Restaurant

Patrons will be able to book on the internet the time they would prefer their food to be served. Well trained front of the house staff should take reservations, after reservations are done patrons should e welcomed to the restaurant and escorted to their tables and staff should hold chairs for women. I will make sure that all front of the house staff that is going to serve the food should know all the dishes and the ingredients in them. Waiters and waitress should be able to dish food on the tables and defining the fish when It Is served.

Linen should always be clean and must be changed If a patron leaves the table. Bar will make sure that my bar Is always stocked with the best wines, that can be paired with the dishes on menu for example champagnes, brandy, liquors, splats, ciders, lagers and the best coffee. I will employee an experienced manager who is experienced to run both the bar and the kitchen. Atmosphere: I will use the best available fine china, glassware and flat ware. Classic music should be played not too loud to overpower the patron’s conversation and the lights should be dimmed (romantic).

I am going to produce Italian food, because it is health. The food is not too refined and it contains nutrients that help to reduce some chronic diseases. Fresh fruits and vegetables are important in traditional Italian cuisine. Many vegetables, fruits and herbs that are used in Italian dishes, such as tomatoes, spinach, leafy Renee, citrus fruit, onions and garlic contain low calories and fat. The food Is high In nutrient value, Like vitamin A which is good for healthy balloons and iron which transport oxygen throughout the body and Is essential for chemical reactions In the body.

Dietary fiber Is always available In traditional Italian cuisine and It Is health and good for the digestive system. Fiber also reduces blood cholesterol levels, maintains sources of healthy fats. Olive oil and seafood contains omega-3 fatty acids that helps to prevent heart diseases and reduces blood pressure. Eating fresh tomatoes educes the risk for prostate cancer. I have chosen Italian food because I have experience in cooking the dishes and making pizzas . 1 have been working in Italian restaurant for long and I feel I will have enough knowledge about the dishes.

Italian food is one of the best cuisines in the world and it also cheap and easy to cook. I am going to use ala carte menu because patrons have: Choice of food – Ala carte have an advantage of having a wide range of dishes with a flexible menu. I make my restaurant have ala carte menu with at least three dishes to choose from per course. This will be an advantage because a variety will tend to please all customers. Price – Ala carte menus are clearly priced from starters to deserts. These will an advantage as the customers will know exactly the cost of their dishes.

Meals are priced according to the ingredients used for example vegetarian dishes will be cheaper than the meat dishes. Customers will know the cost before ordering the food, which prevent customers from being presented with unexpected bill at the end of dining Flexibility -A la carte menus have the advantage of being flexible. Ala carte meals also cater for a wide range of customers with efferent needs. Starters and side orders are sold at low prices than the mains which can substitute for a meal for other customers.

For so customers who require more food, they can order as much as they want for example they can order two deserts instead of one. Customers are free to order exactly the food they want. A la carte menus are at an advantage to the fixed price because customers can order what they want at the quantity they want and won’t feel like they are they have been over charged. I will employee two chef De Patti, an apprentice commits chef and two kitchen porters. I will be the head chef of the restaurant.

Since the restaurant will be opening 6 days a week and closed on Mondays, one chef De Patti will be working three days a week(to cover me when I am off, to cover another chef De Patti and to cover the commits chef when he is of unless when it is busy that’s when he/she can work. On the kitchen porters, one will be part time to cover if the other one is off, he/ she can work if the restaurant is busy. Hiring apprentice, the company will benefit from wage subsidies from the government. The company will also benefit in training the chef on how to cook the dishes.

Kitchen staff hierarchy will be as follows; will train my staff on how to cook the dishes and ways to avoid wastage of food. I will be responsible for ordering stock and monitoring the stock level dairy. In the kitchen during services I will be cooking main courses, plating and sending the food. On busy days when they is another chef De Patti, my duties will be calling out orders, plating the food and garnishing the food. Chef De partier will be responsible for preparing main course dishes, cooking starters and he/she can help anyone in the kitchen if he/ she does not have work to do.

He/she can also make desserts if the commits chef is busy doing other Jobs. The commits chef will do cold starters, pizzas and he can also do desserts. Kitchen porter will be responsible for washing the plates, cutlery, cleaning of the kitchen, helping the commits chef with Jobs like washing and peeling of vegetables. They are so many factors that I looked at when I made my menu. One of the factors is Availability of foods; I looked at the ingredients that I can get in the local market . 1 have also consider ingredients in the season. Food habits; I have also done a survey to see the kind of food people prefer to eat.

I also considered the culture, traditions and beliefs. Patrons prefer to dine where their beliefs and practices are not violated. Budget; I also took into consideration when I was doing the menu. I avoided food that does not last for long. I looked at dishes that I will spend less money to buy them but brings more money. Time available; food preparation must meet deadlines. Quick service is one good asset in the catering industry. Customers must be served with their order in a short period of time. Type of customers; when I came up with the menu I considered the type of customers I will e serving.

I will be mainly serving a wide range of people so the menu will cater for different people Dietary requirements; I have also considered people with special dietary needs like vegans, vegetarian, vivo-lacertian, lacertian, nut allergic, diabetic and celiac. Weather; during summer months the restaurants will provide outdoor table and the menu will change to differentiate from summer and winter. Occasions; the menu will cater for different occasions for example during Christmas, Christmas dinners will be served. Staff and facilities; to make the menu I have considered the Taft I will have to employ in order to cook the food.

There must be appropriate facilities for staff to work on. The layout in the kitchen makes it easy for staff to work on efficiently. Marketing of the menu; I will be changing the menu every two weeks, so the new menu needs to be marketed. I will market my menu using marketing strategy like inviting well known customers for tasting, hiring someone to distribute leaflets to businesses and community, Joining companies like group to do the marketing for you, using local newspaper to market the menu and using billboard and put it outside the restaurant.

The United States fast-food industry is largely made up of Quick Serve Restaurants (QSR) that includes on-premises restaurants and drive-thrus. Off-premises dining such as take-out restaurants is also considered a QSR. The fast-food industry includes national and regional chains, franchises, and independent contractors. The fast-food industry is consumer focused and relies heavily on consumer  spending. It is estimated that the U.S. Fast food industry is worth 189.9 billion dollars and within the next 2 years could exceed 220 billion dollars (Jaaskelainen 2018).  The industry has grown steadily in the last decade due to the fact that these restaurants offer convenient and affordable food options.

Top 10 QSR’s in 2017 (Sales Based)
* Data retrieved from QSR Magazine Website

Companies in the fast-food industry fall under the market structure of perfect comp Market structure is a classification system for the key traits of a market. The characteristics of perfect competition include a large number of buyers and sellers, easy entry to and exit from the market and homogeneous products. Many fast-food franchises fit all or most of these characteristics.

Porters Five Forces

• Threat of New Entrants

The threat of new entrants to the industry is high. There is a high level of competition between new QSR’s and established fast food chains, new QSR brands are unknown and advertising campaigns are expensive. Social media, however, has provided a more affordable means of advertising and has allowed QSR’s to communicate with their consumers easily. Popular fast-food chains also have established themselves and have the resources to react aggressively to competition through pricing and promotions to keep new entrants from entering the marketplace.

However, it is not difficult for new entrants to overcome these barriers. The fast-food industry is a low margin, high turnover industry and new entrants lack economies of scale unlike established QSR’s that have developed over time and can remain competitive. Capital requirements may  prevent some  competition however initial capital and fixed costs are not a significant battier in this industry especially with franchising which encourages  new entrants into the industry. Cost disadvantages are, however, a significant barrier to entry since established companies already have the product technology, access to raw materials, favorable sites, advantages in the form of government subsidies as well as experience.

Extreme saturation and similarity in product offerings make convenient locations essential for QSR’s. Government regulations are more intense for the larger firms which have to deal with franchising regulations.  Smaller  establishments  have to deal with standard regulations such as health and safety, zoning, sanitation, and building and do not pose a large threat to new entrants.

• Threat of Substitutions

The threat of substitutes is fairly high in the fast-food industry. Substitutes are readily available, and food can be purchased almost anywhere. The convenience of fast food is the value-adding component of the service which reduces the threat of substitutes however, many companies are now offering ready-meals as well as mail-order meal plans that ship fresh ingredients to the customer at relatively low prices. The healthy options and convergence factors from these companies pose a high threat not only with the fast-food price but also on convenience.

• Bargaining Power of Customers

Customer loyalty does not play an important role as it does in other industries. The fast-food industry is more focused on volume which keeps the customer bargaining power low.

• Bargaining Power of Suppliers

The bargaining power of suppliers is limited in this industry. There are many suppliers to choose from and each chain goes through a competitive bidding process to select their suppliers. It is easy to change isuppliers  should they find a better deal somewhere else.

• Competitive Rivalry

The fast-food industry is dominated by many Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chains including McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, Arby’s, KFC and Taco Bell to name a few. Competition is primarily cost-based with firms continuously investing in their production and service processes to undercut competitors. Exit costs are low, and capacity is easily increased through franchising.

State and Federal Regulations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the primary agency responsible for developing public health regulations. The FDA works to ensure the safety of the food in both franchised and small fast food  establishments. It is required by the FDA that all fast-food workers complete a food handling course that  educates workers on food borne illnesses, cross-contamination, required cooking temperatures,  food storage proper hand washing.

The FDA has also implemented menu  labeling  requirements. All restaurants must display nutritional information including total calories, calories  from fat, sodium levels and other nutritional  data on menus and menu boards as well as on their websites where consumers can access it.

The National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) has set voluntary targets for salt levels in an attempt to reduce sodium in restaurant food. Taco Bell and KFC have reduced sodium in line with this program. NYC requires chain restaurants to post warning labels next to menu items containing high levels of sodium.

The Federal Trade Commisssion (FTC) requires fast-food ads to be truthful and non-deceptive and they must back up claims with evidence. In New York, The Bureau of Community Environmental Health and Food, Protection maintains the Sanitary Code for food service establishments. The New York State Department of Health requires  all food  establishments to have a valid permit in order to operate.

Recent Economic News

The fast-food industry currently employs 3.8 million people however the turn over rate has  reached an average of 150 %. The industry is experiencing its highest turn over rate in 23 years says Bloomberg analysts reported in a recent article published by the Business Insider. Analysts  suggest the significant decrease in employee retention as a result of new technology and the expectation  for higher productivity.

Fast-food chains have made several technological advances such as implementing ordering kiosks. While the implementation was feared by employees, fast-food chains such as McDonald’s has stated that these technologies will not cause layoffs but will allow employees to be placed in other roles  and would allow for a 5% to 6% increase in sales for 2018 and another 2% in 2019.

According to the article, these new technologies are actually complicating their jobs. Due to the lack of training. Quick service restaurants (QSR) declined by one percent to 353,121 units in the fall 2017 censuses. Fast-casual chains, which are a restaurant category under QSR, increased units by four percent to a total count of 25,118.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis

In the most recent quarterly report issued by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. personal income and disposable personal income both increased 3% from the last quarterly report in 2017. The report suggests that the largest contributor to the increase was spending on food services and accommodations (BEA, 2017).
The United Sates Census Bureau

The chart below from the Census Bureau shows the leading industries by the number of employees. Based on the information provided limited service or fast-food restaurants have the most employees in the industry.

* U.S. Census Bureau (2016)

Federal Reserve Beige Book reports for most recent period (New York)

According to the Federal Reserves Beige Book reports economic activity in the Second District (New York) has continued to expand at a moderate pace since the last report. The labor market has stayed around the same numbers, while wage growth has mostly grown steady (Federal Reserve Bank). Input price increases have remained the same, and consumer price inflation was higher than earlier this year (Federal Reserve Bank).

Bureau of Labor Statistics

The chart below shows the States with the highest deployment levels in the restaurant industry including fast food. New York ranks as the 4th largest in the United States.

* Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018

The Conference Board (consumer confidence)

The latest Consumer Confidence Survey states that “Consumer confidence has increased to its highest level since October 2000” (Consumer Confidence, 2018). The business and labor market conditions improved according to the survey and consumer expectations suggest solid economic growth throughout 2018. The “historically high confidence levels should continue to support healthy consumer spending in the near-term”(Consumer Confidence, 2018).

Specific industry news and reports

In an article published by the New York Times, the number of teenagers in the workforce has significantly decreased from a decade ago (Abrams, 2017). The following chart shows the large  increase in restaurants and the decrease in teenage workers ages 16-19.

Chart retrieved from(Abrams, 2017)

In a recent analysis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics education, interests have increased causing the decline in teenage workers (Abrams, 2017). Turnover in the industry also a serious problem. In 2017 the turnover rate reached 133% and it has continued to rise (Abrams ; Gebeloff, 2018). McDonald’s released that they would be expanding their tuition reimbursement plan. They will now contribute $150 million to the plan over five years to benefit employees who are employed for at least 90 days with the company (Abrams & Gebeloff, 2018).

The fast-food industry’s growth is sensitive when it comes to changes in consumer spending. In times of recession, the rise of unemployment rates causes a decline in the consumer consumption of fast food. It is not uncommon for fast-food chains to merge in order to gain a larger share of the market to increase profits. When consumer spending is higher they are more likely to spend money on fast food.

Consumer eating habits also play a role in the economic factors that affect the fast food industry. Consumers have become more aware of the health issues associated with greasy and fatty fast-food options. In order to keep up with consumers changing eating habits most fast food restaurants have added healthy food options such as grilled chicken, salads, yogurt and fruit to their menus to avoid the potential threat of losing Fast-food consumers.

The fast food industry closed the 2017 year at 250 billion and is expected to grow 2.3% each year for the next five years for an overall total of 12% growth. The industry has adapted to consumers changing food preferences and their availability to eat. Many fast food chains have expanded their hours such as Taco Bell and McDonalds and others have also made breakfast menus available all day in order to reach out to a larger customer base. The use of kiosks and mobile phone ordering are becoming popular within the industry. These kiosks and apps provide a quicker and more efficient ordering process while cutting down the costs of labor.

If you have ever had a meal in a restaurant (fast-food/formal dining), used an ATM in a bank, spent your vacation at an amusement park or simply browsed through a mall, you have been exposed to McDonaldization. McDonaldization is “the process by which the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of America society as well as the rest of the world” (Ritzer, 1996,1). Nearly ever aspect of today”s society has been affected by McDonaldization including the restaurant business, education, work, healthcare, travel, leisure, dieting, politics and the family (Ritzer, 1996, 1).

I observed three East Side Mario”s Restaurant”s establishments while the dinner menu was being served on Saturday evenings between 6pm and 8pm to evaluate the ways in which McDonaldization has affected their company. On January 29th I visited East Side Mario”s in London, Ontario, on February 19th I visited East Side Mario”s in Plano, Texas (I used to hold a job as a server at this location) and on February 26th I visited East Side Mario”s in Orange, California. With the diversity of locations I was able to observe, I compared and contrasted many angles of the East Side Mario”s concept.

East Side Mario”s Restaurants Inc. is one of the millions of business” that has implemented the four principles of McDonaldization, which are: efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. With the assistance of Bernard Platt, Vice President of Marie Callender”s Pie Shops, Inc. , former Vice President of East Side Mario”s Restaurant, Inc. , I will offer a condensed presentation of East Side Mario”s history to get you familiar with the business. East Side Mario”s Restaurants, Inc. , is a wholly owned division of Marie Callender”s Pie Shops, Inc.

In 1987 a partnership of restauranteurs developed the ESM (for the remainder of this case study I will us the initial ESM to refer to East Side Mario”s Restaurants, Inc. ) concept in North Miami, Florida featuring the excitement and energy of a New York City street festival, a blend of outstanding American and Italian food, a place where families felt welcome and comfortable offering exceptional value. Today operating as a separate division of Marie Callender”s Pie Shops, Inc. , there are a total of 38 American restaurants – 11 corporate and 27 franchise – and there are over 80 ESM restaurants in The United States and Canada.

Efficiency is the first dimension of McDonaldization and “the optimum method for getting from one point to another” (Ritzer, 1996, 9). The parking lot allows ample amount of parking space for customers, including handicapped spaces directly in front of the building for efficient accessibility. The restaurant offers delivery to those who would like to spend their dinner in the comfort and convenience of their own homes. There is a small server to customer ratio to provide the best service expected throughout a customer”s meal.

A kid”s bambino menu is offered for children to enjoy less expensive meals that suit their size, along with a separate lunch menu that offers smaller portions for a lighter meal. Happy Hour items are offered at certain hours for a quick snack fix, providing just enough time to satisfy your thirst with a favorite drink. Customers can pay with cash or credit card, whichever is more convenient for them. To streamline the process of the kitchen work ESM simplified pasta dishes (their biggest items) to take only minutes to cook very large quantities.

All employees have specialized jobs to divide the work load/streamline, including: host”s/hostess”, bartender”s, server”s, cook”s, dishwasher”s, salad bar attendant”s, cleaning staff, cocktailer”s and management. To simplify the product the menu is limited and specializes in American/Italian food. They offer easy, quickly made finger food appetizers and unlimited soup/salad and bread which is prepared in just seconds. ESM puts you, the customer, to work the minute you walk into the restaurant. Their may or may not be a host/hostess at the front.

In the place of service staff you will definitely find a horn on a taxi stand so that a customer may call for service to the front immediately when they would like to be seated. Take-out boxes are available for the customer to take any leftovers home with them. However there is a catch, the box is merely dropped by the table and the customer is expected to put away their own leftovers. The employees and customers of ESM function efficiently together to produce a profit for the business and satisfy the customer.

The second dimension of McDonaldization, calculability, is “an emphasis on the quantitative aspects of products sold (portion size, cost) and service offered (the time it takes to get the product)” (Ritzer, 1996, 9). Servers are paid $6. 85/hr in Canada and $2. 15/hr in The United States. The rest of their money comes from tips so if they expect to take home cash they will have to work to their greatest ability and place their wages in the hands of the customers. Management usually recruits minorities to work the back of the house because they will work hard for little pay.

Emphasizing quantity over quality is an important aspect of calculability. With any entree unlimited homeloaf and soup or salad is offered. For the bar flies free peanuts are always out in buckets for all to enjoy. Specials and promotions occur seasonally, like 15-cent wings on Tuesdays. Bigger is seen as better and ESM has conformed to this idea, establishing this illusion with many of its menu items. Large plates are used to serve most meals and give the idea of large portions, with options of three different sides on dinner items.

Customers expect quick and accurate service, which ESM has provided by reducing the processes of production to numbers. To promise quick service, the server will initially take a drink/appetizer order to ensure that you as a customer receive prompt service immediately. The bread is brought out before the meal to snack on and give just enough time for transition to the main course. Customers do not like to sit in a restaurant without something in front of them. Each item on the menu has a preparation time, which is followed by the staff so customers can expect their food to be promptly served.

ESM has successfully involved an emphasis on quantification. As the third dimension of McDonaldization, predictability, gives “the assurance that their [a companys] products and services will be the same over time and in all locales” (Ritzer, 1996, 10). ESM has establishments across Canada and The United States and no matter where you go you can expect the same service and quality in each and every store. The logo is a familiar sign that represents a promise the same meal and experience you had at any other ESM.

Every store that is built is a replicate of the previous one. The layout of each restaurant is similar, limiting the dining area to all non-smoking and only the bar area has smoking. The same colors are dominant in each store: red, green and white. The immediate feeling you will get when walking inside is that of a New York street with replica”s of the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Scallero Bros. and Costello”s Markets (trademarks of ESM). Interaction between the employees and customers is scripted and predictable at each visit to the restaurant.

The customer is seated, informed of specials, drink/appetizer orders are taken, bread, soup and salad are brought before the meal, entrees are served with the offering of cheese or pepper, a desert menu is presented, dishes are cleared from the table and the check is presented and paid for. ESM provides each of its employees with a handbook that outlines server etiquette. The employees are expected to have the mindset of “the customer is always right” which should convince the customer with the notion “I”ll be back”.

Employee behavior is predictably the same. The staff wears the same casual uniform at each restaurant with a rountinized order of operations. You can always expect to have your server offer you fresh ground pepper or parmesan cheese. With respect to birthdays a desert of choice is presented with the East Side Mario”s famous birthday song. The menu remains the same, introducing new items on promotion once in a while, producing the same predictable products. People expect to have the garlic homeloaf with unlimited soup and salad.

The routine, uniformity and systematization of operations in ESM prove that predictability has been achieved. The fourth dimension of McDonaldization is “increased control and the replacement of human with nonhuman technology” (Ritzer, 1996, 101). ESM has integrated all forms of technology to better their establishment. From the fountain pop dispenser to timed broilers and appliances, every process is controlled by some sort of automation. Under control is both the product and process of the business.

The menu continually remains the same, limiting the items for customers to choose from. The Micros system is used to input orders which will be sent to the back of the house, organize each table”s order and have the food out and arranged according to the server”s timing. Server”s and bartender”s are expected to id all customers who look as though they are under the age of 30 for alcoholic beverages. In regards to controlling customers, the guest is expected to honk the horn to get the attention of employees to serve them.

If there is a wait a pager is given out to customers to be buzzed at the soonest opportunity a table opens up. When the customer is through with a meal, the check is brought promptly to encourage them to leave and allow the next table to be sat. A tip percentage is required for parties of 8 or more to ensure that the time spent on larger parties will be well rewarded in wages. Nonhuman technologies that have been implemented into ESM operations control the nature of the business. The irrationality of rationality is recognized as the fifth dimension of McDonaldization.

This is the downside of McDonaldization emphasizing the basic idea that “rational systems inevitably spawn irrational consequences”, “serve to deny human reason” and “are often unreasonable” (Ritzer, 1996, 13). In regards to efficiency people will go to ESM in search of a relaxing meal to find they have an hour-long wait, congested waiting space and loud noise. The efficiency of spending a family meal in a comfortable atmosphere now becomes inefficient. People are unable to sit right away, asked to wait with their families in a smoke filled bar and expected to just be patient while they anticipating the buzzing of their pager number.

Employees who are expected to deal with the impatient customers get irritable which reflects on their work and the restaurant as a whole. When ESM business is slow and employees are unable to make tips there is no longer an incentive to put out quality work. The efficiency of paying minimum wage is lost when workers quit because they do not make enough for tips. The cost of a nice dinner for an average size family of 4 at ESM could cost well over $60. In the long run this could be the cost of 3 home cooked meals.

The profit a restaurant business makes on pop and such is huge compared to the production price. A family could just as well spend dinner at home, talking/interacting with one another in a much more comfortable, quit, atmosphere. ESM offers the illusion of fun to attract customers and have them coming back. The setting gives the feeling of a New York City street with all of the downtown memorabilia. “A taste of little Italy” is used to let the prospective guest know that traditional Italian food will be served with popular Italian/American music filling the dining room.

The National Television Network

NTN, offers an interactive trivia game to be played in the bar area. Entertainment is brought in on special occasions and the server”s call out loud to the kitchen to fill the atmosphere with a feeling of excitement. The unreality, or illusion of reality, which often goes unheard of in the restaurant business, still exists. The reality is that you aren”t going to see the service staff singing and dancing with customer as they do in the commercial, in fact you”ll be lucky if you can flag them down as they run by your table at top speed.

The streets of New York City are not resembled accurately by the miniature landmarks located throughout the restaurant and it”s unlikely a true Italian (person with Italian heritage) will serve your meal. All of this is not reality. Dehumanization recognizes a system that is destructive to human beings. This dehumanization recognized in society is evident through health and environmental hazards, the dehumanization of customers and employers, a negative effect on human relationships and homogenization. The increased concern for the human diet is strongly affected by eating out and Italian food is extremely fattening.

A dish known as fettuccine alfredo has been given the nickname “heart attack on a plate”. To adapt to these concerns ESM has began to offer low fat dressings and deserts. The vegetables have to be used in good time, as does much of the inventory so that contaminated/old food is not distributed. Dishes must be cleaned thoroughly so that germs do not transfer to other customers. ESM provides a fairly environmentally friendly establishment with reusable dishes. The biggest concern is over styrofoam take-out boxes. Customers follow through with the same routine every time they enter a restaurant.

ESM encourages the employees to follow script but at the same time get comfortable and act interested in the customer. But that”s just it… an act. Servers really are not interested in the lives of every stranger who steps foot in the building. Scripting brings employees and customers down to a primitive dehumanizing level of interaction. Turnover rates at ESM are not as high as those in the fast food industry however it is unlikely that the same person will ever serve you. There is little, impersonal contact between people.

ESM offers benefits for staying with the company, employee incentives, and employee events to encourage longer lasting relationships with the company and fellow workers, thus increasing the likelihood of establishing a relationship with customers. ESM is a chain with franchises and individually owned stores. With its diversity of location it gives people the opportunity to recognize a familiar place and limiting the appeal to ever try anything new. Because ESM is the same no matter where you go you could virtually enter one restaurant and not know whether you were in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, or Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

This is limiting the diversity of our world and proves that McDonaldization is homogenizing every aspect of society into one. All of these dehumanizing effects of McDonaldization apply to ESM and add to the irrationality that actually exists. “As McDonaldization comes to dominate ever more sectors of society, it will become ever less possible to ‘escape” from it” (Ritzer, 1996, 143). In other words McDonaldization imprisons people into an iron cage. Max Weber referred to it as the “iron cage of McDonaldization” implying that the systems of society will become so inhuman that the systems will eventually have control of everything.

To make it in a McDonaldized society higher profits and lower costs will continue to be the goals of all businesses. The best ways to reach this goal is to conform to McDonaldization and strive for efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. ESM increases profit by taking each of these steps so that it can keep up with the competition. People have come to value the individual dimensions of McDonaldization and insist on relating to them even if they are not rewarded with economic gains.

ESM has fallen into the trap and chosen locations on busy street corners surrounded by its competitors where a huge concentration of McDonaldization resides. The process of McDonaldization is so desirable that it is pursued as an end to itself (Ritzer, 1996, 145). Fordism is the ideals Henry Ford projected into society. Mass production of a single product, using a simple assembly line process, standardized routines, deskilling, and more demanding and expanding markets have arisen as the result of Fordism. ESM came out of the woodwork with the idea of bringing New York City”s Little Italy to any city.

They became part of the restaurant market and had to adopt Fordism principles in order to reach high profitability with low costs. Post-Fordism arose later on and is characterized by more customized/specialized products, smaller systems for specialization, technologies that will produce a range of products, requiring more workers, which in turn leads to diversity once again. ESM has also incorporated post-Fordism characteristics. They use one computer system to run the security systems, kitchen appliances, run credit charges and place orders. They cater to each individual customer, giving them what they ask for.

Finally, postmodernism, the idea that we are entering a more irrational and flexible era. The spread of different cultures throughout all of society is a product of postmodernism. ESM brought Little Italy to all kinds of cities. In fact, this American/Italian restaurant does not even exist in Italy. This society is superficial; people pass through McDonaldized systems without even being phased by them. No one walks into ESM and thinks; “wow this is a superficial McDonaldized system”. Every product and service has been presented before. ESM doesn”t have the original calamari al” diavolo sitting in a glass case to display.

We now live in an n impersonal world. Even though employees approach customers with interest and a smile, they do not have a personal relationship with them. There no longer exists much emotion or expression in the postmodern society. We have to work hard at impressing people these days, having to always find something new and exciting to keep a customer hooked. Events of the past and present blur together. It is hard to distinguish between each visit to a restaurant, eventually all the visits blur together. Reproductive technologies have taken over. Computers and TV”s dominate industry and the lives of every individual.

In the restaurant business if the computers were to crash there goes the payroll, power, cash registers; the entire operation is over in the blink of an eye. Just like nearly all institutions in our society ESM is trapped in an “iron cage of McDonaldization”. I believe McDonaldization has invaded every sector of society and as someone who grew up with McDonaldization at every corner of my life I would have to say it”s been productive. It has allowed society to evolve. Every aspect of life has consequences and downfalls; it’s just a matter of dealing with them. I like moving at a fast pace.

Why do people have to make friends with every person they encounter? It”s nice to have companionship but not from your server in a restaurant. McDonaldization has served as a directing force, another stage in our history. We adapt to every turn the world makes and change is good. When all of the aspects of McDonaldization are intertwined society runs smoothly. East Side Mario’s was an example of a company that followed all the rules, aimed for a goal and made it. I believe that”s all that it should take in anything you do in life to make it, just follow the rules and reach for your goals. McDonaldization is a positive contribution to society.

Introduction: It’s been years since the Butterball Restaurant was giving birth of their food business. Butterball is a restore- bar food service industry located at the center of Veterans Medical Hospital that caters good delightful and deliciously taste foods to their target customers the Intern Students, Doctors, Nurses, Medical Representatives and especially Walk-ins. This restaurant ensures that each customer receives prompt, professional, friendly and courteous services and maintains the cleanliness of foods and well-comfortable ambiance to their valued customers and employees.

The assistant also provides an affordable price to each of their meals and one of their best seller menu meals that their customers loved to eat at Butterball Restaurant are the Garlic Chicken with brown Sauce and a Buttered Chicken. For many years they served to their valued customers the opportunity they got from them was that each customers has a growth segment like for example the Medical Representatives wants a comfortable place for their meetings on their counterpart, the best place to be chosen was the Restaurant of Butterball because of the peaceful environment there that they can focus on.

The clients can easily approach to the Chief Executive Officer or CEO of the Butterball Restaurant because one of the promotional strategy of the restaurant is through reservation because of they had a 3 functional room to used for holding any of activities of a clients. As of their financial aspects, Butterball Restaurant estimated net cash for each week is POP,OHO. O and for the whole month is P 80,000. 00. The profit of Butterball Restaurant is Just enough to gave the compensations of its employees and the only reason why the CEO is still holding the business is because he is considering his social accessibility to his subordinates.

It’s now seems that Butterball Restaurant may have been overly optimistic but it failed to anticipate several events in its marketing planning. First, when it rainy seasons their profit were decreasing 30% of its net sales that really affect to the expected income. Second, the location was the Butterball Restaurant built off seems that it is not convenient at all but it is “sustain” by the customers and also the ambiance was poor on good looking restaurant unlike others. Lastly, they had poor quality of promotional activities that cannot capture the attention of a customer.

And to resolve their dilemmas or their lacking off on their business and to get a better roadman to their success . We suggests that the company might have done a better job is a key aspect of making a better marketing plan to achieve their objectives including estimating the market opportunity, forecasting sales, determining the marketing programs or an promotional activities , developing and retest the customers good relationship towards the restaurant and ensuring the company’s product superiority to their valued customers. Marketing Plan of Julies Bakeshop By minima

A person can last without food for a few weeks but with radical side effects. Since there is no source for energy the body will start to consume fats and muscles leaving only the skin and bones. This is not a very effective way to diet or control eating habits. Since we cannot survive without eating it is important that one is aware of what is happening in the food industry. Being informed of the transformations revolving around the food we eat will equip us with knowledge to make better food choices. We are now in the new millennium where everything is fast-paced.

For that reason most Americans tend to eat 50% of weekly meals in restaurants than prepare home food (Muller, 2007). And since there is an increase in number of restaurants to choose from, restaurants owners should look into the food trends of consumers to be able to survive in the competition. There will be many new trends in food as the New Year ushers in but the trends that are prevalent are eating healthy, convenient food preparation, availability of exotic foods, and interest in food safety (Folkes & Wysocki, 2007; Zellman 2007).

Many of these trends will come and go but the one that will make a lasting impression is the need for healthy foods. Due to media play up of the relation of food and diseases like cancer and heart disease. People are now educated about the effects of calories and fat we get from food we eat. Under this healthy living trend, organic foods are observed to have an increase in sales since 1990 (Davis & Winter, 2006). Benefits from organic foods include more nutrition than conventional food, safer since it has no pesticide, and its production have less impact on the environment. Organic Foods

Organic foods are foods produced under legally regulated production standards (Condo 2007). Foods labeled as organic are produced without the use of chemicals used in conventional farming while animal in organic farms do not use antibiotics and eat only organic foods. In the United States the National Organic Standards Board of the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) set the standards on what could be labeled as organic. This term should not be confused with the term natural food. Natural foods basically are preservative-free but not necessarily organic meaning it is not produced under the regulated standards (Parnes, 2002).

Products produced in certified organic farms may demand higher price than conventional products. However this downside is outweighed by the benefits from organic foods. Organic foods as studies shows are more nutritious. One study by the University of California at Davis concluded that typical organic foods contain higher levels of vitamin C, iron and magnesium (Condo, 2007). In addition it is found that phytonutrients are also higher in organic crops. Phytonutrients are nutrients from plants that are associated in the prevention of diseases (Heaton, 2005).

One example is lycopene which is believed to prevent certain types of cancer. Another benefit is the assurance that the food is safe. Since a product could only be labeled as organic if it passed the rigid standards of the USDA. A consumer is guaranteed that the manufacturer went through meticulous inspection from ingredients, tools and methods used in production. Also the risk from pesticide residue is avoided since organic products are completely free from these chemicals that could be cancer causing (Ten Good Reasons, 1996).

Although some synthetic fertilizers could be used it should be under the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances set by the USDA (Davis & Winter, 2006). An organic farm also respects the environment by utilizing farming techniques that lessen water, soil, and air pollution. Without the use of chemicals, toxins that pollute the environment are eliminated. To protect the soil farmers uses sustainable farming means like crop rotation and composting. While animals in these farms are only fed with organic foods.

Exposure to fresh air, natural light and open pasture are implemented. And if the animal got sick antibiotics are not given instead homeopathic medicine are administered (All About Organic Cheeses). With so many benefits products like these are here to stay. And with the growing awareness for healthy living, an increase in consumer opting for organic foods could be expected. There are varieties of crops that are already being produced using organic methods. In this paper focus will be on organic wine and cheese production.

Organic Wine In the market right now there are two types of organic wines available. One that is labeled as made with organic grapes and the one that is certified organic and carries the USDA organic label. The difference lies between the sulfites content of the product. Wines that are made with organic grapes are as the name implies are made with 100% organic grapes but have additional sulfites added to prevent spoilage. On the other hand certified organic wines are made with organic grapes and no added sulfites (Gleason, 2006).

Winemakers argued that the USDA standard should be relaxed. They believed that wineries that already eliminate the use of chemicals in their farms should be allowed to be certified organic. But certified organic winemakers disagree since adding more sulfites to wine is not needed. Labeling the wines is important since some people are allergic to sulfites. Sulfites are an additive used as a preservative. It is naturally present in wines after fermentation. To preserve the flavor and add shelf life, conventional winemakers add additional sulfites.

Organic wines contains less than 10 part per million (ppm), wines made with organic grapes contain less than 100 ppm and conventional ones have 350 ppm (Gleason, 2006). Organic wines are safe even to ones that have the allergy since no symptoms are observed if the food contains less than 10 ppm of sulfite (More, 2007). As study shows drinking one to two glasses of wine per day could be very beneficial to health. Heart diseases are cut down to 50% by drinking in moderation. This was confirmed by the study called the French Paradox.

The study compared Americans and French who both have high fat diets, yet the French have lower incidents of heart diseases. This is attributed to the moderate consumption of wine by the French (The Health Benefits). Also a study by the U. C. Berkeley shows that Red wines contain resveratrol, an antioxidant that have an anti-aging effect (Clearing up the Confusion). Since grapes used in organic wines are produced without the use of chemicals and use only natural techniques for cultivation. The plants are healthier and contain more beneficial nutrients than conventional ones.

With this concentrated extract organic wines are found to have more of nutrients like the resveratrol. These wines are not only healthier, tastier, but also safer. In line with the growing popularity of organic foods, organic wines are finding it ways readily available to consumers in supermarkets and restaurants. Because people now are more educated about the benefits of organic foods not only to health but also to the environment, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA) the sales of organic wines are expected to rise by 17% each year from 2006 until 2008 (Gleason, 2006).

Organic wines are also listed as one of the top new trends in restaurant by the National Restaurant Association (Morganstern, 2008). With the pressing call to live healthy and to care for the environment organic wines is clearly more than a fad and have already found it niche in the market scene. Organic Cheese The difference of an organic cheese from conventional one lies in the milk and other ingredients use in its production. Milk used in organic cheese comes from cows that have an all organic diet, natural organic pasture grass.

Meaning dairy cows with this diet have access to natural light, fresh air and organic grass free from pesticides. On the other hand conventional dairy cows are put in confinements and are fed with grains. This kind of environment mostly gets the cow sick therefore antibiotics are utilized to allow them to continually producing milk. And to get more milk beyond the natural capacity of dairy cows growth hormones are used (Mercola). With an unnatural environment most dairy cows produce unhealthy milk tainted with antibiotics and chemicals that could have awful side effects to humans.

Although cows nurtured with organic method produce less milk than grain fed one. Their milk is concentrated with the vitamins that are highly beneficial. Like regular cheese organic cheese have calcium and protein. Yet organic cheese is found to have more CLA, Omega-3, and other anti-oxidants. CLA or conjugated linoleic acid is a substance found in red meat and dairy products that help in cancer prevention and weight loss. Studies also corroborate the claim that organic cheese contains higher level of omega-3 (Johnston, 2004).

Omega-3 is a fatty acid that helps in keeping the bones and teeth strong, good joints and healthy heart. Other antioxidants that higher levels are vitamin E and beta-carotene. And like organic wine organic cheese has fewer chemical residues For the past years organic foods sales have grown rapidly from 3. 6 billion dollars to 17. 7 billion dollars (Stock 2008). With this growth a lot of major players in the cheese industry have gone organic. One example is Horizon Organic (Boulder, Colorado) which expands its product line by 50% in 2004 (Organic Cheeses).

Other players also joined in like Kraft, Kelloggs, and General Mills. Healthy living trend in the restaurant industry Looking into the trend of healthy living the movement already swims its way into the restaurant industry. Most restaurants started using organic vegetables and dairy products for food preparation. Menus underwent changes where healthy options in how foods are prepared and alternative choices like vegetarian are included (Folkes & Wysocki, 2007). Not only that but some restaurants included nutritional information in the menus to help patrons make healthy choices.

Some restaurants view this as a burden but a survey of 5,297 adults shows that 83% wanted to see nutritional information in restaurant menus (Poll shows) . Restaurants that carry organic wines hosted wine parties to introduce their organic products. Personnel also go through training to equip them with better understanding of the benefits of organic wine to be able to properly articulate it to customers. Servers are taught to pair organic wine to food in menus that contain organic ingredients for a holistic organic experience. Others even hire sommeliers to conduct training about organic wines (Roberts, 2001).

The healthy living movement will not fade away as more people wanted to live healthier and longer. Cafes and restaurant then should start to adapt to some of these practices not to only survive in the industry but to promote a healthier lifestyle. Just like peanut butter and jelly or cookies and milk wine and cheese is a pair that have become a staple to wine and cheese lovers alike. To date many varieties of organic wines and cheese are already available in the market so there should not be any problem in enjoying the same old paring that lovers are used to.Familiarity and educating oneself is the key to be able to achieve better living.

References “All About Organic Cheeses”. Ilovecheese. co. uk. 11 May 2008. < http://www. ilovecheese. co. uk/OrganicCheeses. html> “Clearing up the Confusion on Organic Wine”. Live-the-organic-Life. com. 12 May 2008. <http://www. live-the-organic-life. com/organic-wine. html> Condo, Maria. “5 healthy food trends worth following”. CNN. com/Health. 2 Oct 2007. Cable News Network. 11 May 2008. <http://www. cnn. com/2007/HEALTH/diet. fitness/10/02/cl. trends. to. watch/index. html? iref=newssearch>

Davis, Sarah and Winter, Carl. “Organic Foods”. Journal of Food Science. 71. 9 (2006): 117-124 Folkes, Gillian and Wysocki, Allen. “Current Trends in Foodservice and How They Affect the Marketing Mix of American Restaurants”. Escoffier On Line. 08 Nov 2007. Escoffier On Line. 11 May 2008. < http://escoffier. com/index. php/articles-for-culinary-and-pastry-professionals/current-trends-in-foodservice. html> Gleason, Paul. “Organic Grapes, Organic Wine”. E The Environmental Magazine. Nov/Dec 2006. 12 May 2008. < http://www. emagazine. com/view/? 3423> Heaton, Shane. “Health Benefits of Organic Food”.

Grinningplanet. com. 27 Dec 2005. 11 May 2008. < http://www. grinningplanet. com/2005/12-27/health-benefits-of-organic-food-article. htm> Johnston, Lisette. “Research Reveals Organic Milk Benefits”. True Organic. 8 Dec 2004. True Organic. 12 May 2008. < http://www. trueorganic. com. au/organicbenefits. php> Mercola. “Healthy and Delicious 100% Grass-Fed Organic and Raw Milk Cheese Now Available! ”. Mercola. com. 12 May 2008. < http://www. mercola. com/forms/cheese. htm> More, Daniel. “Sulfite Allergy”. About. com. 28 Apr 2007. About, Inc. 12 May 2008. < http://allergies. about.

com/od/foodallergies/a/sulfites. htm> Morganstern, Adam. “Organic Wine Is Top New Trend For U. S. Restaurants”. Organic Wine Journal. 17 Mar 2008. Organic Wine Journal. 12 May 2008 <http://www. organicwinejournal. com/index. php/2008/03/organic-wine-is-top-new-trend-for-us-restaurants/> Muller, Chris. “Calories, Nutrition and the Restaurant Menu”. R & I Restaurants and Institutions. 16 Oct 2007. Reed Business Information. 11 May 2008. < http://www. rimag. com/blog-starters/2007-10-16. asp> “Organic cheeses on the horizon”. FindArticles. com. June 2004. Business News Publishing Co. 12 May. 2008.

http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m3289/is_6_173/ai_n6073904 Parnes, Robin Brett. “How Organic Food Works”. HowStuffWorks. com. 01 Aug 2002. HowStuffWorks, Inc. 11 May 2008. <http://recipes. howstuffworks. com/organic-food. htm> “Poll shows consumers want nutrition data on restaurant menus”. AllBusiness. 23 Jul 2007. Food & Drink Weekly. 12 May 2008. < http://www. allbusiness. com/retail-trade/food-beverage-stores/4498002-1. html> Roberts, Marnie. “Grape Expectations: Uncorking Organic Wine’s Potential”. Restaurant. org. Dec 2001. Restaurants USA. 12 May 2008. ;http://www. restaurant.

org/rusa/magArticle. cfm? ArticleID=687; Stock, Sue. “Organics craze is still growing”. The News ; Observer [Raleigh, NC]. 2 Apr 2008 “Ten Good Reasons to Buy Organic”. Nutiva. com. 1996. Organic Trade Association. 11 May 2008. ; http://nutiva. com/nutrition/organic. php; “The Health Benefits of Wine”. Beekman Wines ; Liquor. 12 May 2008. ;http://www. beekmanwine. com/prevtopab. htm; Zelman, Kathleen. “Top 10 Food Trends for 2008 “. WebMD Better Information, Better Health. 17 Jan 2007. WebMD, LLC. 11 May 2008. ; http://www. webmd. com/food-recipes/features/top-10-food-trends-for-2008;

Food That Tastes Wonderful Is it Olive Garden’s friendly and hospitable service or is it the appetizing and blazing not entrees ll Foranio’s that reminds me of the Italian heritage? Before deciding which restaurant leaves my mouth watering for more, I compare and contrast between taste, service and cost must be considered. For me, choosing which restaurant to recommend to family members is as hard as cutting the perfect pink rose for a floral arrangement. The whole world would be a better place if you could choose a restaurant that always had food that tasted wonderful.

At ll Fornaio’s, I feel like a chef in Italy has just prepared my meal. Their pasta melts in your mouth and is always accompanied by hearty and rich sauce. My eyes pop out of head when I see the delectable dessert tray. Then both carry a wide selection of freshly prepared desserts like creamy tiramisu. On the contrary, at Olive Garden, your dinner always comes with all you can eat salad and piping hot breadsticks. Yet, ll Fornaio’s you must order a salad separate from your entree.

On the other hand, ll Fornaio’s offers its customers staple sourdough bread served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar spiced with herbs. Similarly, the salad at both restaurants are always fresh and is dressed with a tangy and light vinaigrette. In the same way, both restaurants offer their ravished customers a wide selection of beverages including sodas, teas and coffee to wet their whistles. Delicious, freshly prepared food is a must when I am spending a night out with friends or family. Service is something that I value highly when spending my hard earned money on a night out.

The service at Olive Garden is a snail trying to win the mile run race. However, when I arrive at ll Fornaio’s I am seated almost immediately, whereas at Olive Garden, I have to sign a waiting list and they hand me a flashing disk. The servers at Olive Garden, in contrast, seem sometimes annoyed when I ask for something like more water or an extra plate to share an item. Equally, both restaurants bring my meal in a timely manner. They both give me service with a smile like a sun shinning in the morning sky.

Similarly, both places of business are more willing to trade my order if it is not to my satisfaction. If am not going to receive the service I deserve, I might as well walk right out of the establishment and not look back. Do you like throwing your money down the drain? If not, the maybe ll Fornaio’s is not the most cost effective restaurant for you. I often feel that money is flying out of my purse the minute I sit down at my table. On the other hand, ll Fornaio’s does offer more food for the price.

An average bill at Olive Garden is about forty dollars, whereas at ll Fornaio’s the final bill can range from fifty to one hundred dollars based on your choice of entrees, appetizers, drinks and desserts. Unlike Fornaio’s, Olive Garden does offer specials on certain dishes at specific times of the year. In the same way, both restaurants offer drinks that are similar in price and that prices included refills. Also, Olive Garden and ll Fornaio’s both have appetizers that are around the same price for the same generous helping.

Value is a huge factor in deciding which restaurant I would choose to refer a friend or family member. Yes, Olive Garden offers more food for the money, but the aroma and taste from ll Fornaio’s entrees are by far superior, not to mention the provide better service for the customer. Based on my evaluation of the two restaurants, I would have to choose ll Fornaio’s. Next time you are in the mood for true Italian cuisine, try Olive Garden and ll Fornaio’s, and then make the choice for yourself! ‘

Introduction In the previous chapter, we have provided the introduction of our project. We have described the background and motivation for the project and the importance of the problem in the previous chapter. After that we have described about the aims and objectives of our proposed solution concisely. In this chapter, we expect to provide the necessary background information of our project. We are going to illustrate some other approaches to the problems that were stated in previous chapter. 2. 2 Prevailing systems

In the modern world online food ordering system is a one of popular e-business tactics used all over the world. In those systems restaurant or cafeteria lists their products and other relevant information about the products. Buyers will browse the listed products through internet, and they order some Food , some of them has ordering facilities among those system few of them has facility to order online in other system customer have to give a phone call to order. In few systems customer can pay the money online but in other system customer have to pay money to erson who delivers food.

Also they can browse and find any restaurant in the country as they wish and order in there. Except those facilities there is no facility to order online food with ability to book dine-in table. There is no system to get orders from customer without waiter in the restaurant. There is no tabletop and Android application for other systems. Our system support and we develop these applications for our system. EAT 24(Miami food delivery) This is the collections of restaurants all over the world. They get orders from ustomers and deliver the Food to the customer’s door step.

Customer can search by neighborhood; zip codes or cuisines then find a restaurant and order whatever he wants. Customer can dine in at any restaurant that he like in Miami. In the web site there are facilities to publish customer’s comments, information about restaurants and their Food and delivery information. The Dons’ Food-Fried Pizza The Dons’ Pizza offers dine-ln( indoor seating & outdoor patio), carry out ( front counter or curbside) delivery, catering. Customer has to give a call to order. There is o facility to order online.

Dons’ pizza has catering service for customer’s events but other systems. Burger King Burger King is a global area restaurant. They give facility to order Food and deliver Food to place where customer wants. Grub Hub Customer can order Food online from a restaurant around them as they wish. Taco sell Taco Bell is also spread in world wide. Their website only gives the information about food they provide and nutrition, ingredients of the food. KFC Provide the option to rate, comment and share on social networks about your favorite locations.