Marketing & Research Analysis 201

ELECTRONIC
ASSIGNMENT
COVERSHEET
32055685, 32083675, 32598735, 32470635
Student Number
Fazel, Hamilton, Rizvi, Edirisuriya
Surname
Given name Karima, Jamaal, Maham, Lee Roy Stefan
Kareema.Karim@murdochdubai.ac.ae,
Jamaal.Hamilton@murdochdubai.ac.ae,
Email
Maham.Rizvi@murdochdubai.ac.ae,
Lee.Edirisuriya@murdochdubai.ac.ae

Unit Code BUS268

Unit name Marketing and Research Analysis
Enrolment mode Internal
Date 11 October 2014
Assignment number 1
Assignment name Literature Review
Tutor Ms. Madhavi Ayyagari

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Leisure and Fine dining

A study of the customer preferences in
the United Arab Emirates
1. INTRODUCTION

Fine dining has been institutionalized as far as the 1900's and been
an effective atmosphere amongst the social class. It was first
adopted by the French cuisine and over the decades it has been
exposed to other cuisines to keep up with modern trends
surrounding the global such as the Indian, Mexican, French, Italian
cosine offering an experience to its customers with not namely the
food they consume but as well as the setting, the atmosphere, the
ambience and professionally catered customer service. Dubai, being
known as one of the emerging cities in todays world economy, has
also adopted fine dining to its exquisite clientele and its been a
favored option amongst the tourists who reside at the hotel.
The untapped market which is the local people (Emiratis) and the
expats that constitute this city has been unresolved. Prior research
suggests that locals and UAE residents eat up to 11 times a week
outside, however preferring casual restaurant and local fast food
franchises as a crowd favorite. It also suggest that the Chinese
cuisine is the popular option amongst the residents and locals for
take-away and Italian has proven to be the crowd favorite for people
choosing to dine in.
2. Objectives:
To study the leisure and eating out habits of the UAE residents

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 Marketing & Research Analysis 201
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To study the customer preferences for fine-dining options
To examine Brand perceptions about and brand preference for
Jumeirah Beach Hotel

3. LITERATURE REVIEW:

An examination of literature revealed the following drivers of brand

preference with respect to fine dining.

i. Dining Occasion:
Dining occasion also acts as a variable of consumer behavior
determining dining behavior. Individuals may have preferences for
one restaurant over the other based on the occasion or intended
purpose of the visit. For example, preference for celebration of
anniversary may differ from a business meal with colleagues.
The choice factors in the restaurant decision process may be based
on 4 occasions; a celebration, social occasion, convenience/quick
meal and business meal (Auty, 1992). The occasion will define the
purpose of the visit, hence, playing a pivotal role in determining
what other brand preference elements come into play.

H0: dining occasion does not have an influence on the choice of

restaurant selected.
H1: dining occasion has an influence on the choice of restaurant
selected.

ii. Servicescape Satisfaction:

Booms and Bitner (1992), who studied the physical environment in
which a service takes place, introduced Servicescape satisfaction.
The physical surrounding, cleanliness and the ambiance of the fine
dining restaurant will be the contributor for a visitors preference of
a restaurant. The music playing or the lighting in the restaurant will

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affect many consumers behavior. They will consider factors such as
whether the music is soft or loud, lighting is dim or bright, the noise
level at the restaurant and if the spacing of the venue allows for
comfort and intimacy. The decor including the furniture style,
comfort of seating, paintings and other facilities may have an
impact on how diners perceive and rate the restaurant.
A positive relationship is found between the restaurant facility
aesthetics, which included the dcor, and behavioral intentions,
moderated by pleasure (Ryu and Jang, 2007). Research show that
cleanliness has a positive effect on the servicescape, not only is the
cleanliness of the restaurant is said to be important, but also the
waiters clothes and appearance is considered. Atmosphere is the
most important attribute, after food quality, concerning the choice
of the restaurant (Lewis, 1981). For a consumer, a complete dining
experience would not just include food but also the physical setting
and the service provided.

H0: physical setting has no influence on the choice of restaurant

selected.
H2: physical setting has an influence on the choice of restaurant
selected.

iii. Value for money:

If a consumer perceives the value received to be less than the price
paid, then it is likely that the consumers evaluation of the
experience will be mostly negative. With increasingly evolving
lifestyles, experienced consumers have high expectations with
regards to the quality and service while seeking a value for the
money they have paid to obtain the service.
Hence, restaurants will successfully retain customers by offering
good food and exceptional service, along with value in this
competitive market today.

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 Marketing & Research Analysis 201
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H0: Value for money has no effect on the choice of a restaurant.
H3: Value for money has an effect on the choice of a restaurant.

iv. Food Quality:

The quality of food and service will remain a key determinant of how
a consumer perceives the dining experience. The key constituents of
quality remain food safety, unique taste, and variety of menu,
appeal and dietary acceptability. Consumers are increasingly
becoming more and more aware and concerned of the food they
consume and the cleanliness of operations in a restaurant. They
take into account issues such as uncooked food or food borne
illnesses while perceiving a restaurant as safe. They will also
consider aspects such as presentation, temperature, portion size
etc. Furthermore, dietary requirements such as low calories, gluten
free, vegan or vegetarian meals are also becoming increasingly
important for restaurants to serve as people are becoming more
worried about the food they consume (Sulek and Hansley, 2004).
If the food quality is not at par, the rest of the experience can
become secondary. Food quality can significantly have an effect on
the customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions (Namkung and
Jang, 2007) as it can influence the repeat purchase intentions of the
consumer.

H0: Food quality has no effect on restaurant choice in consumer

decision-making.
H4: Food quality has an effect on restaurant choice in consumer
decision-making.

v. Perceived Value and Reputation:

The perceived value of the dining experience and general reputation
amongst others play an important role in determining choice of
restaurant. This may be through word of mouth or general review,

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and recommendations based on experience of friends and family,
which greatly influences ones choice. Generally, satisfied customers
will share their pleasant experience with few whereas an unsatisfied
customer will share it with many leading to negative marketing.
Hence, word of mouth plays a key role in perceived value and
reputation of the restaurant.
Sometimes the perceived value may be that of exclusivity wherein
the potential customers may ignore the pricing and value of money
based on the derived value of the experience.

H0: perceived value and reputation have no influence on the choice

of restaurant selection.
H5: perceived value and reputation have an influence on the choice
of restaurant selected.

vi. Lifestyle and Demographic Characteristics

Consumers eating out behavior is distinctly altering due to the
changing lifestyles and demographics. Household compositions and
family sizes will also be a determinant of the frequency of eating out
and selection of restaurant. The family structure also influences
eating out habits as restaurant preference of a single parent will
differ from that of a young married couple with no children. The
demographic characteristics also significantly influence restaurant
patronage behavior. Consumers restaurant selection may vary
depending on the demographic characteristic to which they belong.
These variables may include age, gender, occupation, ethnicity,
location etc. For example, the restaurant preference for a 60 year
old would vary from that of a 20 year old. Similarly, demographics
can be used to exploit a niche market catering to a specific
characteristic.
H0: demographic characteristics do not influence the choice of a
restaurant selection.

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H6: demographic characteristics influence the choice of a restaurant
selection.

H0: changing consumer lifestyles has no influence on restaurant

selection.
H7: changing consumer lifestyles has an influence on restaurant
selection.

vii. Sales Promotion

Short term incentives such as special offers and discounts can
motivate consumers to choose a particular restaurant venue. High
price restaurant restaurants benefit from such offers more than
lower price restaurants as those consumers who could not afford the
restaurant otherwise may also avail the special offer and discount.
Restaurant owners can motivate patronage of consumers in upscale
restaurants by offering sales promotions.

H0: Promotional offers have no influence on the choice of restaurant

selection.
H8: Promotional offers have an influence on the choice of restaurant
selection.

viii. Image and social status

By going to certain high-end fine dining restaurants, consumers
satisfy their deeper emotional desires for social status, image and
belongingness i.e. the symbolic need satisfaction. The patronage of
certain groups of consumers at different classes of restaurant
implies that consumers may choose a restaurant based on the
restaurant image, as they relate the restaurant experience to their
social status. Consumers eating at a higher price restaurant may
consist of those of high rank and income whose motives include
need of a social and self-esteem nature. Such diners usually feel

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superior in the fine dining environment as they are well looked after,
with the ambiance and style suiting their esteem needs.

H0: restaurant image and consumers social status has no influence

on restaurant selection,
H9: restaurant image and consumers social status has an influence
on restaurant selection.

ix. Different Experience

Consumers are interested in experiencing a new food or an
ambiance of a restaurant that may have recently opened up or they
may have never come across before. Ethnic restaurants fall into this
category as some consumers consider such variety of experiences a
value in itself, thus being influenced. The consumers who want to
eat different than their day-to-day home meals often seek after such
an authentic experience. This also offers the consumers with the
opportunity to have an experience of a vacation, emotional and
symbolic, without having to leave home.

H0: unique experience has no influence on the choice of restaurant

selection.
H10: unique experience has an influence on the choice of restaurant
selection.

x. Service Promptness and Staff Friendliness

The delivery or the speed at which the food is delivered or served to
the customers, are said to be a very important factor in determining
brand preference of a specific restaurant. On the other hand, the
staff behavior, attitude and friendliness also affect the consumers
behavior in repeat purchase, i.e. it affects their choice of coming
back or not; recommending others or not etc.

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H0: Service Promptness does not affect consumers brand
preference of coming back or not
H11: Service Promptness has affect on consumers brand preference
of coming back or not

H0: Staff friendliness has no influence on consumers decision-

making process
H12: Staff friendliness has influence on consumers decision-making
process

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Review of each article

Restaurant marketing: selection and segmentation in Hong

Kong By Jaksa Jack Kivela (1997)

This article determines and studies how customers select a specific

restaurant. It uses Hong Kong as an example. The study based their
findings on categorizing four different types of restaurants, i.e. fine
dining/gourmet; theme/atmosphere; family/popular, and
convenience/fast-food restaurants. The study found out that even
though customers say that they would reject or select a restaurant
based on food quality and food type, their final perception in
selection or rejection is rather based on restaurant type, dining-out
occasions, age, and occupation (Kivela 1997). It suggests that
restaurateurs in making marketing strategies of consumers
perception and preferences should not be determined by only food
quality and type food in Hong Kong (Kivela 1997).

Customer satisfaction in the restaurant industry: an

examination of the transactionspecific model

By Syed Saad Andaleeb and Carolyn Conway (2006)

The purpose of this article is to determine the consumer satisfaction

in the full service restaurant industry. The study used secondary
research, qualitative interviews, and structured questionnaires. They
first used random sampling to select addresses from telephone
book, and later used judgment sampling to select the relevant
respondents. Various regression tools and factor analysis were used
in the study to test the model of customer satisfaction. The results
found that customers are less likely to be influenced by the physical
design and appearance of the restaurant; rather they were more
influenced by the service quality, prices, and food quality (Andaleeb

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 Marketing & Research Analysis 201
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and Conway 2006). The article suggests that restaurants should
focus on three elements in creating marketing strategy, i.e. service
quality, price, and reliability (food quality) (Andaleeb and Conway
2006).

Measuring Customer-Based Restaurant Brand Equity

By: Wo Gon Kim and Hing-Bumm Kim (2004)

This article measures the customers selection of a restaurant based

on brand equity in Seoul, Korea. The study consisted of 394
respondents who were asked to differentiate restaurants, with the
help of four elements of brand equity, i.e. brand awareness, brand
image, brand loyalty, and perceived quality. The results found that
brand awareness had played the most important element for
generating revenues for restaurants. While brand loyalty had the
least effect. The study also asked respondents to differentiate
restaurants based on high-performing and low-performing groups.
The results indicated that respondents rated a restaurant as high
performing due to product quality, knowledgeable employees, and
food served on time; while low performing restaurants were
criticized based on cleanliness, personnel experience, and quick
corrections to errors (Woo and Hong-Bumm 2004). This article
showed that familiarity of restaurants is a very important factor in
generating revenues.

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How determinant attributes of service quality influence
customerperceived value: An empirical investigation of
the Australian coffee outlet industry

BY: Po-Tsang Chen and Hsin-Hui Hu (2010)

This purpose of this article is to study how the customer-perceived

value in the coffee industry, is influenced by the attributes of food
and beverage, services, coffee quality and extra benefits. The study
was conducted with a sample size of 834 respondents from
independent coffee outlets. They were given out self-administrated
questionnaires, and various regression tools were used to analyse
the factors that influenced customer-perceived value, in relation to
determinant attributes of service quality. The study results showed
that factors of determinant attributes of service quality had
influence on the functional and symbolic needs (Chen and Hu 2010).
The study suggests that perceived value should be used as a base
in creating determinant attributes of service quality, and that
marketers needs to understand the consumption patterns of
customers by improving value perception, in regards to the
determinant attributes of service quality (Chen and Hu 2010).

Customer satisfaction with services: putting perceived

value into the equation

BY: Gordon McDougall and Terrence Levesque (2000)

This article looks at three elements i.e. core quality (the promise),
relational service quality (delivery), and perceived value; and its
relationship with customer satisfaction and future intentions. The
results from this study revealed that customers rated core service
quality and perceived quality as the most important factor for their
satisfaction, while relational quality was perceived as less important

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than other factors (McDougall and Levesque 2000). It was also
revealed that these three elements varied across different services,
and direct future intention was also established. The final conclusion
that the result illustrated were that marketers need to add both core
service quality and perceived value as an important tool in the
customer satisfaction model (McDougall and Levesque 2000).

Determinant Factors and Choice Intention for Chinese

Restaurant Dining

BY: Hailin Qu (2008)

This study investigates the important factors that drives customer to

Chinese restaurants in Indiana, and the factors that motivates
customers to return. The research in this study was carried out using
closed-ended questionnaire, and a systematic sample was used in
selecting respondents across three Chinese restaurants, and the
data analysis was done through several regression analyses. The
results indicated four important dimensions of why customers
choose to dine at Chinese restaurants and what drives them back.
The four dimensions or reasons where food and environment,
service and courtesy, price and value, location, and advertising
promotions (Qu 2008).

Measuring Customer Satisfaction w.r.t Restaurant Industry

in Bahawalpur

BY: Hasnain Safdar Butt and Muhammad Murtaza

The purpose of this study was to investigate the customer

satisfaction level in relation to restaurant industry in Bahawalpur.
The study used structured questionnaire as a research method and

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snowball sampling were used to select respondents, who were then
asked about their dining experiences. SERVQUALs five dimensions
were used and the respondents were asked to rate each restaurant
accordingly, where 1 indicated, strongly disagree, and 5 indicated,
strongly agree. The model was tested and the data gathered were
analysed through SPSS software, and the results were interpreted
(Butt and Murtaza 2011). The findings showed that food quality,
price and service quality were the main elements for driving
customers to a restaurant and with an intention to return in future
(Butt and Murtaza 2011).

Brand Familiarity and Advertising: Effects on the Evoked

Set and Brand Preference

BY: W. Baker, J. Hutchinson, D. Moore, and P. Nedungadi

This article talks about how brand familiarity and the exposure to
advertising influences brand preference. It defines brand awareness
and its elements i.e. brand recognition and brand recall. It also talks
about how these elements have an effect on brand preferences. It
illustrates that the more customers are exposed to a brand name,
the more they will be able to recognize and recall it, which may lead
to purchases. It then talks about the brand familiarity, and explains
that it generates a positive affective response towards the brand,
which may act as an input to the brand choice (Baker, et al. 1986).
This study concludes four effects of brand familiarity, i.e. it can
increase perceptual identification of a brand; it can increase the
likelihood of inclusion in the evoked set; it can have positive
perception towards the brand; and lastly, it can motivate customers
for purchase behaviour. The article also concludes that brand
familiarity is a practical, limited marketing tool for influencing
consumer-purchasing decision (Baker, et al. 1986).

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The Determinants and Effects of Slot Servicescape
Satisfaction in a Las Vegas Hotel Casino

By: Anthonty F. Lucas 2003

This article studies the effect of cleanliness, ambient conditions,

interior dcor and seating comfort, on slot servicescape satisfaction.
The study uses exploratory research and uses Las Vegas hotel
casino as an example to determine Bitner (1992) and Wakefield and
Blodgett (1996) work on servicescape satisfaction and its effects. It
uses one-tailed hypotheses and looks at the overall satisfaction
level of a consumer that can lead them to recommend the casino to
others, re-patronage and become brand loyal. Surveys were
conducted in Las Vegas Strip hotel casino and a field study was later
employed with 244 respondents (Lucas 2003). The study found out
five determinants of servicescape that can be controlled, and they
suggested that servicescape satisfaction has influence on the
overall experience.

Research Methodology

Research methodology is used to collect appropriate data to gain

the bases that needs to be used for research analysis.

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Some of the main issues that will be taken into consideration when
collecting data are:

What factors of brand preference of fine-dining restaurant, has

the most impact on consumers in decision making?
Does servicescape satisfaction affects consumers choice of
restaurant?
What are the eating-out habits of UAE residence?
Effect of brand awareness on consumers brand choice.
The effect of demographic categories in brand choice.

Data Collection

The main source of collecting data will be through closed-ended

questionnaires. It will be mainly conducted online, and will be tested
on people from different demographics. This will allow the
measurement of perception and behavior in relation to brand
preference on fine dining and leisure.

Reference List
1. Akinyele, S.T. "Customer Satisfaction And Service
Quality:Customer's Re-Patronage Perspectives." Global Journal
of Management and Busines Research, 2010: 83-90.

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2. Andaleeb, Syed Saad, and Carolyn Conway. "Customer
satisfaction in the restaurant industry: an examination of the
transactionspecific model." Journal of Services Marketing
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited) 20, no. 1 (2006): 3-11.
3. Baker, William, J. Wesley Hutchinson, Danny Moore, and
Prakash Nedungadi. "BRAND FAMILIARITY AND ADVERTISING:
EFFECTS ON THE EVOKED SET AND BRAND PREFERENCE."
Advances in Consumer Research (Association for Consumer
Research) 13 (1986): 637-642.
4. Butt, Hasnain Safdar, and Muhammad Murtaza. "Measuring
Customer Satisfaction w.r.t Restaurant Industry in
Bahawalpur." European Journal of Business and Management
(The International Institute for Science, Technology and
Education (IISTE)) 3, no. 5 (2011): 54-64.
5. Chen, Po-Tsang, and Hsin-Hui Hu. "How determinant attributes
of service quality influence customerperceived value: An
empirical investigation of the Australian coffee outlet
industry." International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality
Management (Emerald Group Publishing Limited) 22, no. 4
(2010): 535-551.
6. Hasher, Lynn, and Rose T Zacks. "Automatic processing of
fundamental information: The case of frequency of
occurrence. ." American Psychologist, 1984: 1372-1388.
7. Hayden Stewart, Noel Blisard, and Dean Jolliffe. "Americans
Weigh Taste, Convenience and Nutrition." Lets Eat Out, 2006.
8. Kaplan, Robert S., and David P. Norton. The Strategy-Focused
Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in
the New Business Environment. Harvard Business Review
Press, 2000.
9. Kivela, Jaksa Jack. "Restaurant marketing: selection and
segmentation in Hong Kong." International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality Management (Emerald Group
Publishing Limited) 9, no. 3 (1997): 116-123.
10. Ladhari, R, I Brun, and Morales. "Determinants of dining
satisfaction and Post dining behavioural intentions."
International Journal of Hospitality Management, 2008: 563-
573.
11. Lucas , Anthonty F. "The Determinants and Effects of
Slot Servicescape Satisfaction in a Las Vegas Hotel Casino."
UNLV Gaming Research & review Journal (University of
Nevada) 7, no. 1 (2003): 1-19.
12. Magnus Sderlund, Niclas hman. "Assessing behavior
before it becomes behavior: An examination of the role of
intentions as a link between satisfaction and repatronizing
behavior." International Journal of Service Industry
Management, 2005: 169-185.
13. McDougall, Gordon H.G., and Terrence Levesque.
"Customer satisfaction with services: putting perceived value

17
 into the equation." Journal of Services Marketing (Emerald
Group Publishing Limited) 14, no. 5 (2000): 392-410.
14. Mueller, R.D, A Palmer, R Mack, and R McMullan.
"Service in the restaurant industry: an American and Irish
comparison of service failures and recovery strategies."
International Journal of Hospitality Management, 2003: 395-
418.
15. Qu, Hailin. "Determinant Factors and Choice Intention for
Chinese Restaurant Dining." Journal of Restaurant &
Foodservice Marketing (Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group) 2,
no. 2 (Oct 2008): 35-49.
16. Ryan, Bill, and Laura Brown. "Evaluating Restaurant and
Culinary Opportunities." Downtown and Business District
Analysis, 2011.
17. "Special Focus: Measuring Leisure in OECD Countries."
Society at a Glance, 2009: 19-49.
18. William Baker, J. Wesley Hutchinson, Danny Moore, and
Prakash Nedungadi. "Effects on the Evoked Set and Brand
Preference." Brand Familiarity and Advertising, 1986: 637-642.
19. Woo, Kim Gon, and Kim Hong-Bumm. "Measuring
Customer-Based Restaurant Brand Equity." Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly (SAge Publishing) 45, no.
2 (2004): 115-131.
20. YG, Kim, Eves A, and Scarles C. "Building a model of
local food consumption on trips and holidays, a grounded
approach." International Journal of Hospitality Management ,
2009: 423-431.
21. ZAJONC, ROBERT B. "ATTITUDINAL EFFECTS OF MERE
EXPOSURE." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
1968: 1-27.

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Appendices
Appendix 1: Evaluation of restaurants:

Types of restaurants
International:
There are many types of restaurants worldwide that range from
small fast food stores to high end formal dining. The price ranges of
these places vastly vary and are targeted to different sets of people.
UAE:
There are many types of fast food restaurants in the UAE that range
from fast food to the very high end as well but they are generally
more tailored to the types of demographic population with the
majority that reside within the UAE as opposed to the range in the
United states or UK that would cover much more as a result of those
countries being very diverse with residents.

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 Quick Service Casual Dining or fast food;

Fast casual restaurants do not offer table service, but may

offer non-disposable plates and cutlery;

A casual dining restaurant that serves moderately-priced food

in a casual atmosphere;

Family style restaurants where food is traditionally served on

platters and the diners serve themselves; and

Fine dining restaurants.

Different types of Market Segment:

The downtown restaurants target three important segments.
Local Residents: Residents of the primary trade area are
typically the most important market segment for existing and
future restaurants in the downtown area (Ryan and Brown
2011).
Downtown Workers: Downtowns employers bring a daily
stream of workers increasing the daytime population and
spending at food service operations (Ryan and Brown 2011).
Visitors: Travelers to or through community represent an
important segment that allows restaurants to generate sales
from outside the trade area (Ryan and Brown 2011).

Location
The Location of the restaurant may also have an influence on its
demand and some criteria used when evaluating the location are:

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Traffic volume and direction on Main Street;

Visibility and accessibility;

Major demand generators downtown;

Proximity to hotels;

Meal periods most likely to draw customers;

Seasonal trends that could affect the business;

Space availability;

AM or PM side of the street;

Street frontage;

Outdoor seating;

Mix of local and national tenants nearby.

The restaurant experience includes much more than simply eating

what the customer wants (Akinyele 2010) Restaurants have to offer
meals that offer good value in a favorable ambience (Kaplan and
Norton 2000). Restaurant customers now look for experiences that
go beyond the food itself, and they use the restaurant as an arena
where they can relax, enjoy and socialize (Magnus Sderlund 2005).
Restaurateurs should not believe that merely meeting or exceeding
what is anticipated will satisfy customers, but should understand
that the actual performance will have a far greater predictive effect
on customers expectations and experiences (Ladhari, Brun and
Morales 2008). Mueller, Palmer, Mack and McMullan and Jensen and
Hansen suggest that national culture has an effect on research and
on restaurant customer expectations and experiences (Mueller, et
al. 2003).
In a study by Stewart, Blisard and Joliffe researchers tried to

21
determine what people value most when eating out in terms of
convenience, taste, and nutrition (Hayden Stewart 2006). They were
also trying to find out whether or not participants want healthy food
when they eat out and if they apply their health knowledge to the
food that they eat (Hayden Stewart 2006). In addition to the
categories mentioned above, it was also found that there were some
other reasons that people chose to eat out including entertainment
value, limited budget, and limited time (Hayden Stewart 2006). In
study about why people eat out while on vacation Kim, Eves and
Scarles showed that out that the exciting experience, the health
concerns, authentic experience, Prestige, physical environment,
escape from routine, Learning knowledge, togetherness sensory
appeal, physiological reasons, can all be added to the reasons as to
why people eat out (YG, A and C 2009).

Appendix 2: Measures varied on restaurant

preferences

Fine dining is based on

exemplary customer service
Fine-Dining Types
contrasting the nature of a
casual dining restaurant. Fine
dining services include cleaning
the table after each course or a
quick brush over the table.
Escorting customers to the table

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and in some scenarios to the
restroom, replacement of
napkins while the customer is
away, a full description of the
menu presented with prior
knowledge and training and
preparing the arrangement of the
food on the table rather than it
being placed at the kitchen.

Denoted as statistical data

evaluating factors such as age,
Demographics gender, family size, household,
income occupation, etc. United
Arab Emirates takes into account
of gender age household income
ethnicity and location of
residence as key elements to
evaluate consumer patterns and
trends. Since, The UAE has been
influenced with a population
where expats make up more than
84 percent of and the rest locals.
The National Restaurant
Association has identified five
major groups of frequent diners.
Lifestyle
Using demographic information,
one can estimate what portion of
the market may fall under the
below:

Busy parents of children

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 Older adults and empty
nesters (down-scale)

People who are

conveniences driven and
dislike cooking (with no
young children)

Young, urban professionals

with no kids

Educated adults driven by

taste and craving

Reports suggest that the Chinese

cuisine is the most preferred
choice for take away dinners and
Statistical data relating to the
the Italian cuisine is the UAEs
cuisines preferred
favorite cuisine at a sit down
restaurant (fine dining/casual
restaurants). Popular cuisines
such as Indian and Pakistan are
highly preferred by a significant
number as well but not as high
as the Italian, Where the report
also suggests that African
(Ethiopian) cuisine has proven to
be the residents least favorite
option at a dine in restaurant.

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Appendix 3: Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is one of the dimensions of brand knowledge. It is

the extent to which a brand is recognized, recalled and associated
correctly to a particular brand product. It consist of two important
measures, i.e. brand recognition and brand recall, which are a part
of brand awareness pyramid. The brand awareness pyramid
illustrates 4 different stages. 1st is the stage where potential target
audience are unaware of the brand, 2nd is the brand recognition, 3rd
brand recall, and 4th top-of-mind awareness (TOMA).
Brand Recognition The ability of a consumer to
identify a particular brand when
there is a brand cue. In other
words, it is the extent to which a
brand is recognized by its logo,
color, slogan etc. by the
audience without being exposed
to the brand name.

Brand Recall Qualitative measure of the

extent to which a brand is
associated with a particular
product category by consumers.
There are two types of brand
recall, i.e. aided and unaided
brand recall. Aided brand recall
is when a respondent is given a
list of brand names and is then
asked which one do they use, or
which one do they recall. On the
other hand, unaided brand recall
is when a respondent is given a
product category and is asked to
name all the brands that is
associated with this product
category.

Exposure In the exposure effect, Zajonc

(1968) has demonstrated that

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 exposure to a stimulus can
enhance the liking for that
stimulus independently of
cognitive evaluations or
contextual associations (ZAJONC
1968).
In other words the more a
consumer is exposed to a brand
the reactions to that particular
brand becomes more favorable.
(William Baker 1986). However,
repeated exposure decreases
arousal, facilitating stimulus
habituation, affect formation,
and an approach tendency.

Frequency Research done by Hasher and

Zacks (1984) suggests another
process by which brand
familiarity may mediate brand
preference. It suggests that
effects of automatic processing
can provide the input to
evaluative inferences consumers
draw about brands. Their
research strongly suggests that
an automatic frequency counting
mechanism exists in memory
(Hasher and Zacks 1984).
Basically, the mechanism
effortlessly provides relative
frequency information, which can
be the basis for consumer
inference-making (William Baker
1986).

TOMA Top-of-mind awareness is the

state when a particular brand
instantly comes to a consumers
mind, when they think of a
product category.

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Appendix 4: Brand Preference

Brand preference is the 2nd stage or a measure of brand loyalty. It is

when customers choose one specific brand over the competing
brands, in the acceptance of substitution and other factors if that
brand is not available.

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SES: Combination of economic and sociology that is based on the
measurement of an individuals education, income, occupation, and
status in the society. Such as: upper-middle class, middle class,
lower middle class, and working class. Relating it to brand
preference, consumers based on their SES tend to choose one brand
over the other. For example: an upper-middle class will choose a
luxurious restaurant for an evening out, while working class will
prefer a fast food restaurant.
Lifestyle: Help marketers by revealing what people do, why they
do it, and what doing it means to them and others. There are
different measures of lifestyle, two of them are: Values and lifestyle
(VALS), and Activity, interest and opinion (AIO). VALS measures
consumers education, age, sex, self-confidence, achievement level

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and status level, values of an individual, and all those factors that
motivates an individual. On the other hand, AOI measures
consumers activities, hobbies, entertainment, sports, interests,
beliefs, culture etc. Consumers tend to choose brands based on
their lifestyle.

Demo. & Psychographics: These are similar to SES and Lifestyle.

They measure an individuals education, income, sex, age,
occupation, status, family size, ethnicity etc. Family life cycle affects
a consumers perception in brand preference, due to the family size.
Bigger families with fewer earners tend to reduce the money for an
earner for example, which can affect the brand choice he/she
makes.
Affect-referral: Refers to the decision that consumers tend to
make about a brand, based on their past experience of that brand,
regardless of the attributes of a product. A positive experience of a
brand will make consumers choose that brand over competing
brands.
Perception: Positive perception will lead to brand choice, and vise
versa.
Brand Knowledge: Consumers tend to choose a brand based on
their awareness and knowledge of the brand. They tend to choose a
brand they are familiar with, in order to reduce the risk factor of
using a brand they are not familiar with. This concept can also be
related to exposure of advertisements. Researchers argue that
higher exposure to advertisements, can also lead to brand
preferences. Which means, the more the consumer is exposed to a
brands advertisement, the more they will be familiar with it, and
the higher will be the result of brand preferences.

Product Attributes: Product attributes are the configurable

characteristics that consumers perceive in a product. It can be non-
product related i.e. Price, packaging, user and usage imagery, or it
could be product related such as the color, size or the design of a
product. Customers will tend to choose brands based on these
characteristics, however brand switching can be a drawback.
Benefits sought: These are all the extra benefits that come with a
product. It can be promotional benefits such as discounts, vouchers,
free gifts etc., or it can be based on functional, symbolic and
experiential benefits, all varying for different products/services and
different customers.

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Appendix 5: The concept of Fine-dining and
Leisure

FINE-DINING:

Todays competitive market place has offered customer a broad

array of restaurant choices, fine dining was a new segment
developed by modern restaurateurs influenced by the French
cuisine. Fine dining is a mixture of food and art to create an
indulging customer experience. However in recent times, the
success of fine dining restaurants have depended on the
contemporary interior and attracts a younger audience than it was
opposed to, disregarding its stiff formality of the past. Each
restaurant offers a unique set of intangible and tangible products
and services provided to the customer, impacting customer
satisfaction along with atmosphere, service and image.

LEISURE:

Defined as a time spent amongst individuals, family and friends. A

time allotted to various activities such as sports, music, walks,
shopping, socializing, dining out etc. In many northwestern
European nations, practices of drinking and eating used to be
located within the household. This practice has recently changed
where family outings in bars and restaurants are becoming more
widespread. In a diverse country such as the United Arab Emirates,
a recent study conducted by Living Social and YouGov suggest UAE
residents eat out 11 times a week. The Chinese cuisine is emerging
as the most favorable and the Ethiopian cuisine as the least
favorable. Furthermore, it suggests that UAE residents are dining
out with their friends more than their spouse at a rate of 64% where
others dine with their intimate one at a rate of 58 percent.

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The amount and quality of leisure time is important for peoples
well-being for the satisfaction it brings. Additionally, leisure, taken in
certain ways, is important for physical and mental health. Leisure
also contributes to the well being of people other than the person
directly enjoying leisure. When a person engages in leisure, the
benefits gained are shared with others in a multitude of ways,
including improvements in personal relationships, family
functioning, and in terms of creation of social capital networks (at
least from some types of shared leisure) (Special Focus: Measuring
Leisure in OECD Countries 2009).

The diagram above Losier, Borque and Vallerand has shown that
leisure satisfaction can only be measured after there is motivation
for the activity. It is also shown that the satisfaction of leisure leads
to participation so if there is a high level of participation for a
certain leisure activity then it surely is satisfying.

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Types of leisure activities

Active Leisure:
These include activities that often occur outside of home and typically involve
contact with others. Engaging in active leisure activities provide benefits such
as skill development, learning and socializing. It is further divided into three
categories:
- Social leisure, where the primary focus is socializing with family and
friends;
- Cognitive leisure, where the focus is on hobbies, games and other mentally
stimulating activities and;
- Physical leisure, which includes sports and exercise.

Passive Leisure:
This is the time people spend at home in activities that are relaxing and require
little effort. Examples include watching television, listening to the radio or
music. Such activities do little to improve health and cognitive functioning as
they are commonly sedentary.

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Use of leisure time and market segments:

There are many factors governing the type of leisure activity an

individual may choose. Organisations today are spending a great
deal of time and are investing money in identifying their market
segments in order to develop products and services to meet the
needs of the consumers (OECD, 2009). Below are factors that may
influence the choices people make about how to use their leisure
time:
- Age group
- Gender
- Culture/social group
- Type of household
- Availability of local facilities
- Availability of transport
- Money available to spend
- Personal interests
- Influence of friends and family

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