead to dissatisfaction. Hence, hygiene factors are also a maintenance factor, the presence of which is imperative for preventing dissatisfaction but does not guarantee motivation. Motivators, on the other hand, are factors such as autonomy, empowerment, reward, promotion, recognition, and opportunities for advancement that can keep employees interested and zealous in their work.

A restaurant's customer personnel, the wait staff, have an important role in determining customer satisfaction and restaurant profitability. Their speed, service, courtesy, knowledge, and desire to provide the customer with satisfying experience have all been described as being important determinants of customer satisfaction. Additionally, their skills at serving, including their ability to suggestively sell, to serve large numbers of customers effectively, and to work with customers can influence the food service establishment's sale and profitability. Additionally, the service industry has stressed the importance of the customer-contact person, stating "the service salesperson is the primary – if not sole – contact point for the customer both before and after the purchase" (Crosby, Evans, & Cowles, 1990, p. 68).

Influencing the customers' satisfaction levels can be challenging, as many aspects that determine satisfaction may be largely outside the manager's control. For example, the quality of the food may be affected by the quality of the items available for purchase. Convenience is obviously affected by the restaurant's and the buyer's relative locations. Correspondingly, perceived value can be affected by a number of factors external to the restaurant's sphere of control. However, one factor that affects satisfaction levels can be influenced by a restaurant's manager, this factor is the wait staff. Through its hiring, training, evaluation, and motivational processes, the firm can affect the behaviour of its customer contact personnel (Crosby, Evans, & Cowles, 1990; Sullivan, 2000). In a personal selling context, it has been argued that "The marketing success of a firm is highly dependent upon its sales representatives since they have the most immediate influence on customers" (Williams & Attaway, 1996,p.34). It would seem logical to conclude that a similar circumstance could exist in a full service restaurant, as the wait person is the one who has an immediate influence on customers and their satisfaction levels. Since customer satisfaction represents a legitimate goal for the food service establishment, it may be assumed that a firm's wait staff that is more "customer-oriented" would be more likely to engage in activities designed to build customer satisfaction.

1.6.1. Customer orientation In a service setting, customer orientation is critically important because customers have fewer tangible cues to use in evaluating the quality of the service items (Kelly, 1992). The degree to which the firm's wait staff is customer-oriented may provide a distinguishable and lasting competitive advantage in the food service industry. Plotkin (1996) contends that food service workers learn how to provide "hospitable" service. Thus, it seems that Plotkin's contention is that customer orientation is a skill that is learned. Customer orientation begins at the individual employee level (Gounaris, 2008) and has been defined as "... the set of beliefs that puts the customer's interest first, while not excluding those of all other stakeholders, such as owners, managers, and employees, in order to develop a long-term profitable enterprise" (Deshpande et al., 1993, p.27). Customer orientation at the individual level can be understood as 'the degree to which salespeople practice the marketing concept by trying to help their customers make purchase decisions that will satisfy customer needs' (Saxe & Weitz, 1982, p. 344). A customer-oriented frontline employee directs his/her efforts towards serving the interests of the customer, discovering the customer's needs before developing or presenting the appropriate solution, while avoiding the utilisation of manipulative, deceptive, and pressure tactics.

Links between customer orientation and external customer satisfaction have been studied in the service industry. Jones et al. (2003) found that front-line employees' customer orientation was positively associated with external customers' propensity to leave. That is, external customers interacting with employees holding a higher customer orientation indicated a lower propensity to switch suppliers. If employees assume the organizational commitment to customer orientation, positive effects on their attitude to work and their level of satisfaction are likely (Ugboro and Obeng, 2004).

1.6.2. Training The increasing pressure for improving firm performance forces managers to focus their efforts more on employee training (Kunneman, Key, and Sleezer, 1999). Training is identified as a systematic process of developing employee knowledge, skills, and attitudes for occupations and tasks to be assigned (Blanchard and Thacker, 1999). Organizational leaders believe that a competitive advantage stems from committed employees, who are cultivated mainly through employee training (Grönroos, 1985; Hodgetts, 1988). The current study uses training orientation to describe employee training activities, behaviours, and/or philosophy that may aid in restaurant operations, improve product and service delivery quality, emphasize customer relations and help employees deal with customer problems. Employee training is particularly important in the restaurant industry because the industry is labor intensive and because costs associated with employee turnover and customer dissatisfaction can be reduced through employee training (Kramlinger, 1993; Lee and Zemke, 1993). The growing diversity of customers adds another challenge for restaurant operators, requiring restaurant firms to strengthen employee skills, knowledge, and abilities to meet diverse customer demands on product and service quality (Harris and Cannon, 1995). Despite its prominent role in the restaurant business, employee training has received relatively few systematic investigations in terms of its role in profit realization. 1.6.3. Management structure and Professional Ethics In the field of tourism and hospitality should exist certain rules of discipline, order and everything should be in service of guests, because the existence of employees depends on that (Celakoski, 1997). To overcome that, it requires establishing an appropriate work organization, which allows establishing good interpersonal relations. The dominant role has managerial management structure, in particular general manager. In this sense, good interpersonal relations in the collective, good communication between human resources (the same

25 and different managerial levels), will reflect in communication with guests. During communication with clients employee should respect the organizational culture an business etiquette (kindness, care, initiative, service), because the professional manner of conduct is a requirement for quality service and that means happy clients. Era of relations between people has encouraged interest in the conduct of supervisors in terms of motivation, communication, leadership and morale (Nikolikj, et. al., 1997). The manager should be able to inspire, motivate and directs the work of others. Ethics is the philosophical discipline of morality. Ethics is a part of philosophy which examines and assesses the moral values (what is good or bad, it should be or should be), the origins and principles of morality. It determines norms and rules of conduct for people who accepted by the wider social community, and based on these estimates the behaviour of humans. Practice often shows that managers do not have many points of morality, or with professional ethics.

2. JAPANESE CUISINE – SUSHI Japanese cooking is influenced by Zen Buddhism's emerging nature, harmony and restraint. The principles of a macrobiotic diet are evident in many Japanese dishes, and food is presented in elegant way (Gregory, 2002). Japanese cuisine features health benefits, unique flavours and easy preparation, and traditional meals showcase simple, seasonal and local ingredients. Flavours are celebrated in their simplicity, unencumbered by heavy sauces or complex combinations. Many foods are served raw or only lightly cooked to highlight freshness, linking to one of the same philosophies that the natural food industry embraces, in order to celebrate food as close to its natural state as possible (Gregory, 2002).

2.1. History of sushi The history of sushi is unexpectedly long. It is mentioned for the first time in a dictionary compiled in China at the end of the 2nd century AD, where it was described as salted fish meat in rice, after it had been fermented (Sushiman, 2005; Sushi-master, 2005). However, some authors argue that the origin of sushi was in South East Asia dating back to the 4th century AD (Horibe, 2003) and it is not clear whether rice was unpolished or polished as it is now. Over time, sushi spread throughout South East Asia, and around the 8th century AD, in the Heian period, it was introduced to Japan (Cohen, 2001; Horibe 2003; Sushi-master, 2005). As the only method possible for preserving fish at that time was fermentation, raw fish was cleaned, filleted and then usually weighted down with a stone (Dietz, 2005).The fish would remain this way for weeks, then the stone would be removed and replaced with a lighter cover. The fish would stay in the salt layers for a couple of months until the fermentation process was complete (Dietz, 2005). Over time, it was found that by rolling fish in rice that had been soaked in vinegar, fish could be fermented in days rather than in months. The rice was then thrown away and the fish eaten (Dietz, 2005), but with drought and food shortages, people began consuming the rice as well as the fish and thus, sushi as we know today was born.

2.2. Taxonomy of sushi Technically, the word 'sushi' has different meanings (depending on which Chinese character is used), such as the vinegared rice, fermented fish, tasty or sour fish, but colloquially, the term is used to describe a finger-size piece of raw fish or shellfish on a bed of rice with vinegar. There are five basic kinds of sushi: Nare, Nigiri/Edomae, Chirashi, Sugatha and Oshi/Osaka sushi (Horibe, 2003). These five kinds can be further divided into numerous subcategories, e.g. Zuke, Maki, Gunkan, etc. In addition, there are many regional variations in names and ingredients, such as Hatahata sushi (a bowl of mixed fresh fish, vegetables and rice) from Akita Ken, Northern Japan; Sasamaki sushi (a roll of flat fish, shrimp, sea bream and egg wrapped in seaweed) from Tokyo; Masu sushi (layers of fish and rice pressed onto bamboo leaves in a wooden box) from Toyama Ken, East Japan; Sake sushi [ sake – Japanese rice wine, used to preserve fish] from Kagoshima Ken, Southern Japan; Saba sushi (cleaned, gutted mackerel filled with rice and lime, and cut equal slices) from Kochi, Shikoku Island; and Matsuri sushi (a special festive dish, a mix of young vegetables, herbs, different fish and rice) from Okayama Ken, West Japan (Horibe, 2003). Furthermore, there are vegetarian sushi delicacies presented as vegetable rolls wrapped in seaweed (Temaki, futo-maki and hoso-maki).

TERMINOLOGY: CHIRASHI – literally "scattered" sushi, consisting of a bowl of vinegared rice with various toppings, such as seafood, vegetables, etc. MAKI SUSHI – rolled sushi, in which rice, nori (seaweed formed into a sheet), seafood, vegetables and so on are formed into a roll with the help of a bamboo mat called a makisu, then cut into pieces. NIGIRI SUSHI – typically an oblong of sushi rice pressed with the hands and topped with cooked or raw seafood, omelete, vegetables or another topping, sometimes tied with a strip of nori. This type of sushi is the most traditional in Japan.

SASHIMI SUSHI – sashimi is raw fish or seafood sliced into pieces about 1 inch wide by 1 ½ inches long by ¼ - inch thick. For obvious reasons, the fish for sashimi needs to be impeccably fresh. Grated daikon radish and shiso leaves are common garnishes. GUNKAN SUSHI – literally "battleship roll", the nori is rolled around the pad of nigiri rice to form an oval-shaped cup (which vaguely resembles a battleship) to contain neta, the "liquid" sushi that can otherwise fall off (for example, ikura, oyster, quail eggs, tobiko and uni). Inari sushi, mixed sushi and maze-sushi (a bowl of rice with julienne or cubed fish and vegetables). The rice used to make sushi is different from other species, being short grained and covered with starch, and also needs to be rinsed before cooking. Japanese rice is short to medium grain and is known as 'sticky rice', which is ideal for sushi.

2.2.1. Other sushi definitions BENTO BOX – bento boxes are popular choices at Japanese restaurants. The original "boxed lunch", a combination meal served in a compartmentalized box, often black-lacquered; can include any number of grilled, fried or stir-fried foods; rice, sushi; and so on. DAIKON - a large, long white radish (often called giant white radish), usually served shredded as an edible garnish with sashimi. EDAMAME - soybeans steamed in the pod and salted, a popular starter at sushi bars. GARI – thin-sliced ginger root pickled in sweet vinegar. It is served with both sushi and sashimi as a palate-cleanser (also serves as an antibacterial agent) to be eaten between different types of fish. It can be pink or beige, depending on coloring. Ginger itself had long been used for medicinal purposes. Sushi artists will turn the strip of gari into a rose shape. GOHAN - plain boiled rice (not sushi rice). MAKISU - the bamboo mat used to roll sushi. MISO SOUP – rich soup made of miso paste (fermented rice with soybeans) as a light broth preceding sushi or another meal, in Japan it

is often served as a meal in a bowl, full of noodles, vegetables, tofu and seaweed. NORI – dried sheets of purple laver seaweed used in the preparation of sushi rolls, known as no rimake. The seaweed is washed and spread to dry, then toasted to enhance its flavour, texture and color. When toasted, it becomes black with green highlights. OSHIBORI – the moistened, heated towel offered to cleanse the hands before a sushi meal. ROE – fish eggs, or caviar. You can make a "roe tasting" of ikura (salmon roe), masago (smelt roe), mentaiko (spicy cod roe), tarako (Alaska Pollock roe), tobiko (flying fish roe) and uni (the gonad of the sea urchin). SAKÉ – distilled rice wine. It is served hot or cold, depending on the quality. Note that unlike regular wine, saké is a distilled product and meant to be drunk young, not aged. SHOYU – soy sauce, a salty sauce made from fermented soybeans. Usukuchi shoyu is "light" soy sauce. UDON - a thick wheat-flour noodle, similar to spaghetti. It is typically served in a hot broth. WAKAME – a popular seaweed, long strands known as lobe-leaf seaweed, served as a vinegared salad at sushi bars, as well as in miso soup. WASABI - a hot horseradish/mustard that is served with soy sauce as a dip for sushi and sashimi.

2.3. NUTRITIONAL FACTS Sushi is low in fat, calories and cholesterol, but unusual enough to appeal to increasingly adventurous eaters, hence it has been recognized as a healthy food both in Japan and abroad (Bestor, 2000). Sushi is high in vitamins and minerals and brings a rich combination of fish, vegetables and rice (Yagyu, 2003). Fish is especially healthy, being low in calories and rich in protein, vitamins A, D and B-complex, phosphorus, magnesium, iodine and iron.

Generally, fish contains 4-6% unsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 fatty acids) (Honda, 1997), and in particular, oily fish, such as tuna, salmon, herring and sardine, are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids (Watanabe, 2002).

Seaweeds used in many sushi rolls are rich in iodine and iron. In addition, appetizers used in sushi preparation, such as ginger and wasabi (horseradish), are said to have antibacterial properties (Horibe, 2003; Misuko Shiraishi, personal communication, field survey, 2005), and ginger, it is claimed, also aids digestion and helps reinforce people's defences against colds and flu; wasabi is rich in vitamin C (Horibe, 2003; Misuko Shiraishi, personal communication, field survey, 2005).

3. PLANET SUSHI 3.1. Planet Sushi Prague Restaurant Planet Sushi is situated in the Nádražní 110, two-minute walk from underground station Anděl in Prague 5. Close to the popular shopping center Nový Smíchov. It is connected to the TGI Friday's restaurant, which is operated by the same owing company RIG Group (before ROSINTER group) Restaurant is open every day from 11:00 till 23:00. Interior of the restaurant is stylish in brown and beige colors and is combining traditional Japanese elements with contemporary design. The pleasant atmosphere is enhanced by service in traditional kimonos. The restaurant can accommodate 48 customers. Restaurant Planet Sushi is a non-smoking restaurant (from 1st July 2013). From May till September there is summer terrace outside the restaurant. It provides a free Wi-Fi to its customers and is dog friendly.

The varied menu offers delicious sushi options, Thai and Japanese soups, salads, Chinese dim sums, rice and noodle specialities, chicken and seafood delicacies and excellent desserts such as Japanese ice cream of green tea. A wide range of drinks are offered such as sake, Japanese beers, alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails, teas and coffees.

INGREDIENTS Preparation and consumption of food is a matter of the greatest importance. The highest quality of raw ingredients is a must. All raw materials, from vegetables, to fish and seafood, are supplied by well established suppliers, who operate under the highest standards and very carefully check and constantly observe – in particular the origin of the food, as well as the observance of all technological procedures in the initial processing, transport, packaging, and more. Selected fish (tuna and salmon) for this restaurant are prepared traditionally, by hand, not by machine. Manual preparation of the food is better for the meat and helps maintain its high quality. For each piece of fish (specifically tuna) only the best and most delicious meat from the center section of the back is chosen. Regarding fruits and vegetables, each and every piece is carefully chosen based on size, colour, flavour and fragrance.

All ingredients are freshly made to order. Aside from fresh caught, live products immediately after being caught or harvested, are deep frozen to preserve freshness. This protects them from harmful elements, and enables the ingredients to get to the customer in the highest possible quality. Where possible a original Asian ingredients are used such as smoked eel (unagi), pickled radish (takuan), spices like sichimi and hondashi, seaweed nori and kombudashi. Planet Sushi follows strictly given guidelines. Everything that comes in the kitchen is regularly controlled. The control is done twice a day and includes a check of all key aspects of freshness and deliciousness – e.g. right temperature in freezing boxes, visual and odour evaluation of food, workspace hygiene etc. Everything that reaches the kitchen is preciously marked.

PLANET SUSHI CHEFS Planet Sushi chefs must first undergo a demanding and rigorous preparation process. Each chef undergoes an intensive 6-week-long course, in which gains the necessary theoretical knowledge and step by step adopts an Asian chefs' skills. The team works under an experienced head chef. The head chef, as well as the entire kitchen crew, is always there to listen to guest's special demands.

PLANET SUSHI WAITRESSES Planet Sushi waitresses must undergo a two month long training course, where they gain sufficient knowledge of Japanese dishes and menu. Similarly like a real geisha, wearing kimono and decorating hair by flowers. Their duties are focuses on making customers feeling welcome and ensuring their return. Always willing to help with selection and make a recommendation that will lead to a customer satisfaction.

3.2. History of Rostik International 1981 Rostislav Ordovsky-Tanayevsky Blanco, graduate of the Simon Bolivar University in Venezuela, registers a family business, Rostik International, which marks the beginning of the history of the Rostik Group Corporation. The company imported and retailed electronics (Pioneer, TDK, Aiwa, Moulinex,

Kodak, Panasonic), as well as arranged deliveries of medical equipment from USA. In addition, Rostik International cooperated jointly with Bradley Corp., Video Express and Kodak's representation in Venezuela owns the exclusive rights for distribution of Walt Disney products in Venezuela. 1984 Rostislav Ordovsky-Tanayevsky Blanco makes several business trips to the USSR to organize Venezuelan film festivals in the USSR and Soviet film festivals in Venezuela. Concurrently, Rostislav helps organize training of Latin American doctors at Svyatoslav Fyodorov's Interbranch Scientific and Technical Complex for Eye Microsurgery. At the same time he studies the market situation in Russia and looks into business opportunities. 1987 Rostik International receives a proposal from the Kodak Company to organize photo shops in the European part of the Soviet Union, i.e. in Russia, the Baltics, Ukraine, Byelorussia, Georgia, and Armenia. 1988-1989 First joint photo venture Estonika is registered in Tallinn. First joint photo ventures are set up in Leningrad, Kiev, Tbilisi and Yerevan. 1990 In the Russian capital corporation's first restaurant, Spanish Corner is opened downtown. 1991 The ROSINTER Company is registered in Moscow to merge the photo and restaurant businesses. Le Chalet restaurant of Swiss haute cuisine is opened in Moscow. 1993 Moscow sees the first Rostik's fast food outlet and the first Patio Pizza restaurant opened to streamline the business management procedures, the ROSINTER Company's structure is changed: two new subdivisions are set up to manage the restaurants and the photo business. 1994 «International» concept restaurants are opened in Moscow, i.e., Santa Fe and Cafe des Artistes. The first «American» concept restaurant is opened, i.e., American Bar and Grill.

1995 The ROSINTER Company undergoes restructuring: the photography department splits off to form Focus-Centre LLC; the restaurant department forms ROSINTER LLC; service divisions form Roservis LLC. RIG Restaurant Limited is registered in Cyprus (later known as Rostik Restaurants Limited) to build and upgrade restaurants in Central and Western Europe. 1996 The first businesses are set up outside Moscow, i.e., Patio Pizza and Rostik's in Omsk 1997 An agreement is signed with Friday's International Company for an exclusive licence to build and upgrade restaurants under this trade mark in the territory of the CIS, as well as the Baltics and Finland. The first Friday's restaurant is opened in Moscow. The first restaurants are opened outside Russia, i.e. Patio Pizza and Spanish Corner in Minsk (Belarus). 1998 The August 1998 crisis stimulates internal development of the corporation based on the analysis of the new market environment. Promising marketing programmes are developed as a result. The Guest of Honour programme is introduced as the basis to foster loyal target audience and unite the restaurant, tourist, and photo business. Businesses are opened in Novosibirsk, i.e., Patio Pizza, Rostik's. By the end of 1998, ROSINTER carries 33 restaurants (25 in Moscow and 8 in the regions). The corporation acquires the Carlson Vacations travel agency, which receives the name of Karlson tourism. 1999 A new «Asian» concept restaurant Planet Sushi is opened in Moscow. 2000 Due to expansion of the restaurant business another restricting takes place. To manage the restaurants, Rosinter Restaurants Company is set up to bring under its umbrella the subdivisions charged with developing and building restaurant chains classified under four concepts: American Bar, Patio Pizza, Asian, International.

The newly opened fast food outlets are undergoing an explosive growth; the Rostik's concept spins off an independent company ROSTIKS LLC. 2001 Rostik Internationl Company secures an exclusive licence to open Friday's restaurants in Western and Central Europe. Friday's restaurant is opened in Madrid. Exclusive rights are secured to launch Benihana of Tokyo restaurants in Russia and CIS. Siberian Crown beer restaurant chain is launched jointly with Sun Interbrew company (3 outlets are set up in Omsk). Large shopping centres in Moscow are rapidly sprouting Rostik's fast food outlets. 2002 Rostik Group enters into a strategic agreement with LUKoil-Centrnefteprodukt OJSC and begins deploying a chain of Rostik's fast food outlets at petrol stations of a new type. Rostik Group wins the tender for the construction of Friday's restaurant on the premises of the Sheremetyevo-2 international airport. Rostik-Aero company is set up to manage the airport restaurants. Guest of Honour company is registered to run the marketing loyalty programme of the same name. Rosinter Restaurants, Visa International, and Guta Bank create a joint product, i.e. Guest of Honour VISA plastic card. The company is dynamically expanding into the markets of Western and Central European countries, where it opens restaurants Patio Pizza (Slovakia, Latvia), Friday's (Austria, Slovakia, Latvia), Planet Sushi (Hungary, Latvia). It continues penetrating the markets of Ukraine and Belarus: Friday's, Patio Pizza and Rostik's are opened in Kiev; Patio Pizza in Gomel; Planet Sushi in Minsk. ROSTIKS Company launches the Moka Loka coffee house chain. The first coffee shop opens in Moscow. Rosinter Restaurants company floats three-year bonds on the MICEX. 2003 The first Benihana restaurant opens in Moscow. End of year results for 2003 show that Rostik Restaurants is the leader of the restaurant market in Russia. The company's total number of restaurants

36 increases by 42% to 123 units. Revenues are $100 million, with the number of guests increasing 50%. 2004 The first regional franchise business Rostik's – opens in Nizhny Novgorod. Re- branding of Patio Pizza with the chain's name changed to IL Patio. Rostik's opens its 50th quick serve outlet. Friday's restaurant open at Moscow Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo airports. 2005 Yum!Brands, the owner of KFC brand, and Rosinter Restaurants Holding announce the establishment of a strategic alliance. ROSTIK'S-kfc becomes a separate business unit within Rostik Group. 2006 The first co-branded ROSTIK'S-kfc is opened. The Planet Sushi chain undergoes restyling. The company enters Tyumen, Kazan and Dnepropetrovsk. 2007 Planet Sushi, Sibirskaya Korona and Moka Loka coffee shop open in Pulkovo Airport and TGI Friday's starts operating in Riga airport. The corporation sets up a joint venture to develop a chain of Costa coffee shops. 2008 The first Costa Coffee shop opens in Moscow The company expands to Poland – Planet Sushi opens in Wroclaw. Rosinter Restaurant Holding opens its 300th chain restaurant.

3.3. History of Planet Sushi

The first "Planet Sushi" restaurant was opened in September 29th 1999, near "Mayakovskaya" metro station. It was the first restaurant in Moscow that offered its visitors a high quality and service at much lower price as compared with competitors. The average check in the restaurants did not exceeded 30USD. At that time several restaurants of Japanese cuisine were open in Moscow but all of them were rather expensive having average check of 100USD and higher thus enabling only "elite" to visit these restaurants.

Just from the very beginning the restaurant gained an enormous popularity. Soon after the opening the Japanese ambassador in Russia visited "Planet Sushi" and was quite satisfied. Such an honour given to the restaurant was of great importance to Planet Sushi and first of all as regards the evaluation of the quality of food prepared in the restaurant.

Planet Sushi in Prague 5 was first opened in June 14th 2006.

One year after in 2007 there was another Planet Sushi (U Hájků) opened in the Na Poříčí 42, Prague 1. Due to the financial crisis that occurred that time, was not finished originally promised hotel complex, which would be build in the passage where was restaurant already running. This caused that the passage became unattractive to the people in the street and the restaurant was forced to close. In 2008 there was another restaurant Planet Sushi opened in the Outlet Center - Štěrboholy, Prague 10. Restaurant was situated in the first floor, whereas the whole Outlet Center is designed without floors. Therefore people often did not know about the option to have a sushi, that's why the restaurant was closed. However the Outlet Center is currently not very successful.

In the present the Planet Sushi restaurants will change its brand from Japanese restaurant to Asian concept. It is still in the progress. The first Asian concept was designed in Riga (Latvia) and now is awaiting approval. If approved all restaurants will change from Japanese to Asian concept.

4. METHODOLOGY Intention of this study is to make an analysis and identify aspects in the need of improvement and suggests steps that will lead to greater customer satisfaction. Based on customers' views and perceptions, recommendations are presented. This chapter will introduce methods that have been used in order to achieve the aim of the study. It consists of study design, population and sample selection, survey duration, data sources, data presentation and analysis.

4.1. Study design In order to identify the aspects in need of improvement, this study is based on customers' views and perceptions. The questionnaire was used to assess overall customers' satisfaction. Questionnaire survey is the most commonly used method in quantitative studies. In this research, the questionnaire was designed with three parts. First part including demographic questions e.g. age, gender, frequency of visit, use of reservation, use of recommendation and information channel. The sample of the questionnaire is displayed in Appendix ?. In the second part were customers asked to rate given statements. Statements were designed to best described where are the improvements most needed. Such as food is served fresh, menu contains sufficiently varied choice of dishes, the quality of food is excellent, my order was settled correctly and completely, waitresses are patient when ordering, I was served promptly, waitresses are friendly and courteous, the prices are good, and the interior of the restaurant was clean. A 5 point scale was used as definitely agree, agree, neutral, do not agree and lastly definitely do not agree. The last part is represented by open-ended type of question and flexibility was enabled by the possibility to provide other comments and recommendation. The survey was conducted through the use of questionnaire that was given directly to the customers in the restaurant. Moreover, the study was designed to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Both numerical and non-numerical data were sought after.

4.2. Population and sample selection Population for this study was primarily customers of the restaurant Planet Sushi. The questionnaire was conducted by using questionnaire randomly to customers of the restaurant. The author of the study addressed 98 customers and all of them were willing to respond to designed questions. The size of the sample (N) is 98, but the number of the sample is deemed to be still sufficient. There were 70 respondents of Czech origin and 28 respondents were English speaking foreigners.

4.3. Survey duration Survey was conducted during the 3 months period, more specifically beginning of February 2014 to the end of April 2014, in the restaurant Planet Sushi. Obtained data were analyzed continuously. The questionnaire was designed so as not time-consuming.

4.4. Data sources Throughout the study, the author used both primary and secondary data sources. Primary data were collected in the form of questionnaire. Secondary information was collected from websites such as tripadvisor.com, foursquare.com, hele.cz and restu.cz.

4.5. Data presentation and analysis Data obtained from questionnaire were made into tables and graphs (pie and bar charts) for better presentation. Both expressed in numerical and percentage form. Additionally, the data were presented in logical and subsequent order. The numerical as well as the non-numerical data were generated. The data were analyzed and presented manually, using software Office Excel 2007, and enclosed graphical tools. No other additional tools were used.

5. RESULTS AND FINDINGS

This chapter will introduce the outcome of the questionnaire. For clear presentation, data obtained from questionnaires were transformed into graphs and tables. The results are expressed in numerical and percentage form as well. 5.1. Results of the background information 5.1.1. Gender of respondents Figure 1 What is your sex?

40%

male 60% female

Source: primary source

This pie chart is a graphical representation, showing the gender of respondents. The questionnaire undertook in total 98 quests, out of them 39 were males and 59 were females. The figure 1 shows that this 39 males represents 40% of the total number of respondents, while 59 females equal to 60% of all participants. This data indicates those women are more willing to undertake a questionnaire than men.

5.1.2. Age of respondents Figure 2 Which range includes your age?

5% 11% 20% under 20 21-26 27-40

33% 41-54 55 +

31%

Source: primary source

The figure 2 shows the graphical representation of the age of respondents. Only 5% of all 98 respondents belong to the age group 55 and over, 20% of all respondents belong to the category 41 – 54 age group, whole 31% belong to the respondents that were 27 – 40 years old, 33% of participants belong to the 21 – 26 age group, and lastly 11% of all respondents belongs to the age group 20 and under. These results are indicating that the age range of our guests is quite extensive. A low number for guests under 20 could be cause by higher prices of our food and therefore not affordable for this particular age group. Even lower number for guests of age 55 and more could be caused by not sufficient knowledge about Japanese cuisine or simply because they prefer other cuisines to Japanese one.

5.1.3. Frequency of the visit Figure 3 How often do you visit our restaurant?

3% 9% 32% 5% daily

16% several times a week once a week several times a month once a month several times a year

19% 16% i was here once

Source: primary source

The figure 3 is graphical representation of the frequency of the visits of the restaurant guests. From all respondents (N=98) only 3 guests visit the restaurant on a daily basis, which represents 3% of all respondents. 9 guests stated that they are visiting restaurant Planet Sushi several times a week and that represent 9% of all respondents. 5 guests of all respondents come once a week to have a meal, which represents 5% of all respondents. Higher number (N=16) is for respondents who visit several times in a month, which represent 16 %. Same number of respondents (N=16) answered that they visit the restaurant once a month, this number represent 16% of all respondents. Slightly higher number (N=18) is for those guests who visit the restaurant several times a year, which represent 18% of all respondents. Last and the highest number (N=31) is for those guests who came to the restaurant for the first and they have never been before. This could be a good sign for the restaurant as they get a lot of new customers and they should be the primary target to the restaurant.

5.1.4. Use of reservation Figure 4 Did you have a reservation?

20%

yes no

80%

Source: primary source

According to the figure 4, almost 80% of all respondents (N=78) did not use a reservation in order to visit the restaurant. Only 20% of all respondents stated that they made a reservation before they visited the restaurant, which represents only 20 guests. This graph shows that majority of the customers expect that even if they do not make a reservation, the restaurant will have an available table to accommodate them.

5.1.5. Use of recommendation Figure 5 Would you recommend our restaurant to your family members, friends or acquaintances?

0% 3% 0%

37% definitely yes yes do not know no definitey no 60%

Source: primary source

Figure 5 situated above, that only 3% out of all 98 respondents do not know whether they would recommend restaurant Planet Sushi to their family members, friends or acquaintances. While 37% (N=36) of all 98 respondents stated yes, they would recommend restaurant to their family members, friends or acquaintances. Majority of the respondents 60% (N=59) out of 98 would definitely recommend the restaurant to their family members, friends or acquaintances. This is a good sign for the restaurant, because positive word of mouth can have a good influence on restaurant reputation and overall guests’ satisfaction. Nobody responded No or Definitely No to recommendation of the restaurant to their family members, friends or acquaintances.

5.1.6. Information channel Figure 6 How did you learn of our restaurant?

54% 39% through a friend by chance/ first visit on the internet

Source: primary source

According to the figure 6, almost 54% (N=53) of all 98 respondents learned about restaurant Planet Sushi through a friend. This is evidently a sign of a positive word of mouth passed from one person onto another. Another 39% (N=38) answered that they visited restaurant Planet by chance by passing through or randomly by first visit. Lastly only 7% (N=7) respondents heard of restaurant Planet Sushi on the internet. Clearly this statistics is showing logical phenomenon, it is evident, that the restaurant should enhance its marketing activities as this would be beneficial to get more into customers' subconscious.

5.2. Results of guest satisfaction with the restaurant operations In this part of the questionnaire, guests were asked to rate following statements, namely – food is served fresh, menu contains sufficiently varied choice of dishes, the quality of food is excellent, my order was settled correctly and completely, waitresses are patient when ordering, I was served promptly, waitresses are friendly and courteous, the prices are

good, interior of the restaurant was clean. A scale was made up of 5 possibilities of definitely agree, agree, neutral, do not agree and definitely do not agree. Additional comments provided by respondents are analyzed equally and serve as foundations for the recommendation chapter.

5.2.1. Evaluation on rating of statements Table 1 Please rate following statements:

Definitely Do not Definitely do Agree Neutral agree agree not agree

Expression % / N % / N % / N % / N % / N Food is served fresh 75% (73) 24% (24) 1% (1) 0 0 Menu contains sufficiently varied 66% (65) 30% (29) 4% (4) 0 0 choice of dishes The quality of food is 71% (70) 28% (27) 1% (1) 0 0 excellent My order was settled correctly and 86% (84) 14% (14) 0 0 0 completely Waitresses are 85% (83) 15% (15) 0 0 0 patient when ordering I was served promptly 77% (75) 21% (21) 2% (2) 0 0 Waitresses are friendly and 89% (87) 8% (8) 3% (3) 0 0 courteous The prices are good 40% (39) 37% (36) 21% (21) 2% (2) 0 The interior of the 69% (68) 29% (28) 2% (2) 0 0 restaurant was clean Source: primary source

The data in table 1 displays numerical representation of guest satisfaction with selected statements. Those statements were created with compliance of determinants of the customers' satisfaction to best evaluate customers' overall impression. If we rank those statements according to the highest percentage of

47 totally satisfied customers, guests were mostly appreciating friendly and courteous waitresses, having 89% (N=87) of customers definitely agreed with this statement, 8% (N=8) agreed and only 3% (N=3) of all 98 respondents thought of this statement as neutral. Also zero respondents ranked this statement as do not agree or definitely do not agree. Second highest score of 86% (N=84) of all respondents stated that their order was settled correctly and completely, another 14% (N=14) agreed with this statement and zero of respondents who would either thought neutral, did not agreed or definitely disagreed. Third highest ranked statement 85% (N=83) of all respondents definitely agreed with that statement that waitresses are patient when taking order, remaining 15% (N=15) of all respondents agree with this statement. There are zero respondents who thought neutral, did not agreed or definitely did not agreed. Furthermore, 77% (N=75) of all respondents definitely agreed with being served promptly, 21% (N=21) of respondents agreed and 2% (N=2) thought neutral, zero of respondents ranked this statement as do not agree or definitely do not agree. Freshness of food served was assessed as follows: 75% (N=73) of all respondents definitely agree, 24% (N=24) of all respondents agree, 1% (N=1) of respondents had a neutral opinion, zero respondents ranked this statement as do not agree or definitely do not agree. Regarding of the quality of food being excellent 71% (N=70) out of 98 respondents answered that they definitely agree with this statement, 28% (N=27) agreed with this statement and 1% (N=1) had a neutral opinion, none of respondents stated do not agree or definitely do not agree. Additionally, 66% (N=65) out of all 98 respondents definitely agree with statement that menu contains sufficiently varied choices of dishes, 30% (N=29) of respondents agree and 4% (N=4) answered neutral. Zero of respondents did not agree or definitely did not agree. Regarding to the interior of the restaurant being clean 69% (N=68) respondents definitely agreed, 29% (N=28) agreed and 2% (N=2) thought neutral, zero respondents did not agree or definitely did not agree. And lastly statement concerning the prices of food being good, 40% (N=39) of respondents out of all 98 respondents definitely agreed with this statement, 37% (N=36) agreed with prices being good, 21% (N=21) of respondents expressed their opinion about prices being good as neutral. And 2% (N=2) of respondents did not agree with prices being good, and zero respondents definitely did not agreed with prices being good.

Figure 7 Graphical representation of rated statements

The interior of the restaurant was clean

The prices are good

Waitresses are friendly and courteous

I was served promptly Definitely agree Agree Waitresses are patient when ordering Neutral Do not agree My order was settled correctly and Definitely do not agree completely

The quality of food is excellent

Menu contains sufficiently varied choice of dishes

Food is served fresh

0 50 100

5.2.2. Evaluation of open questions In the last section of the questionnaire, respondents were asked to write their own opinions in order to identify aspects in need of improvement, based on customer's views and perceptions. Regarding the population, 98 respondents were addressed, out of them only 32 responded to this type of question.

Table 2 Your opinion is important to us, please type whether you have any suggestions for improvement:

1. Definitely a wider variety of different kinds of sake 2. The best sushi in Prague 3. Loved the service, Food 2nd place 4. Smoking section is missing 5. Open a Planet Sushi in Sweden :-D 6. Dividing the restaurant on smoking and non-smoking section would be optimal 7. Definitely a pity that there is no smoking section oterwise we would stay longer 8. Change the music in the restaurant, this one has been there for some time. Personaly I would welcome more food served on a wooden boards than on a plates. 9. Very tasty desserts 10. It is very nice here as it is, I would not change anything 11. Do not get worse 12. Great staff, great food, it has style. Prices comparable to competitors. 13. Maybe more Japanese elements to the interior of the restaurant 14. More stylish interior, or at least aquarium instead of bubbly tubes. 15. Less cheese in sushi 16. Everything is super 17. I am very excited about this place 18. Prohibit speaking loudly on the phone in the restaurant 19. Smaller proportion of cheese in the rolls, or maybe more variety of rolls without cheese 20. I am very satisfied but this type of questions is making me think of whether this place is lacking something. Maybe I would appreciate cleaner dishes for soy sauce. 21. Everything is alright 22. Food can be little bit cheeper. I would like to see more coctails on the menu. I also dont like going to the toilets at the TGI Fridays 23. More menu combinations 24. Everything was very good today 25. Excellent! Best meal I've had for a long time 26. Very nice 27. Friendly staff, Excellent food! Good job!!! 28. Beautiful and kind waitresses 29. Very nice and funny staff!!! 30. Everything is absolutely super in here! We love to come back with the family! 31. Everything was alright 32. Today I was very satisfied and would not change anything

Figure 8 Graphical representation of open questions

variety of sake

3% 3% 3% 3% 2% 8% smoking section 8% 16% praise of sushi

11% praise of service overall satisfaction change to interior change to food satisfaction with price 11% dissatisfaction with price 32% more coctails

Majority of comments were mainly of satisfactory character (N=12) 32% appraised their overall satisfaction and respondents also noted that they would not make many changes. Satisfaction with food expressed 16% of respondents (N=6) and satisfaction with service assessed 11% of respondents (N=4). The same quantity of respondents 11% (N=4) would make a changes to the interior of the restaurant. Some sort of changes would make 8% of respondents (N=3) and the same amount of respondents 8% (N=3) are not too satisfied with the restaurant being non-smoking. The rest of respondents 2% to 3% (N=1) expressed their need of variety of cocktails on the menu, cleanliness of the crockery and agreement and disagreement on price of the food.

5.3. Research made on the internet This research using secondary data it’s mainly reason is comparing different views of customers who visited restaurant Planet Sushi. Nowadays people very much tend to share their enthusiasm and disappointment on social networks. Among the most used ones are probably facebook.com and twitter.com. There are also another websites which are useful tools for deciding where to go to have a meal or drink.

5.3.1. Tripadvisor.com Tripadvisor.com is a travel website providing directory information and reviews of travel-related content. It also includes interactive travel forums. Tripadvisor was an early adopter of user-generated content. The website services are free to users, who provide most of the content, and the website is supported by an advertising business model. Planet Sushi on the tripadvisor.com Planet Sushi Prague 5 is ranked 751 of 2775 restaurants in Prague. There are 27 reviews made and the restaurant is being recommended by 70% of its visitors.

Figure 9 graphical representation of evaluation of the restaurant

4% 11% 33%

15% Excellent Very good Average Poor Terrible

37%

Source: tripadvisor.com

Figure 10 Evaluation of rating summary on the tripadvisor.com

food

service

atmosphere

value

generally

0 1 2 3 4 5

Source: tripadvisor.com

5.3.2. Foursquare.com Foursquare is a location-based social networking website for mobile devices, such as smart phones. Users "check in" at venues using a mobile website, text messaging or a device-specific application by selecting from a list of venues the application locates nearby. Foursquare.com is the second iteration of the same idea, that people can use mobile devices to interact with their environment. Planet Sushi on the Foursquare.com Restaurant is rated 8 out of 10. This is based on 237 votes and there are additional 22 comments made about the restaurant.

Table 3 Summary of comments made on Foursquare.com Tasty maki rolls! One of the best in town specially philadelphida maki rolls Best sushi restaurant in Prague! If you want to try different desserts, go for sweet Domino sushi. Chocolate maki with strawberry. Yum Lunch menu perfectly fill you up! Best thing chukka salad! Lovin it... They serve it with sesame sauce yum Great sushi for a price that is not too expensive. A wide variety of rolls...Fast waitresses don´t make you wait for your

dinner for hours...good place for evening meetings with friends and family... Amazing sushi! However when restaurant busy it takes 50 minutes to get dinner. Sushi dessert is incredible. One of my favourite sushi places in the city:) Best sushi restaurant I know. Service, soups, sushi...great. Tom kha soup with shrimp and mushrooms creamy taste! You can watch football at Fridays :) Very friendly service! Portion are huge! There are no smoking areas, do you want to smoke? Go out! Ice cream with green tea flavour is unique! Almost nowhere to be found. So far the best sushi I know! Although more expensive, but more quality. Caring staff and nice environment. Compared to Sushipoint, much better. The best but also most expensive hotto maki sushi. It is a sin. A full belly, ufff... I will pass on sushi for a moment. But otherwise great. The best Japanese restaurant in Prague and whole Czech Republic. Others are more Chinese style restaurants where even a disposable chopstick use again. The most normal Japanese food in Prague. Everywhere else Chinese fakes. The best I´ve ever had. Sushi here is great! Service is excellent! A bit expensive, but really good. Highly recommend! Source: foursquare.com

5.3.3. Hele.cz Hele.cz is a web page based in the Czech Republic. Users of this websites are Czech people who visit a restaurant and rank it as follows through provided web pages. At the moment this page has over 7700 users. The main aim of this web page is to help people to discover new restaurants and to help the owners of the restaurants with occupancy and popularity. It also offers to the owners of the restaurants to promote special actions, create loyal programs and mainly to communicate with their customers. This could be described as the best live advertising. Hele.cz is owned by MITON CZ s.r.o., which is responsible for other successful projects such as vareni.cz, slevomat.cz, heureka.cz, hotel.cz and many more.

Planet Sushi on the hele.cz Planet Sushi is ranked 165 of 2774 restaurants in the region of Prague. This is based on 237 votes. There are also additional 10 comments and reviews made. Generally Food Ambience Service

Figure 11 graphical representation of evaluation of the restaurant on the hele.cz

0% 0% 10% 30%

great good average poor nothing special 60%

Source: hele.cz Figure 12 Evaluation of rating summary on hele.cz

service

ambience

food

generally

3,9 4 4,1 4,2 4,3 4,4 4,5 Source: hele.cz

5.3.4. Restu.cz Restu.cz is a Czech web page that offers to its visitors reserving a table in a selected restaurant throughout the use of their web page and awarding its customers in the form of credits received. Top 2097 restaurants in the Czech Republic that can be selected from. After earning sufficient amount of credits, the customer will receives a voucher worth 300CZK. Voucher can be used to spend in the selected restaurant. Customers then can rate the restaurant that they visited. Planet Sushi on the restu.cz Restaurant has been rated by 26 visitors and the total score is 94%. There are also another 6 reviews made. Figure 13 Evaluation of rating summary on restu.cz

food

ambience

service

generally

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Source: restu.cz

Table 4 Summary of comments made on restu.cz We tried several sushi restaurants, but we always come back here. Great staff who advice and knows what to recommend. And mainly it always tastes great Accepted a discount voucher, although they did not have a an agreed cooperation with restu.cz Environment of the restaurant is simple, but very nice. Aperitifs Cho´tya Royal and non-alcoholic cocktail Cranberry Fizz were tasty. The soup Miso shiro was for me very unusual as I don´t know the Japanese cuisine that well. Salad chukka with nutty dressing was also unusual, but tastes very good. Set of 29 pieces of sushi was prepared in a beautifully artistic sense, some pieces were really delicious. Dessert Domino and white orchid were good. Japanese-czech service was very attentive and served different dishes at the right time. WC simple and clean. I would recommend this restaurant to those who love Japanese cuisine, or enjoy unusual tastes. Then they will be satisfied. You many try a completely different food and enhance your knowledge

of Japanese cuisine. The restaurant was pretty full, and certainly does not lack for its guests. Honestly regret saying this, but this was probably the worst sushi I had for many years...even the take away sushi at Letnany food court is was better. I do not understand why one needs to add tons of mayonnaise to sushi rolls? Isn´t enough to use wet(!) rice? The miso soup was fine, though a bit cold. The salad came evidently out of bucket (Makro cash´n carry?). The dessert was "interesting"... though tasted more like a mouth full of Hershey chocolate syrup. Anyway, to be fair – the service was great, very nice and attentive. Never again. We were generally satisfied, very pleasant atmosphere, service average. What is sushi concerning it looked same good in real as on a picture menu, which is consider as a big plus, ingredients were of good quality, although I can imagine sushi being prepared more precisely. Suitable for those who likes a large number of "western" ingredients in sushi (such as Philadelphia cheese, mayonnaise, sauces). Those rolls are not really suitable to my taste but someone can appreciate it. The waiting time for sushi is excessively long. Source: restu.cz

5.3.5. SWOT analysis of Planet Sushi A SWOT analysis is a structured planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in a project or in a business venture. A SWOT analysis can be carried out for a product, place, industry or a person. STRENGTHS - the highest quality of raw material - unique dishes such as marinated seaweed salad chukka (awarded by radio Kiss for best salad) or sweet sushi dessert (domino and white orchid) - use of ingredients such as Philadelphia cheese or Japanese mayo, which add on a taste to maki rolls - nice and courteous service - connection to TGI Fridays' – possibility to order from their menu or choose from a wide range of their cocktail menu - location – 2 minutes’ walk from metro station Anděl - stylish interior of the restaurant, pleasant Japanese music enhance to the atmosphere of the restaurant - non-smoking - Free Wi-Fi 57

- Dog friendly WEAKNESS - Relatively new brand on the market - Because of food being prepared on order it can sometimes take longer time to deliver food – people have to wait - Parking space - Summer terrace – not spacious, can be disturbing by the traffic - Not sufficient marketing support OPPORTUNITY - New drink life style menu – offers homemade low-calories lemonades a ice teas of interesting flavours - Relatively new menu - Loyalty programs for our customers (HGS – honoured guest card) - Possibility to take away (recently through the jidloted.cz website who specialized for food delivery from selected restaurants - Increase of purchasing power of people leading to improvement of their lifestyle - Facebook profile Planet Sushi Prague THREATS - Fluctuation in the prices of raw materials - Global economic instability - Competitors – nearest Sushi point, The Sushi Bar, Makakiko Running Sushi)

6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS This chapter will present the author's conclusions from the research. The chapter ends with recommendations for the future research. The main aim of this study was to conduct an analysis of the restaurant Planet Sushi in order to identify aspects in need of improvement.

At the beginning a hypothesis was developed. H: Japanese cuisine has a future in the Czech Republic. This hypothesis is verified. This can be explained by increasing popularity of Japanese cuisine in Czech Republic (new restaurants opened, courses of preparation of sushi, and more people are interesting in preparation of their own sushi at home) and availability of ingredients. The author of this thesis believes that sushi cuisine will become more popular among people and restaurants of Japanese origin will be open within each regional city within 10 years.

It has been nearly 8 years since the restaurant Planet Sushi was opened. Since then it experienced increase in sale and number of returning satisfied customers. This is an evidence of growing popularity and interest in Japanese cuisine among Czech people. From the preciously designed questionnaire can one figured out that majority of the restaurant customers mentioned positive experiences about the service provided in the restaurant. The research that was conducted by the author of this study also proved that service was the most rated among the customers. Customers mainly appreciated friendly and attentive approach to them. In addition, the management should improve the satisfaction of its employees since it is directly connected with their performance and overall guest's satisfaction. Staff should be regularly trained and customer orientation should be the priority. Concerning the food, although the freshness of the food and quality was evaluated at satisfactory level, but it could be said that improvements could made. Such as more vegetarian options, more rolls without adding cheese or mayonnaise or more sushi combinations of sets. Moreover, cleaning on the regular basis should be initiated, since it would have a positive impact on

59 guest's perception and overall evaluation of the facility. Equally important should be considered negative comments concerning prices of the food. As it has been already said on literature review, if the price is high, customers are likely to expect high quality, or it can induce a sense of being "ripped off" (Andaleeb and Conway, 2006). Therefore the restaurant should focus on delivering only high quality ingredients and minimize defects that lead to customers’ dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the management should consider investing into some sort of advertisement as the result shows that only 7 respondents out of 98 heard of the restaurant on the internet.

Therefore, author proposes two suggestions for change, which will lead to greater customers’ satisfaction. The person responsible for these changes is the restaurant manager Maria Sakmarová, who guarantees that the changes will be made to the date of August 1st, 2014.

Firstly, since the satisfaction of the restaurant a guest is crucial for the restaurant. Changes should be directed to the restaurant cleanliness and repair of minor deficiencies in the restaurant. Prospectively, refurbishment and modernization of the restaurant should be considered. Since there is relative relationship between the servicescape and service (see literature review 1.3.2.), which has a significant impact on customers' emotions and satisfaction in a restaurant setting.

Secondly and lastly, the management should improve the satisfaction of its customers by creating a special menu (e.g. ala carte) for special offer. Lowering the price of the special menu will attract more customers and will create a positive value in the mind of the customers.

7. REFERENCE LIST

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Charles E. Pettijohn, Linda S. Pettijohn, Albert J. Taylor (2004) The Relationships Between Food Service Wait Staff Skills, Satisfaction, Commitment and Their Levels of Customer Orientation, International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, volume 5 Issue 2, p43-60, 18p

Ching-chow, Yang (Oct2003) Improvement actions based on the customers' satisfaction survey, Total Quality Management & Business Excellence; Vol. 14 Issue 8, p919, 12p

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Questionnaire:

Stále se snažíme zlepšovat kvalitu našich služeb a proto je pro nás velmi důležité znát Váš názor. Věnujte prosím několik minut svého času vyplněním tohoto dotazníku. Děkujeme Vám za vaši spolupráci.

1. Vaše pohlaví o Muž o Žena

2. Do které věkové kategorie patříte? o méně než 20 o 21-26 o 27-40 o 41-54 o 55 a více

3. Jak často navštěvujete naší restauraci? o Denně o Několikrát týdně o Jednou za týden o Několikrát měsíčně o Jednou za měsíc o Několikrát ročně o Byl/a jsem zde jednou

4. Měl/a jste rezervaci? o Ano o Ne

5. Doporučili byste naší restauraci členům Vaším rodiny, přátelům nebo známým? o Rozhodně ano o Ano o Nevím o Ne o Rozhodně ne

6. Jak jste se o naší restauraci dozvěděl/a? o Od známého o Náhodou / první návštěvou o Z internetu

7. Ohodnoťte následující tvrzení:

Rozhodně Souhlasím Neutrálně Nesouhlasím Rozhodně souhlasím nesouhlasím Jídlo je podávané čerstvé o o o o o

Menu obsahuje dostatečně pestrou o o o o o nabídku jídel Kvalita jídla je vynikající o o o o o

Moje objednávka byla vyřízená správně a o o o o o kompletně Zaměstananci jsou při objednávkách trpěliví o o o o o

Byl/a jsem obslužen/a ihned o o o o o

Zaměstanci jsou přátelští a zdvořilí o o o o o

Ceny jsou dobré o o o o o

Interiér restaurace byl čistý o o o o o

8. Váš názor je pro nás důležitý, napiště nám prosím, co bychom mohli zlepšit:

We constantly strive to improve the quality of our services and therefore it is very important for us to know your opinion. Please take a few minutes of your time filling out this questionnaire. Thank you for your cooperation.

1. What is your sex: o Male o Female 2. Which range include your age? o Under 20 o 21-26 o 27-40 o 41-54 o 55 +

3. How often do you visit our restaurant? o Daily o Several times a week o Once a week o Several times a week o Once a month o Several times a year o I was here once

4. Did you have a reservation? o Yes o No 5. Would you recommend our restaurant to your family members, friends or acquaintances? o Definitely yes o Yes o Do not know o No o Definitely not

6. How did you learn of our restaurant? o Through a friend o By chance / first visit o On the internet

7. Please rate following statements:

Definitely Agree Neutral Do not agree Definitely do agree not agree Food is served fresh o o o o o

Menu contains sufficiently varied o o o o o choice of dishes The quality of food is excellent o o o o o My order was settled correctly and o o o o o completely Waitresses are patient when ordering o o o o o

I was served promptly o o o o o Waitresses are friendly and courteous o o o o o The prices are good o o o o o Interior of the restaurant was clean o o o o o

8. Your opinion is important to us, please type whether you have any suggestions for improvement: