Pacifico- Mexican

Cantina and Bar

Done by: Rebeka Pecko,
Serafina Li and Simran Desai

B.H.M.S.
Baselstrasse 57, 6003 Luzern
Lecturer: Mr. Bruno Baumann
Course: HMT 2200 F&B
Management
6/19/2015
Abstract

Pacifico is a Mexican Cantina and Bar that is ideally situated in the beautiful city of
Luzern. This establishment attracts many locals and tourists due to its charming
interiors and overall look that promises a true Mexican experience. It is well-known for
its wide range of cocktails, food items and lively atmosphere. Pacifico is a restaurant by
day and a bar by night thereby providing a meeting spot for many who get off work in
the evening.

Every dining establishment must balance three main criteria- Food, service and
ambience, in order for customers to return. They must also ensure that the prices of
products and services offered are leveled with their quality.

This report is written by Rebeka Pecko, Simran Desai and Serafina Li for the purpose of
examining whether or not Pacifico exceeds customer expectations and to what extent.
In order to get a better insight in to the day-to-day operations of Pacifico, the
researchers visited the restaurant to observe and interview some of the staff and even
some guests.

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction 3

2. In-depth Analysis 4

2.1. Service 4-5

2.2. Ambience 5-6

2.3. Food 6

3. Conclusion 7

4. Recommendations 8

5. Bibliography 9

6. List of Illustrations 10

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 1. Introduction

Located in the heart of new town Luzern is the Mexican-themed restaurant - Pacifico. A
warm and exquisite ambience, with kind and professional staff serving well-garnished
cocktails which have become a symbol and trade mark of this restaurant as well as the
food, which is very well presented, all compile to make Pacifico.

This is the perfect place to be seen at on weekends; due to this trend, a younger
clientele are attracted. Pacifico opens its door seven days per week, with adjusted
working hours for weekdays and weekends. During the week, this restaurant has a
relaxed and soothing feel complemented by a small number of guests spread over the
large area. However, during the weekends the large premises of the restaurant which
seems almost empty during the week becomes packed with the younger population with
an average age of 18 to 35 years.

With the aid of investigation, the researches will analyze “To which extent are
customer’s expectations exceeded through key aspects of food and beverage
management and personnel at Pacifico Restaurant?” With the investigation process
consisting of observing, interviewing, questioning and researching, using both primary
and secondary sources, the required information was collected.

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 2. In-depth Analysis

Pacifico, a “cantina” and watering-hole for many in Lucerne, aims to provide a true
Mexican experience through their ‘ever-popular fajitas, juicy steaks, home-smoked
spare ribs and Cajun wings in a stunning ambience’1. After 7 pm, the music is turned
up and the Mexican Cantina is now transformed into a bar with good music thus,
appealing to a younger crowd. A dining out experience has three main components-
Food, service and ambience and each of them have equal weightage in theory. Below
are each of the components applied to Pacifico which are discussed in detail.

2.1. Service

As mentioned above, service, food and ambience have an equal weightage in deciding
whether a dining establishment is worth visiting again. However ,in practice, we see that
good service brings back more people than good food or ambience.

When entering the establishment of Pacifico the aesthetic appeal of employees appears
to be professional. From their warm welcoming smiles to their neat uniforms, all of this
contributes to customer’s expectation of the standard of service that they are about to
receive. The waitresses are dressed in t-shirts and the waiters in shirts and waistcoats.
Although this might help to create an informal atmosphere, it does not reflect the high-
class feeling one expects when they walked in. During service, employees are kind and
seem genuinely interested in their guests but the waiting time for drinks and food is
quite long. Therefore they do not attract the business clientele during the day that is
looking for a quick bite. Employees show professionalism and an impressive skill set
when they recommend items from the menu depending on the preferences of the
guests or even personalize an item exclusively for them.

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http://www.pacifico-luzern.ch/englisch/restaurant.htm

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Employees claim that their relationships with their superiors are relaxed. This is also
seen through small jokes and laughter among them. During busy times, the superiors
are seen helping out the service staff with settling payments or serving of food items
and beverages. The manager and assistant manager also make it a point to pass by
tables when time permits to ensure customer satisfaction and get some feedback.

Therefore, they deliver the level of service promised. A few points could be worked on
to attract customers of a different market segment and exceed the expectations instead
of just meeting them. For example, they must minimize the waiting time for the order.
That way the working crowd will find it convenient during lunch hours and not only after
work. They could also work on upselling their products and special offers such as happy
hour through advertisement or informing the guests at the table.

2.2. Ambience

Ambience is defined as ‘the mood, special quality, or atmosphere of a place, situation,

etc.’2 Therefore it is not unusual for guests to pick a place where the ambience matches
their mood, age group, occasion, etc. Pacifico uses its location to its advantage by
changing the overall atmosphere during the day and
at night and therefore tapping into the different market
segments. They also provide different types of
seating arrangements to choose from. For example,
the terrace is open in summer, the bar stools, dining
table, etc.

The blood-red wall against the black and white tiles

catches the eye of all passers-by. Customers during the day usually come to spend
quality time with some friends or family over a good, home-styled meal. The soft music
in the background and sunlight pouring through the large windows helps to achieve a

2
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ambience

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light, relaxed atmosphere. But at night, the music is turned up and disco lights are
turned on as the younger crowd starts to come in for a drink.

Pacifico has a range of ‘celebrated cocktails and margaritas’3 and so even with the high
prices, people like to spend their evenings there. After interviewing some of the
customers, the researchers found out that people have different reasons for returning to
Pacifico, some like the ambience and the cocktails while others find it an appropriate
place to mingle with others of the same interests and social status as themselves.

2.3. Food

‘There is no love sincerer than the love of food’ (Shaw, 2015)

Food is one of the basic necessities of humans. Although we could cook food at home,
we go out for several reasons such as business-related purposes, social occasions and
sometimes just to be pampered. Pacifico has a wide
choice of tex-mex food and even some Swiss
specialties such as rösti and Weiner schnitzel.

Simply looking at the menu, one would want to try

everything from the juicy steaks and home smoked
spare ribs to the fajitas. Some margaritas to accompany
the food should immediately give you the sense of
being in Mexico. However, the price-value is not at the
same level of the food served. For example, a plate of fajitas for one person costs CHF
38.90 and the burgers are priced at CHF 32. The drinks are also more expensive than
the neighboring bars and restaurants although, they do have happy hour on all drinks
from 5.30 pm to 8 pm.

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http://www.luzern.com/en/restaurantpacificoluzern

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 3. Conclusion

As previously stated, Pacifico is a Mexican restaurant with various specialties and it

transformes into a bar after 7 p.m., especially for the young crowd who would like to
socialize after work. Due to the well-groomed waiters and beautiful interiors, the
customers look forward to a dining experience that will exceed their expectations. Its
central location is ideal for both, locals and tourists.

During service, the employees and even the managers’ show genuine interest in the
customers by ensuring customer satisfaction. But the waiting time for the food and
beverage is quite long which is undesirable, especially for business customers who do
not have much of time for lunch.

They play loud music and dim the lights after 7 p.m. But during the day, bold red walls,
soft music and big open windows also attract passers-by to drop in, even if it is just for a
drink. The various attractive items on the menu sound very tempting but the high price
may curb some of the customers desire from trying some items. However they also
provide happy hours from 5.30 pm to 8 pm, during which they offer good deals on all
drinks.

Overall, Pacifico is a restaurant with a unique, attractive atmosphere that provides

ggood and attentive service, and it is a popular place for the young, working crowd to
meet up in spite of the high prices for above average food and drinks.

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 4. Recommendations

After analyzing the different aspects of the restaurant Pacifico, the researchers have
taken notice of the positive and negative points. Some suggestions to increase guest
satisfaction and thus creating returning, loyal customers are as listed below:

1. The waiting staff must be more organized in terms of the segregation of the
restaurant. It is important to create a bond with customers and in order to do so; the
same waiter must attend to their allocated tables.

2. Consider changing the waitress’ uniform so as to have the same style as the waiters.
This will create a more complete overall look.

3. Improve waiting time for drinks and food as it can attract more business customers
who just want to have a quick bite with their colleagues or clients.

4. Proof read the menu more thoroughly in order to avoid spelling mistakes.

5. Put more effort and resources to advertise special offers such as happy hour and
unique dishes available here.

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 5. Bibliography

Baumann, B. (2015). Welcome to HMT 2200- F&B Management. 1st ed. Luzern.
Available at: http://bruno-
baumann.ch/BrunoWork/BHMS/HMT2200/Block%2001%20HMT%202200.pdf
[Accessed 4 Jun. 2015].

3Luzern.com, (2015). Pacifico - Lucerne. Available at:

http://www.luzern.com/en/restaurantpacificoluzern [Accessed 3 Jun. 2015].

1Pacifico, (2015). Pacifico. Available at: http://www.pacifico-

luzern.ch/englisch/restaurant.htm [Accessed 4 Jun. 2015].

Shaw, G. (2015). Quotes About Food (1443 quotes). Goodreads.com. Available at:
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/food [Accessed 11 Jun. 2015].

2TheFreeDictionary.com, (2015). Ambience. Available at:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ambience [Accessed 11 Jun. 2015].

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 6. List of Illustrations

1. Bar at Pacifico, n.d. Photograph, viewed 04 June 2015,

<http://www.pacifico-luzern.ch/englisch/ihranlass.htm>.

2. Restaurant Pacifico, n.d. Photograph, viewed 04 June 2015,

<http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g188064-d1071291-i47657696-
Pacifico-Lucerne.html>

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