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7/27/2019 Assignment Two Research Paper Comments
1/8
Difficulties and Obstacles of Food Service and Relate Fields Shaw
By Jacob Shaw1
Introduction:
I, like many other Americans eat out at restaurants very frequently. We go out
with friends, we celebrate with relatives, and we take for granted the work that is put into
running a food service business. We have high expectations of the restaurants we visit
and refuse to take anything lower than par. We fail to realize the complexity of
Restaurants and Food Service businesses in general and we ignore the hardships and
hurdles thrown at these businesses on the daily basis. Restaurants are a vital part of our
lives and serve many of us our every meal. With a better understanding of the difficulties
that go into restaurant based businesses we can have a greater and more profound respect
for the food we eat and the work that goes into it. It is through these challenges that I
chose to shed light and bring careful attention too, pertaining to the food industry.
Research: Restaurants Success
What do you look for in a restaurant? What makes you want to visit again? These
are questions that every successful restaurant asks. These questions separate the
restaurants that succeed from the restaurants that fail. When it comes to running a
restaurant it is important that the owner and or manger understands what is necessary in
order to make the restaurant succeed and profit at its maximum potential. Author Monica
Parpal of How Not to Fail at Running a Restaurant, offers insight into practices that will
help increase the longevity of a restaurant through strategic practices. Monica Parpal
encourages managers to work harder than anyone else. Working harder than everyone
else means arriving at the restaurant early, stepping up and helping with other individuals
jobs, and pitching in when the workload is increased or someone calls out. If someone
calls out for personal reasons, call several employees to cover the shift of the missing
Comment [JS1]: Good strong introduction, nreason to have Restaurant capitalized in first
paragraph unless you are emphasizing someth
Comment [JS2]: Elaborate and explain howpeople will benefit as a person if they have a
better understanding of what goes into restaur
businesses.
Comment [JS3]: This sentence needs revisioit is hard to follow.
Comment [JS4]: This needs to be in italics acited correctly.
7/27/2019 Assignment Two Research Paper Comments
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Difficulties and Obstacles of Food Service and Relate Fields Shaw
By Jacob Shaw2
individual. Being a successful manager and running a successful restaurant relies on
dedication and the willingness to step beyond ones normal everyday tasks. Running a
restaurant is a difficult task and can become very stressful. Unlike employees on the
clock, managers do not make extra money for working overtime. If you are a manager of
a restaurant or food based business you should expect to work overtime all the time. If
the manager is unwilling to work overtime, they are clearly in the wrong business and
should probably look into a major career change.
A key factor in determining a restaurant success is the managers ability to
understand the businesses financials. Understand what money is being put into the
business and what money will be required to break even. Breaking even should not be the
goal of a restaurant; there is no profit in getting the money you spent back. Every
business is a risk but restaurants are unique because the risk is so high. Monica Parpal
explains that restaurants are at risk for failing for various reasons including: hazards,
employee training, and major liabilities. Owners need to understand exactly what they
need to do in order to make their business succeed. If being successful means paying for
ads in the newspaper, the owner should not hesitate. If the owner has an opportunity to
invest money that will give his business a competitive advantage over other businesses he
or she would be an idiot to ignore it.
Research: Success Tips for Restaurants
The goal of a restaurant is to make great food, make lots of people happy, and
make profit. Jeff Haden explains that a restaurants success is bound by the businesses
ability to meet consumer satisfaction. Jeff Haden gives information for achieving the
desired results. In order to make great food, a restaurant needs to have a great chef. In
Comment [JS5]: Cite individual again so it isclear that I am not the one quoting this.
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Difficulties and Obstacles of Food Service and Relate Fields Shaw
By Jacob Shaw3
order for a restaurant to gain customers the restaurant needs to be in a great location.
Location and convenience ultimately play as much importance as the quality and taste of
the food. Having a great restaurant location and a great chef doesnt guarantee a
restaurants success but it is a great place to start out. Like every other business in the
world, customer service plays a significant role in customer loyalty and retention rate. If
an employee complains about the taste of your tea, dont blow them off. Chances are
pretty high that if one employee is dissatisfied there are several that are dissatisfied. If
you are unwilling to meet your customers expectations you are at risk for people not
returning.
Roy Bergold explains in Roys Tips for Creating Repeat Business, that a
successful restaurant is a business that strives for customer loyalty. He goes on to explain
that its important to listen to your customers and to adapt to their needs and concerns.
Adapting to meet the demands of the customer is a great way to drive an increase in
profit and expand the restaurants overall reach.
Gaining customer loyalty should not be a hassle for the customer. The most
successful loyalty programs offer incentive for the consumer to return. Offer a free sub
for every five they purchase and you would be surprised how many people return over
and over just to get that free sub.
Research: Legal Side of Restaurants
With any great business you risk losing everything in order to gain the world and
restaurants are no exception. Restaurants are dangerous and if not taken care of, pose
major health concerns to the public. Bacteria grow on food and flourishes on kitchen
equipment. Proper cleaning techniques and strategies must be used in order to maintain a
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Difficulties and Obstacles of Food Service and Relate Fields Shaw
By Jacob Shaw4
safe environment. Angela Haupt describes the role of bacteria in the kitchen. She
explains that food left out for more than two hours at room temperature is twice more
likely to contain higher amounts of bacteria than the same food item that was kept in a
refrigerator set no higher than forty degrees.
Caron Beesley author of the article Opening and Running a Restaurant a Legal
and Regulatory Checklist gives insight as to the exact required and regulatory steps to
opening a business. She explains that restaurants must follow zoning laws. This basically
means that a restaurant cant just open up anywhere. It has to be in a location t hat is
permitted by the local government. Restaurants are required to obtain licenses and
permits stating validity of the business. Food Service businesses are also required to
follow food safety codes and undergo unannounced inspections. Each of these
requirements must be met in order to open a restaurant. A business that plants to sell
liquor is required to have a liquor license and carry various insurance policies to prevent
accidents from occurring. Insurance is used to protect the consumer and the business
itself from whatever legal hurdle may be thrown at them.
School cafeterias and food service locations are no exception to laws and
regulations either. They receive a rating based on cleanliness just like every other
restaurant in the United States. In most cases cafeterias undergo further investigation to
ensure that students and kids are protected from harmful food service practices.
Research: School Cafeterias
When I look back on my days in elementary school I remember the thrill of
standing in the cafeteria line waiting on my slice of square pepperoni pizza. Cafeterias
were different back at that time and I enjoyed the food. Over the years I stopped enjoying
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Difficulties and Obstacles of Food Service and Relate Fields Shaw
By Jacob Shaw5
cafeteria food and became disgusted by what I saw around me. Once I hit middle school I
made up the decision not to eat in cafeterias again because of the lack of cleanliness. I
was concerned for my health and I decided that I would rather bring my lunch to school
than get sick from dirty food that the lunch ladys were serving. Restaurant businesses
started getting regulated much more harshly with the growing concern for food borne
illness. This problem is not common today but exists in schools, which in my opinion is
unacceptable. Certain investigations have unveiled a slew of reports that harmful
practices still occur even though it is not as common as it once was.
Kerry Tomlinson writes that several schools that they have personally
investigated violated health codes and put students at risk. Kerry Tomlinsons
investigation showed that every school did not have the same problems if they had any
problems at all but a select few had concerning results. Some schools failed in putting
away food in a proper way putting students and faculty health at risk. Others failed to
clean up after spilled food.
Rosedale Elementary School had mold and mildew that was located in the school
ice machine. This concerns parents because some children are more susceptible to
dangerous exposures like mold. Kerry Tomlinson highlights the fact that mold takes a
while to grow so it shows a level of neglecting by the school staff. I have personally seen
mold in ice machines at my old high school. Before marching band practice everyday we
would fill up the water coolers with ice and on the lid of the ice machine was black mold.
At the University of North Carolina at Charlotte there are several cafeterias. Two
of the cafeterias are traditional and are run by the company Chartwell. Various other food
Comment [JS6]: Needs revision: Startedbecoming more regulated.
Comment [JS7]: Revise so it is more clearwhat point is attempting to be made in this
sentence.
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Difficulties and Obstacles of Food Service and Relate Fields Shaw
By Jacob Shaw6
businesses are scattered across campus and include: chic-fil-a, Wendys, Mama Leonas,
Brueggers Bagels, Subway, Bistro 49, and several others.
Research: Common Problems with Restaurants
As Alex Roe points out, some of the major concerns in restaurants is the overall
cost for opening and running the business. Chefs require a much higher salary than
normal staff. Restaurants also need the regular staff that includes: waiters, waitresses,
hosts, bartenders, and much more.
Observation: Fretwell Caf
In my personal experience at Fretwell Caf I noticed a variety of ideas and
concepts that appear to speak for this business success. Employees are respectful to the
consumer regardless of how the consumer treats the employee. This aspect is important in
maintaining good relationships with customers. Cleanliness in my opinion is by far king
when it comes to the important concepts of a restaurant. Clean tables encourage people to
sit down. I hate dirty tables and in most cases I refuse to sit anywhere that does not
appear clean. If I am unwilling to sit because of a cleanliness concern, I have highly
unlikely to buy and or eat at this location. Cleanliness also stretches beyond the table and
into the kitchen. Fretwell Caf has very clean countertops, which is important to the
sanitary part of this business. If the countertops are dirty contamination is possible and
could threaten the health of its consumers. The health of the consumers is important
because it could play a major role in any legal action taken against the business.
Fretwell Caf is unique because of its location. It is located at the bottom of the
Fretwell building on the campus of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and is
housed in the bottom of one of the major college buildings. Its location is unique because
Comment [JS8]: Add comma after dirty tomake sentence clear.
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Difficulties and Obstacles of Food Service and Relate Fields Shaw
By Jacob Shaw7
it allows easy access to a caf without traveling far at all. Its location is beneficial to the
business because it is the closest restaurant and caf for at least a quarter mile for most
residence and scholars on the east side of campus.
Observation: Comparison to Crown Commons
Crown Commons is another popular location on the Campus of the University of
North Carolina at Charlotte. It is the most popular place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
If you compare Crown Commons to Fretwell Caf you notice a variety of differences as
well as similarities. Food prepared at Crown is created on a mass scale. They create
enough food to feed a lot of people and do not focus on the individual. Crown also has a
larger variety of foods to choose from. Fretwell and Crown differ primarily on the target
audience. While crown commons attracts the hungry individual and lunch, Fretwell pulls
in the scholar that is having trouble staying awake. They pull in customers that want
coffee or want a more personalized bite to eat. A student that wants to study for a test
next class is far more likely to eat at Fretwell than Crown Commons. The Atmosphere is
important to the type of individual that each appeals too and ultimately helps in catering
to that specific group.
The two businesses are very similar as they both provided good customer service.
Both maintain clean environments and strive to create quality food. Fretwell and Crown
also appeal to the same audience but they target different groups. I personally enjoy
Fretwell more than Crown but I eat at crown out of convenience.
Conclusion:
This paper includes a number of sources that bring attention to the inherent
difficulties of running a food based business. Food Service runs into a variety of
Comment [JS9]: Atmosphere should not becapitalized unless you are trying to make a poin
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Difficulties and Obstacles of Food Service and Relate Fields Shaw
By Jacob Shaw8
problems and hurdles to jump through. We often take for granted to work put into
preparing our food and we overlook the hardships that we deem so simple. Restaurants
like Fretwell Caf face an uphill battle on a daily battle to survive. I, for one take these
businesses for granted on the daily bases and until now had no idea of the difficulties and
challenges faced by these businesses.
i
i My group members stated that my paper is strong but at some points lacks complete clarity. It also
just shy of the required length so I need to add more content in places that are not well supported.
Comment [JS10]: Need longer and moredescriptive conclusion.
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