The school cafeteria gives service to the big population of students, teachers, and school personnel’s, guests, and sometimes people around the community. Most schools nowadays consider cafeteria as one of their sources of income aside from the enrollment of students. They provide the students a place to dine and stay inside the school premises. Because of this, they think of more ways to catch the attention of their students. They offer different food selections and variations for the students to have something to choose from.
Also, having a cafeteria inside a school makes it more secure for the students because they would not have to go outside to buy something to eat. The school’s management makes it up to a point that their students will never have to search for other places to dine. Instead of having students who dines and pays eateries outside, it is a good idea to have a cafeteria. If they can offer them a place to learn their lessons and gain knowledge, why not provide a place to dine in as well? With a good choice of menu and a comfortable place to stay in, for sure the students will patronize their cafeteria’s foods and services. But how can we ensure that they will not search for another place to dine? How can we make sure that they will be our customers?
For some students, they consider their cafeteria as their place for eating, chatting with friends, doing homework and the like. They consider it as a place to have a break from the pressure caused by the difficult subjects, assignments, deadlines, research papers and all the stuff related to their studies.But also for other students, if they feel like they don’t like to dine in their cafeteria, they tend to look for other places mostly outside of the school’s vicinity. Fast foods are the number one choice of students because they find it very comfortable and have a good selection of foods. Eateries outside are also one of the students’ choice because of its affordable cost of food.
Seat turnover is literally defined as the number of times a seat has been used. This determines how many people ate in the cafeteria or canteen. A high seat turnover rate may indicate high sales but a low seat turnover rate indicates low sales. What are the factors that cause the low seat turnover? What are the problems associated with its low rate? Seat turnover is an essential factor to know how much a certain business earns or how much it loses in a day. It can be referred to as a counter. The researchers chose this topic because they want to know the factors that affect the low seat turnover and provide a possible solutions or recommendations to solve the said problem.
This study is anchored on the PAD emotional state model. The PAD emotional state model is a psychological model developed by Albert Mehrabian (1997 and after) and James A. Russell to describe and measure emotional states. PAD uses three numerical dimensions to represent all emotions. The PAD (Pleasure, Arousal, and Dominance) model has been used to study nonverbal communication such as body language in psychology. It has also been applied to consumer marketing and the construction of animated characters that express emotions in virtual worlds.
Physical environment theorist, like (Mehrabian and Russell 1974) particularly (atmospherics) suggest that stimuli from the environment affect one’s emotional state, leading to an approach (desire to stay, explore environment or avoidance (stay away from, leave) response. Another theorist (Bagozzi 1986) their stimulus-organism-response model consist of external stimuli made of different physical atmosphere elements. The main purpose of this study is to ascertain the factors affecting low seat turnover in Emilio Aguinaldo College’s cafeteria. The variables used were the food affordability, ambiance, personal hygiene, taste and quality of the food, and the time of customer’s disposal. Food affordability affects the rate of seat turnover because customers would patronize more likely affordable rather than costly foods. Budget is one of the important considerations of students when it comes to their food choices. Ambiance has grown to be an important factor in a restaurant’s success.
They needed to make a strong statement in contrast to competitive independents. Some hired experts to design their facilities, those interior decorators where specialists in the psychology of designing restaurants. They had the feel and close intuitive understanding of what the dining public wanted when dining away from home. Personal hygiene has aimed at preventing the spread of food poisoning bacteria from the body or clothing to food. It is the responsibility of the individual and all food handlers should have knowledge and understanding of it. Lack of sanitation practices and improper handling of food may lead to cross contamination and food borne diseases.
The taste and quality of the food is necessary because students would not stick or even buy costly products that would not meet their budgets. They would rather buy cheap priced foods that are of quality and good taste. The time of customer’s disposal affects the rate of seat turnover because the more the customer spends time in the cafeteria, the lesser the seats will be occupied again for that period. The lesser time the customers stay at the cafeteria, the higher the possibility of the seats to be occupied again. The variables stated above may be the factors or reasons for having lower seat turnover. Probably, the seat turnover is dependent on those factors.
A cafeteria has become meeting places where they gather to study and eat. This study will serve as their guide in choosing where they were going to eat at the same time they will feel comfortable and safe. Institution or School administration.A cafeteria makes highly visible contributions to an institution’s public image. This study will serve as their reference on how to improve campus revenue sales. Owners of the establishment.
The completed study will served as a guide for the cafeteria’s management to have market growth and to increase and raise their sales based on the said factors that may affect the seat turnover in their cafeteria. Businessmen.It will give them an idea on how they will make strategies to have a stable business. Food Safety and Sanitation.This study could help to guide the performance of the business and this must be given importance in all undertakings of the latter.Thisalso could serve as a guide for them in implementing or formulating policies and making ordinances relevant to responsible businessmen.
The study focus only on thefactors that causes low seat turnover in the cafeteria since this is one of the observed problems in our school.The study will focus only to students who will use the facilities in EAC cafeteria for dining, excluding those who will buy food and take it outside the cafeteria. The faculties, deans, school employees such as maintenance, security guard, office staff and others will not be included in the study even if they use the cafeteria for dining. This study is delimited to a 2008 number of students enrolled in all departments in EAC for the year 2012 to 2013.
To ensure clearer and better understanding of the terms used in this study, the following terms are defined: Cafeteria. A type offood service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen. Seat turnover.Measuresthe number of times seats change from the current diner to the next diner in a given accounting period. Customer.Sometimes known as a client, buyer, or purchaser, is the recipient of a good, service, product, or idea, obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplierfor a monetary or other valuable consideration. 10
The special the atmosphere or mood, character, quality, tone, created by a particular environment or surrounding. Individual Preference.The selecting of someone or something over another or others, the right or chance to so choose. Sanitation. Sanitation literally means measures necessary for improving and protecting health and well-being of the people, and the process of keeping places free from dirt, infection, disease. Personal Hygiene. Properly caring for your body by keeping it clean and healthy and protecting yourself from illness and infection.
Cafeteria is the only place where students and teachers gathered every day to eat their meals and catch up with each other’s and discuss school activities. The area must be fully equipped and to meet the need of meal times such us tables, chairs, electric fan for ventilation, complete lights, tools and utensils for serving and other equipment for preparing the meals. Cafeteria is a necessity in every establishment especially in schools because this is where we meet our needs to satisfy hunger. SooCheong (2009) defines cafeteria as a self-service establishment where customers order at the service counter and take the food to their seats.
The operational plan for a cafeteria deals with startup issues, basic operations, short term and long-term strategy and maintaining financial sustainability. It is important that issues must be addressed in a cafeteria to maintain customer satisfaction to continue profitability of the business. Among the issues need to be addressed is low seat turnover in which you will choose whether to sacrifice revenue against customer satisfaction or vice – versa concerning the factors that may affect to it.
According to Bernard Davis, Andrew Lockwood, Peter Alcott and IoannisPantelidis (2012) a food service facility speed of service, the atmosphere and environment of certain types of catering facilities and the social skills of the service staff can be particularly attractive to certain groups of customers. The price level of an operation will significantly affect the restaurant choice of customer, particularly “impulse” buying decisions of customers and hence their choice of meal experience, although it is unlikely that any of these variable will operate in isolation usually two or three factors together will influence customers choice of operation. Once customers have decided on the type of meal they want, they will start to accumulate different expectation and anticipations.
Just as the customers buying decisions are influenced by an number of variables, so too is the meal experience itself. According to Gueguen et al. (2008) some strategies include loud decibel levels, which have been prove to make customers eat faster. Even the colors of the surroundings have also effect to the customers, bright colors like red, yellow, and orange entice customers in and also help speed eating up. Cafeteria owners do not want to have customers who stay firmly parked in their food establishment for hours on end. They can be a cause of low turnover percentage. On the other hand, owners want customers to enjoy a great atmosphere while they dine. It is understood that an enjoyable experience is more likely to bring customers back the next time. According to Chef Kyle Shadix, MS, RD (2008) the marketing mix is the critical component because price is the most evident to the customer in the target market. Price is often a competition tool and can assist a business in developing product images. A 13
Safety, Sanitation and maintenance are equally important receiving and storage areas should be checked after deliveries to make sure that items were put away property and in a timely manners there areas need to be cleared or a timely manners there areas need to be cleared or a daily basis. This will prevent remain such a rodents cockroaches from using their areas as resting grounds. The receiving and storage area should consider when developing your food service establishment HACCP system. The personnel to give a given menu, several resources must be considered a primary one being labor. The number of labor hours, as well as the number and skill of personnel at a given time, determines the type of menu that could planned. Physical facility production capability also affected by the layout of the food production facility and the availability of large and small equipment.
The budget it is the amount of financial resources a facility has available is a very consideration in menu planning. Aesthetics this are the flavor, texture, color, shape, and method of preparation are other factors to consider in planning menus. On the other hand Mary Crane (2007) stressed out that financial viability requires sales growth and cost management. Cafeterias should have multiple sources for food supplies and they should negotiate volume discounts from suppliers. Management should always look to maximize resource utilization. For example, catering service for special events could optimize resource utilization during off-peak hours and drive profitability. Crane writes that cash flow, which is the difference between cash inflow and outflow, and the percentage of repeat customers are two ways to monitor the financial performance of a restaurant. Aside from customer satisfactions that would result to increase revenue other factors such as cost management is important.
Management should always look to maximize resource utilization. For example, catering service for special events could optimize resource utilization during off-peak hours and drive profitability. Crane writes that cash flow, which is the difference between cash inflow and outflow, and the percentage of repeat customers are two ways to monitor the financial performance of a restaurant. Aside from customer satisfactions that would, result to increase revenue other factors such as cost management is important. Related studies
According to Danny Banda’s (2010)in planning a menu, consider why restaurant owners have selected the men items and how they relate to the service system are the foundation of their cafeteria and must be compatible. They begin with what they personally feel would be the right menu for their concept. They do not focus only on what is practical and foundational by focusing only on the practice aspect of a menu they will lose inspiration and creativity only after they have settled on what they think are the most appealing items to consider their practicability.
An effective way to add menu items while effective controlling food costs is to offer daily specials. This way they can contribute to offer of a variety of selection that will 15 keep their menu appealing. In preparing specials, be careful to prepare just enough, so that they will run out by the end of the this will help to control unnecessary waste after trying out dishes internally food trials may be conducted for a cross action of people from the target market with a view to incorporating their feedback. This gives us leads on which dishes, tastes, colors, textures, or portion sizes, aroma etc. are likely to work in our favors.
The price point to portion size ratio of each dish must also be considered from a market acceptance point of view before a final decision. Cafeterias of the same/similar cuisine and of the same/similar positioning level may be used as reference points for this exercise. Once the menu is decided conclusively in terms of content such as item description, price, etc.
Menu design is not simply about offering everything a menu can like variety for instance. Create your menu based on what your offer is about and what your guest would actually want or need. Staffs are another limitation they needs to be taken account into when creating a menu every manager and chef is limited by their own ability to find qualified help. Limit their offering to what their staff is qualified to prepare. The customer’s desire if they want a menu that works, it has to work for their potentials customers. Rather idea they have about introducing some new.
Individual food choices are influenced by a wide variety of environment and individual variables. Three main dimension related to food choices are taste, perceived value (which include the price and portion size) and perceive nutrition. Food varyalong each of these evaluative dimension, individuals also vary in terms of the importance placed on each dimension.
For example, individuals of lower socioeconomic status may place greater importance on perceive value, whereas those who are mainly concerned about health and nutrition may place greater importance on the nutrition quality of the foods. In general, people may possess knowledge about healthful food choices. But when considered in tandem with the choice dimensions of price tastier, they may choose the tastier and cheaper, but less nutrition, food. An important question for public health promotion efforts in the area of healthful food choices is, “can people be influenced to purchase and consume more healthful foods if the foods are in increased attractiveness through lowering prices?’’
The temperature, lighting, odor and noise that influence the immediate eating environment. Consider the direct physiological influence that ambient temperature has on consumption. People hot temperature because of the body’s need cold temperatures, more energy is needed to warm and maintain the body’s core temperature. These atmospherics are thought to increase consumption volume partly because they simply make it comfortable or enjoyable for a person to spend more time eating. Odor can influence food consumption through taste enhancement or through suppression. Unpleasant ambient odors are likely to shorten the duration of a meal and to suppress food consumption. Noise and the sound of music, soft music generally encourages a slower rate of eating, longer meal duration, and higher consumption of both food and drinks.
When preferred music is heard, individuals stay longer, feel more comfortable and disinhibited, and are more likely to order a dessert or another drink. In contrast when music is loud fast, or discomforting, people sometimes spend less in a cafeteria.
Food service industry is a big business enterprise. The services it offers cater thousands of the homes, restaurants, hotels, motels, inns, and lots of people who patronize them. This means food staff, personnel and crew members play an important role in the health of the community. Your customers will see only the finished products vin your sales/dining room, but when you go behind the counter what really matters is the safety of your products and the people behind the industry.
Safety and sanitation is essentials in any catering department maintaining sanitation in food business prevents customers from untoward incident like poisoning, infection, diarrheas, gastrointestinal disease, excretory and other related respiratory disease. To keep food safe, the food handler should be medically fit, have a license should be educated in matters related to personal and food hygiene and should practice safe food handling and service. The local health authority should lay special emphasis on clean food practices.
Aesthetic factor include the color, illustrate of the menu and attraction of the menu and attractive to the customers. The menu must have on appealing factor so that customers will be interested the food must have a balanced flavor. The food is prepared in advanced ready to be served and available anytime either hot or cold. Food is placed or displayed at the counter, attractively arranged to what the appetite and with numerous choices. Food served should satisfy the customer’s need.
Food served should be high quality yet low in cost so that everybody can afford to buy. Food should be pleasing and acceptable to the taste and likes of the customers. The turnover and speed of caring correlate with the restaurant classification. But not perfectly. In some restaurants the family style can offer speedy service and fast turnover and still provide and enjoyable atmosphere for its customer turnover is also highly collated with the efficiency of the operation in turnover in two restaurants of exactly the same type can vary widely because of layout and management.
In a business like cafeteria, there are several factors affect the profitability or income generation. One of the most important factors that need to be addressed is the customer satisfaction which is beyond cost management since the customer is the bread and butter of this kind of business. The information gathered from literature and studies provided relevant data with regards to the factors affecting low seat turnover that is needed for this study. It is said that the low seat turnover should be consider in evaluating the performance of the cafeteria. The higher the rate the profitable the business becomes. Seat turnover is defined as the number of times a seat is used by different individuals during a particular meal period. It means that the most often the seats are used the more customers are satisfied in the performance of the business.
The literature included in this chapter will be a great help in the formulation of data needed to answer the problem stated in this study. Information gathered will encourage the researcher to pursue the study and come up with a sound conclusion. The related literature is important in edifying the ideas, generalizations, principles, or conclusions relevant to the problem under investigation in this study. Above mentioned literature provided the researchers relevant information that will help them to establish facts about the topic. The meaning of the cafeteria and how it operates to generate more income through customer satisfaction and cost management is clearly stated.
In this chapter, it is stated that one of the things that has to be examined in assessing the performance of the cafeteria whether or not the customer becomes satisfied is through the seat turnover. It is noticeable also that the seat turnover was clearly defined. Also each factors affecting low seat turnover was identified. So, this chapter is necessary for the completion of data and information needed in this study.
The researcher will be using the descriptive type of research, employing the questionnaire checklist as the instrument in data gathering. Descriptive research is most popular approach in research projects. As explained by Best (1981), Descriptive study presents and interprets the status of something. It is concerned with condition or relation that exist opinions and trends that are developing as they relate to the current condition. It describes and interprets what is and reveals conditions and relationship that exist and do not exist. In this study, what will be ascertaining is the factors affecting low seat turnover in Emilio Aguinaldo College’s cafeteria.
In every research study, data gathering is the most challenging part. It will measure the creativeness, ability, and charisma of the researcher to get the data they need from the respondents. Most common techniques in gathering data are questionnaires, survey, interview, and observation. In this study, researcher will utilize questionnaire as the tool in gathering data. Prepared questionnaire will be randomly given to the students in the cafeteria and they will be given enough time to read, understand, and answer the questions written in the questionnaire. Approximately 10 – 15 minutes each respondent will be able to complete it since they will only need to check their answers in the questionnaire. 24
The completed questionnaire will be collected for tabulation and analysis. Then, the data will be interpreted with the use of various statistical tools. And the result will be necessary for presentation and conclusion.
In this study, the instruments that will be used are questionnaires, which are a necessity for descriptive method. The contents of the questionnaire will be designed based on the respondent’s perspective with regard to the EAC cafeteria in terms of the following factors such as individual preferences and affordability, ambiance, personal hygiene and sanitation practices, taste and quality of the food, and time of customer’s disposal.
The researchers will adopt the subject of the study as basis for developing the questionnaire. They will be grouped individually to have the proper division of their part in the questionnaire. Researchers will design the questionnaire in proper form to accommodate sufficient and relevant information required from the respondents. The questionnaire will be divided into three (3) parts. The first part concentrates on the profile of the respondents.
The second part will pertains to the self-evaluation of the respondents about the EAC cafeteria base on the above mentioned factors. And, the third part will be the respondents comment if they will need to say something like their suggestions and reactions. On the part of the questionnaire, respondents will be requested to check the space provided for each option.
