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Alpha is a 5 star 320 bedroom hotel located on the Gold Coast, which has a buffet style-restaurant, an all day café and a Cantonese restaurant serving for dinner only. Because the demand for food and beverage at Alpha’s current restaurants is rising, guests are waiting long periods of time and leaving to go to other restaurants. Alpha has identified an unused part of their hotel that will be turned into a new fine-dining steakhouse, Bravado. Bravado will be an a-la-carte steakhouse restaurant serving varied steaks and other meat dishes. This restaurant is being established so patrons wishing to eat in Alpha have a diverse selection of restaurants to choose from.
Concept Development
Over the years hotel restaurants have often been managed as a secondary function of the hotel-that is, as a costly amenity rather than a revenue center (Strate & Rappole 1997, p. 50). With the rising demand in all restaurants of Alpha hotel during last year, a differing fine dining restaurant is required by hotel owner and operator. Compared to the seafood buffet and Cantonese cuisine already offered by Alpha hotel, the new restaurant should be a western-style steakhouse called Bravado, offering fine-dining grill and meat options. As an international 5 star hotel in a famous tourist city, the customers of Alpha hotel are from all over the world with different cultures and also different tastes. In this case, besides the Cantonese cuisine andThe Assignment is provided by UK Assignment http://www.ukassignment.org seafood buffet they already have, some western style dishes should also be provided by this new restaurant in order to fit some international guests. Another reason for choosing the western style steak house is the hotel restaurant must now also be viewed as a selling point to generate increased room revenues where the goal is to maximize overall property profits (Strate & Rappole 1997, p. 60). To achieve a higher occupancy of hotel rooms, hotel companies must consider operating some franchised restaurants with different styles to attract more customers. Moreover, Bravado will be open for both lunch and dinner sittings, as neither the Cantonese restaurant, Ming, is not open for lunch. At the same time, Bravado could also be used as a bar for guests that may not want to eat out, or wish to drink before and after there meal. Recently restaurants have recognized the benefits of establishing and nurturing ongoing relationships with their customers (Kim et al. 2006, p. 148), as well as offering satisfactory products and services. It is really important for Alpha to provide appropriate services and conveniences for its customer base. Due to Alpha hotel being a 5 star hotel with an excellent reputation, Bravado should be opened for both hotel guests and the general public. Because of this high rising demand, Bravado is able to seat 150 people and serve approximately 300 covers on any given night, as well as seating in the bar area. In addition, Bravado is a recognition of the excellence offered at Alpha.
F&B service area
As we can see from the drawing of restaurant floor plan (appendix 2), in a F&B outlet, customers should be guided in a logical manner. Consider exterior, entry zone, dining area, beverage area and rest rooms (International F&B management lecture 6 2009). First of all, the floor plan of the whole restaurant is a square with both sides made of glass. Through the entry zone on the left, the reception is located at the front of the dining area. On the left side there is one waiting area with really comfortable seats and beautiful views. Since most customers have to wait for seating in a full-service restaurant, physical comfort in waiting areas can also affect overall customer satisfaction and repeat patronage intentions. In contrast, a roomy waiting area tends to increase a customer’s willingness to wait for seating even if the restaurant is busy (Sulek & Hensley 2004, p. 237). After passing the entry zone and waiting area, the most attractive facility is a grand piano placed at the centre of the dining area providing tasteful music. A restaurant must include a mix of table sizes and types, including freestanding tables for different party sizes, fixed-seating booths, flexible banquettes, and perhaps bar seating at high-top tables or at the bar itself (Kimes & Robson 2004, p. 334). Around the grand piano, there are some freestanding tables for two to four customers. Beside those tables at the centre, some tables with 2 or 6 seats could also be found in this dining area. If a large booking is made there are 4 big separate rooms for a larger group of customers on the left of the restaurant. Moreover, Bravado provides a bar area for some guests who prefer to have a drink in the hotel, which is located in the right hand corner of the restaurant. The kitchen is located at the back of the dining area with both front door and back door. At the right corner of the restaurant, we can find the rest room that not only toilet but also a place include makeup areas for women, shoeshine station. There is an outdoor dining area that will be used when the restaurant is busy. The overall ambience and atmosphere lends towards a fine-dining experience, but with the larger tables, and piano area, some areas of the restaurant will provide a lively tone. The positioning of the kitchen allows for staff to reach all tables in adequate time, cutting down on service time. The décor colours will be black and red, adhering to the overall style opted by Bravado. This décor and setting will ensure that the customer experiences an intimate, professional and chic dining experience at Bravado. #p#分页标题#e#
Menu design
The menu is an important part of the success of any restaurant. Bravado’s menu will be catered to the fine-dining steakhouse sector in the market. As you can see in appendix 1, the menu style has been tailored with the overall style of the restaurants décor and image. The reason that the menu’s style is important is that it can be used as a selling point. Bowen and Morris (1995) agree saying, “…restaurant consultants claim the value of the menu designed as a sales tool supersedes its value as a simple communication device”. Bravado will use its red and black design to portray an image that the restaurant is professional and delivers high quality food. Bravado’s menu (appendix 1) has also use bolded font for its rib-eye steak and eye fillet steak, as well as outlining the items with a box, to signify to customers that these items are the restaurants signature dishes. Bowen and Morris (1995) support this by saying that,
“Outlining the designated item with a box, putting it in bold print… are some frequently recommended ways to attract attention to menu items and thus increase sales.”
By establishing a signature dish that is similar to the theme of the restaurant (steakhouse and steak) Bravado hopes to increase brand recognition in its chosen sector. Ashley, LeBruto and Quain (1997) express that the signature dish must not only appear good, the items must be well prepared and accepted by the customer base.
The pricing of Bravado’s items is important; because lower prices do not necessarily mean anThe Assignment is provided by UK Assignment http://www.ukassignment.org increase in sales or profits. Fine-dining restaurants must keep prices higher, because customers associate price with quality. If the price is too low they may assume quality has dipped, thus not returning to Bravado. As is evident in appendix 1, all menu items end in zero (i.e 30.00 rib eye). Naipaul and Parsa (2001) agree that this technique is used to ensure that the customers’ perception of a restaurant (Bravado) is one that is offering quality, high end food. The dishes offered at Bravado are chosen to be a contrast to the dishes chosen at the other Alpha hotels. With no prominent grill selections offered in the buffet or Ming restaurant, Bravado’s menu is to showcase steakhouse cuisine, with a fine-dining touch. Although there is dishes on the menu, that are offered by other cuisines, these dishes add to the overall experience offered at Bravado. Bravado’s menu includes one salad dish to cater for customers that may not want a meat selection. The table d’hôte menu is used to showcase what is great about Australian cuisine, and will be used as another signature dish/dishes that the restaurant can sell to international guests wishing to experience Australian cuisine. The Chalice Bridge Shiraz has a rich and bold flavour that compliments the roast and steaks. The Pinot Noir has a delicate and subtle flavour that compliments the meat dishes, as well as the cheese platter. The Sauvignon blanc has a fresh, juicy fruity taste that should complement the Caesar salad as well as the duck, and all entrée’s. The Chardonnay is a fruity silky wine with a balanced palate and should compliment most dishes, excluding steaks. The dessert wines and liqueurs will be paired with the deserts because both items are sweet. Imported beer and local beer will be on the menu allowing the customer to experience their steak with a hearty beer that will add depth to the palate. Guinness is added to the wine list to compliment the meat based meals, because of its fuller flavour. The overall design of the menu will complement the overall concept of Bravado. #p#分页标题#e#
Bravado offers diners a western-style steakhouse fine dining experience, which can be enjoyed by an intimate couple on their honeymoon, or a 50th birthday party for ten people. The versatility of Bravado and the fact that it fills the market opportunity offered at Alpha, means that Bravado is sure to bring in both international guests, and local customers wanting a fine-dining experience offering a selection of dishes that are an experience in and of themselves. The overall layout of Bravado allows both customers and staff, to move with ease, and allow customers to have a quality, private dining meal.
List of reference
Ashley R, LeBruto, S, & Quain, W 1997, ‘Using the contribution margin aspect of menu engineering to enhance financial results’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Bradford, vol. 9, iss. 4, pp. 161.
Bowen, J & Morris, A 1995, ‘Menu design: Can menus sell?’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Bradford, vol. 7, iss. 4, pp. 4.
Cox, Russel 2009. ‘Food service area design’, International food and beverage management’, lecture 6, viewed april 25th 2009.
Kimes, SE, & Robson, SKA 2004, ‘The Impact of Restaurant Table Characteristics on Meal Duration and Spending’, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, vol. 45 iss. 4, pp. 333-346, SAGE, viewed 24 April 2009, <http://cqx.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/45/4/333>.
Kim, GW, Lee, YK, & Yoo, YJ 2006, ‘Predictors of Relationship Quality and Relationship Outcomes in Luxury Restaurants’, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, vol. 30 iss. 2, pp. 143-169, SAGE, viewed 24 April 2009, <http://jht.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/2/143>.
State, RW, & Rappole, CL 1997, ‘Strategic Alliances between Hotels and Restaurants’, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, vol. 38 iss.3, pp. 50-61, SAGE, viewed 24 April 2009, <http://cqx.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/38/3/50>.
Sulek, JM, & Hensley, RL 2004, ‘The Relative Importance of Food, Atmosphere, and Fairness of Wait: The Case of a Full-service’, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, vol. 45 iss.3, pp.235-247, SAGE, viewed 24 April 2009, <http://cqx.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/45/3/235>.
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