CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND SERVICE QUALITY AT FAFA`S

RESTAURANT

Bachelor’s thesis

Valkeakoski

International Business

Spring 2017

Daria Tcvetkova
 ABSTRACT

International Business
Valkeakoski

Author Daria Tcvetkova Year 2017

Subject Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality at Fafa`s

Restaurant

Supervisor(s) Dawn Aarnio

ABSTRACT

The commissioning company of this thesis is Fafa’s restaurant, which

opened in Tampere in 2016. Fafa’s restaurant is a chain of fast-food
concept restaurants located in several cities in Finland. The purpose of the
research is to analyse customer satisfaction and service quality at the
commissioning company and find positive solutions for its improvement.

The theoretical framework of the study includes different theories on

customer satisfaction and quality of the service, models and dimensions of
customer satisfaction and service quality, tools for measuring customer
satisfaction and service quality and importance of those measurements.
The information has been derived from online and printed versions of
journal articles and different marketing books.

The main method for collecting the information is quantitative research,

which was carried out by a customer satisfaction and service quality
survey. The results of the survey were analysed and all answers of the study
were taken into consideration.

The main recommendations for improving customer satisfaction and

quality of the service at Fafa`s restaurant include the idea of expanding the
space in the restaurant and opening the second location in the future,
being more active on social media channels to maintain customer’s
awareness as well as being more conscious about serving different types
of food.

Keywords customer satisfaction, service quality, restaurant business

Pages 41 pages including appendices 5 pages

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Company Background ......................................................................................... 1
1.2 Research Objectives ............................................................................................ 3
1.3 Research Question .............................................................................................. 3
1.4 The Framework of the Research ......................................................................... 3
1.5 Research Methods .............................................................................................. 3
1.5.1 Quantitative Research ............................................................................. 4
1.5.2 Qualitative Research................................................................................ 4
1.5.3 Data Collection ........................................................................................ 4
1.5.4 Target Group of the Research and Size of the Sample............................ 4

2 THEORY ........................................................................................................................ 5
2.1 Customer Satisfaction ......................................................................................... 5
2.1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 5
2.1.2 Definition of Customer Satisfaction ........................................................ 5
2.1.3 Factors Determining Customer Satisfaction............................................ 5
2.1.4 Kano Model of Customer Satisfaction ..................................................... 7
2.1.5 Advantages of Kano model ...................................................................... 8
2.2 Service Quality..................................................................................................... 8
2.2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 8
2.2.2 Definition of Service Quality .................................................................... 8
2.2.3 Dimensions of Service Quality. SERVQUAL model .................................. 9
2.2.4 The Eight-Point Framework for Delivering the Service ........................... 9
2.2.5 Quality Control ...................................................................................... 13
2.3 Importance of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality Measurement ....... 13
2.3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 13
2.3.2 The Importance of Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality
14
2.3.3 The Benefits of Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality 16
2.3.4 Tools for Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality .......... 17

3 THE ANALYSIS OF THE RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................. 19

3.1 Nationality of the Customers ............................................................................ 19
3.2 Age of the Customers ........................................................................................ 20
3.3 Gender of the Customers .................................................................................. 21
3.4 Food Preferences of Fafa’s Restaurant Customers ........................................... 21
3.5 Frequency of the Restaurant Visits ................................................................... 22
3.6 Time of the Restaurant Visits ............................................................................ 23
3.7 Days of the Restaurant Visits ............................................................................ 24
3.8 Sources of Information about Fafa’s Restaurant .............................................. 24
3.9 Customers’ Experience ...................................................................................... 25
3.10 Variety of Meals on the Menu .......................................................................... 29
3.11 Satisfaction Level of Service Quality at Fafa’s Restaurant ................................ 30
 3.12 Quality/Price Ratio at Fafa’s Restaurant ........................................................... 31
3.13 Recommendations by Fafa’s visitors ................................................................. 31

4 SWOT ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................... 32

5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION .................................................................................. 34

REFERENCES.................................................................................................................... 35

Appendices
Appendix 1 Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality Survey at Fafa`s Restaurant
Appendix 2 Open Answers to the Open-Ended Questions of the Customer Satisfaction
and Service Quality Survey at Fafa’s Restaurant
 1

1 INTRODUCTION

The restaurant industry is the sphere of business which is rapidly growing

nowadays. Entrepreneurs pay considerable attention to this field as it is
becoming more widespread and in demand. There is a great
competitiveness on the market in this area today; hence it is important to
continually improve the service to satisfy customer’s needs and desires.
The better the service is provided, the more profitable the business is.

As life is getting more hectic, the fast-food concept restaurants are gaining
more and more popularity among full-service restaurants due to its time-
efficiency and cost saving. Fast food used to be associated with something
unhealthy and caloric, however, for the past few years everything has
considerably changed. More and more restaurants are offering healthy and
delicious food which can also suit people with different diets and allergies.
In Finland, there are many vegan and vegetarian people. Therefore, lots of
the cafes and restaurants are trying to offer as many options as possible to
suit the customer`s specific needs.

Fafa`s restaurant is one of the fast-food concept restaurants in Finland

which offers healthy and delicious food. Due to the high level of
competitiveness on the market, it is vital to keep up with the quality of
service, to leave the customers satisfied and be able to build a robust and
loyal customer base. Therefore, customer satisfaction and service quality
research were conducted to improve the restaurant`s efficiency, service
and attract more customers.

The methodological approach includes primary research which consists of

a structured survey to gather data for analysing the problem and finding
solutions for the improvement of Fafa’s restaurant.

The structure of the work consists of the company`s introduction, a current

situation analysis, research objectives, question, and methods. In addition,
the theoretical framework is implemented, research is done, and data is
analysed. In conclusion, recommendations are given, and results are
summarised.

1.1 Company Background

Fafa`s restaurant is a five-year-old restaurant with a fast-food concept

famous for its healthy and delicious food. Fafa`s has a large and loyal
customer base, and it has been chosen as the best street food restaurant
in Helsinki several times. The restaurant operates in five big cities around
Finland such as Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Lahti, Tampere, and Turku. (Fafa’s 2015)
 2

The case company of this research is Fafa`s restaurant located in Tampere.

It was opened in February 2016, and it is situated in the city centre on
Aleksanterinkatu 29. The restaurant offers a variety of vegan and
vegetarian options as well as meals containing meat. The main products
are gluten-free falafels and fresh pita bread. Customers have the possibility
to choose from various ingredients to serve pita with. It can vary from
vegetables (cabbage and pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers,
cauliflower, eggplant), sauces (matbucha, tahini, kalamata olive paste,
pesto, tzatziki), boiled egg, cheese (halloumi, feta, goat cheese), chicken or
kebab. There are also regular fries and sweet fries. (Fafa`s 2015) Besides,
Fafa`s offers catering for various occasions starting from a party of five, to
a one hundred people’ event. The orders can be made no later than two
days before the event, and they are processed during the weekdays only.
There is a page on Fafa`s official web page where customers can leave the
order for the catering indicating the meal plan and number of people.
(Fafa’s 2015) The menu is offered both in Finish and English languages, and
it is shown below:

Figure 1. Fafa`s Menu (Fafa’s 2015).

Fafa`s is also famous because of its internationality. Most employees are

foreigners from countries such as Portugal, Great Britain, Poland, Israel,
Russia, Italy, Denmark, and Finland. English is the primary language used in
the restaurant, and most of the customers are aware of this fact and are
keen and happy to speak English. The restaurant is known for its friendly
 3

service. Moreover, Fafa’s has always been present during mass events such
as various music festivals, for instance. During summer, there is a terrace
opened so that customers can enjoy the warm and sunny weather outside
while having their meals. The restaurant has the partnership with the most
famous delivery companies in Finland such as Wolt and Foodora. This year,
Wolt company made a rating of ten’s top most ordered dishes in Tampere
and Fafa`s’ ’Halloumi Pita’ got the fourth position. (Wolt Blog 2017.)

1.2 Research Objectives

In this research, there are two primary objectives identified:

- to measure customer satisfaction at Fafa`s restaurant and come up

with the ideas for its improvement
- to measure restaurant` service quality and find ways to improve it

1.3 Research Question

To complete this analysis, the following research question should be

answered: ‘’How can customer satisfaction and the quality of service be
improved at Fafa’s restaurant? ‘’

1.4 The Framework of the Research

In this research, the following theory has been covered:

 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

 Factors Determining Customer Satisfaction
 Kano Model of Customer Satisfaction
 Advantages of Kano Model
 Definition of Service Quality
 Dimensions of Service Quality, SERVQUAL Model
 The Eight-Point Framework for Delivering the Service
 Quality Control
 The Importance of Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Service
Quality
 The Benefits of Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality
 Tools for Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

1.5 Research Methods

According to Kothari, research methods refer to the methods the

researchers use in performing research operations (Kothari 2004, 7-8.)
There are several types of the research. The most common types include
quantitative and qualitative research methods.
 4

1.5.1 Quantitative Research

Quantitative research focuses on the numerical data, amounts and

statistical information. It can be done through various questionnaires,
polls, and surveys. It is easier to analyse quantitative data than qualitative
one due to easy access to the countable data. (Gerson 1993, 55.)

1.5.2 Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is all about content. It is used to understand thoughts,

motivations, opinions of people and underlying reasons for it. It is more
flexible and can be derived from the interviews and own observations.
Qualitative data can be hard to analyse due to a significant and various
scope of information. (Gerson 1993, 55.)

1.5.3 Data Collection

There is a primary and secondary data when it comes to collecting

information. Primary data is new data which is gathered for the current
research. It takes more time, efforts and resources to collect the primary
data comparing to the secondary one. Secondary data is the information
which already exists and which is easily accessible. The advantage of
receiving the secondary data is that it saves time and costs. (Gerson 1993,
53-54.)

1.5.4 Target Group of the Research and Size of the Sample

The aim of this thesis is to research customer satisfaction and quality

service level at Fafa’s restaurant and find positive solutions for its
improvement. In this study, a quantitative approach was used to gather a
primary data. The survey consisted of 16 questions including three open-
ended questions. The form of the survey can be found in Appendix 1. The
answers to the open-ended questions can be found in Appendix 2. The
study was conducted at Fafa’s restaurant in Tampere. The printed versions
of the survey were handed between 15th of April 2017 to 15th of May 2017.
75 respondents were participating in the study.
 5

2 THEORY

2.1 Customer Satisfaction

2.1.1 Introduction

Customer satisfaction is a core of every business. Company`s profitability,

reputation, sales, service, image - all these factors depend on customers;
therefore, they must always be treated at its best. In the modern economy,
the equilibrium between customer satisfaction and company`s profitability
is a key to any business success. Many authors and scientists give various
definitions on customer satisfaction. In the following paragraph, the most
common definitions of customer satisfaction will be introduced.

2.1.2 Definition of Customer Satisfaction

Kotler and Keller gave the most comprehensive definition of customer

satisfaction. They defined it as follows: “person's feeling of pleasure or
disappointment which resulted from comparing a product's perceived
performance or outcome against his/her expectations” (Kotler and Keller
2006, 144.)

According to Rai (Rai 2008, 7.), the formula for customer satisfaction is the
following: customer satisfaction equals customer perception of the service
received minus customer expectation of the customer service. Referring to
this method, the conclusion is that if customer’s perception of the service
exceeds customer’s expectation, then a client stays satisfied as well as the
opposite; if customer’s perception is less than customer’s expectations,
then a client gets dissatisfied.

Tse and Wilton identified customer satisfaction as ‘’the consumer’s

response to the evaluation of the perceived discrepancy between prior
expectations (or some norm of performance) and the actual performance
of the product as perceived after its consumption’’. (Tse & Wilton 1988,
204.)

According to Gerson, customer satisfaction is a customer’s perception of

the expectations that have been or have been not met. The buyer obtains
the product or service and expects it to work well. If it does, the customer
is satisfied if it is not, the customer is dissatisfied. (Gerson 1993, 5.)

2.1.3 Factors Determining Customer Satisfaction

As it was mentioned before, customer satisfaction is a key to a company`s

success; therefore, the goal of every organisation is to keep track of
customer satisfaction level on the continuous basis. There are few main
 6

factors determining customer satisfaction. The scheme below explains

those factors in details:

Figure 2. The Scheme of Customer Satisfaction and its

Determinants (Gegeckaitė 2011).

First, the opinion about the product itself is formed long before obtaining
the service (primary expectations, opinion, impression). Therefore, the
very first impression of experiencing the service is crucial for the company’s
future success. When the customer finally gets to experience a service or
product, there are two outcomes:

 If customer`s expectations were met or exceeded, a customer stays

satisfied
 If customer`s expectations were higher than service provided, a
customer gets dissatisfied

The factor which influences future satisfaction or dissatisfaction is

customer’s first impression (behaviour, emotions, reaction, experience). It
depends on how the customer was welcomed (employee’s competence,
friendliness), on the quality of the service provided, on such factors as
physical environment and price/quality ratio of the service. Businesses
should consider each of those factors to keep customers happy and
satisfied.
 7

2.1.4 Kano Model of Customer Satisfaction

The Kano model of customer satisfaction was developed by Dr Noriaki Kano

and his colleagues in 1984 to categorise the attributes of a product or
service, based on how well they can satisfy customers’ needs. (Kano et al.,
1984.) The graph below pictures the process of the model:

Figure 3. Kano Model of Customer Satisfaction (Berger et al. 1993,

2).

The model shows a connection between a product/service performance

and customer satisfaction. It reflects three types of product requirements
which influence customer satisfaction in diverse ways.

The first requirement is so called ‘’must-be’’ requirement. This is a very

basic need of a product or service for every company since if ‘’must-be’’
requirement is not fulfilled the customer will not be interested in a product
at all. Very often customers take this attribute for granted therefore the
satisfaction is not increased but stays stable instead.

The one-dimensional requirement is corresponding with the fulfilment

level meaning that the better requirement is fulfilled, the more customer
is satisfied and vice versa. One-dimensional requirements are usually
technical and easily measurable.

Attractive requirements have the biggest influence on customer

satisfaction level. It is not expected by the customer; hence there is no
dissatisfaction if the requirements were not met. If this requirement is
 8

entirely fulfilled, the client is more than satisfied. (Elmar Sauerwein,

Bailom, Matzler, & Hinterhuber 1996, 1-2.)

2.1.5 Advantages of Kano model

There are a few benefits of using the Kano model:

 The criteria of the product or service with the biggest influence on

customer satisfaction can be easily identified
 Must-be requirement is already on the satisfactory level; hence there
is no use to improve it
 For the increase of customer satisfaction, it is better to develop one-
dimensional or attractive requirement

2.2 Service Quality

2.2.1 Introduction

The service industry requires close employees and customers’ interaction.

The outcome of this interaction leads either to high or low service quality
level. The high standard of service quality attracts more clients and allows
to build a significant and loyal customer base. The quality of the service is
determined by consumers’ perception of the service meaning customers’
satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The research shows that it is much harder to
obtain new customers than keeping the existing ones. (Tricia Morris, 2016.)
Nowadays companies invest a considerable amount of money into
different management programs where they can learn how to obtain and
keep new customers. It is worth investing in these programs because the
loyal customer base is an index of an excellent quality service. As William
Foster says, “Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high
intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skilful execution; it
represents the wise choice of many alternatives.” William A. Foster
(Goldstein, 2009.)

2.2.2 Definition of Service Quality

There are many different definitions of service and service quality. Philip
Kotler, for example, identified service as ‘’an act or performance that one
party can offer to another that is essentially intangible and does not
result in transfer of ownership’’ (Kotler et el, 2012.)

Asubonteng gave the following definition of service quality: ‘’service

quality can be defined as the difference between customer expectation for
service performance prior to the service encounter, and their perceptions
of the service received’’. (Asubonteng et al, 1996.)
 9

Service quality is an assessment of how well a delivered service meets

customer’s expectations. Businesses shall assess the service quality
provided to their clients to improve the efficiency of the service, to quickly
identify problems, and to better assess customer satisfaction.
(BusinessDictionary 2017)

2.2.3 Dimensions of Service Quality. SERVQUAL model

The service quality measures how well service meets customer’s

expectations. Every customer has different expectations what makes
service quality a major challenge to any business owner. Customers will
take several dimensions into account when determining service quality of
business. Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry identified five dimensions to
evaluate the quality of the service: reliability, tangibles, responsiveness,
assurance and empathy. (Parasuraman et al. 1985,41-50.) They called it
SERVQUAL model for the quality control. Business owners must always
consider all dimensions to provide the highest quality service possible:

 Reliability is the most critical aspect in the service quality meaning to

be able to provide the service in the way that it was promised to the
customer. It is important that businesses can fulfil the service they
advertise. For example, if the product was guaranteed to be
delivered in thirty minutes then it must be offered within this time
frame, and this is the factor called reliability
 Tangibles consist of the physical environment of the service. It can be
design of the building or an office or appearance of employees
 Responsiveness means responding to a customer within a particular
time frame. It is vital that businesses can react to a customer
efficiently. For example, if the client calls with a complaint or request
about a product or service received, the issue must be solved
immediately and not postponed for the next time
 Assurance involves knowledge, competencies, and skills of
employees and their ability to educate their customers
 Empathy shows individual approach to every customer

2.2.4 The Eight-Point Framework for Delivering the Service

Ability to manage customers’ complaints is one of the key elements of

every company`s success. Nowadays many companies do not pay proper
attention to this branch of the business due to the vast scope of work they
have. Businesses do not analyse the content of the complaints what leads
to the same mistakes and, hence, customers’ dissatisfaction. To avoid it,
companies shall learn more on how to manage customer`s complaints in
the most efficient way possible.

The eight-point framework for delivering the service was developed to

manage and approach any customer service in a proper and efficient
 10

manner. The framework consists of eight distinct functions of the

organisation – four tactical service functions which handle customer
contacts and four strategic service functions which are focused on HR
(Human Resource) department and information flow. The original
functions in the complaint-handling framework were derived from an
analysis of more than five hundred corporations. The framework has been
able to sustain customer service process by managing customer complaints
and developing customer relationship management (CRM) strategies.
(Goodman 2009, 113.) In the next paragraphs, both tactical and strategic
service functions will be introduced.

The tactical service functions consist of the several activities: intake,

response, output and control. Those are the tasks involving daily
interaction with the customers. (Goodman 2009, 112.) The primary goals
of the tactical functions are:

 to ensure that corporate social responsibility (CSR) considers each

client`s problem or complaint
 to manage answers and complaints and solve it in the most efficient
way
 to store given information and to be able to analyse the frequency of
the problem and roots of it

The table below shows all tactical service functions and its activities:

Tactical Service Functions

Functions

Intake Response Output Control

Screening Response Coordination Internal Follow-

Investigation up

Logging Response Storage, Referral Follow-

Contact Data Formulation Retrieval, and up
Distribution

Classifying Response
Contacts Delivery

Table 1. Tactical Service Functions and its activities. Adapted from

‘’A Framework for Organising Customer Service Activities by
Function’’ (Goodman 2009, 114).
 11

The tactical service functions include ten activities:

Intake:

 Screening divides contacts by distinct types and if needed forwards

them to the appropriate channel
 Logging Contact Data records customer’s complaints or other issues
electronically or in a paper form
 Classifying Contacts codes each contact according to its type
(Goodman 2009, 114.)

Response:

 Response Investigation takes individual customer`s requests and

investigates all factors needed for the answer
 Response Formulation uses response investigation material and
replies to the client in the most appropriate way with an individual
approach
 Response Delivery transmits responses to the customer via call,
email, letter or voice message

Output:

 Coordination makes sure that all members of the group in the

organisation are aware of customer`s issues and can communicate
the message in a right way
 Storage, Retrieval, and Distribution stores customer`s requests and
complaints data in the central location and makes sure that all users
have access to it

Control:

 Internal Follow-up monitors disposition of data handled within the

organisation and follows up the progress using various techniques
 Referral Follow-up tracks complaints processed by third parties or
other organisations and headquarters (Goodman 2009, 115.)

The strategic service functions consist of the analysis, evaluation and

incentives, staff management and awareness activities. The activities
enable an organisation to improve the experience for most customers. It
helps to analyse customer`s information, identify a problem and develop
the procedures. The strategic functions are focused on the experience of
the client’s value. (Goodman 2009, 113.)
 12

The table below shows all strategic service functions and its activities:

Strategic Service Functions

Analysis Evaluation Staff Awareness
and Incentives Management
Statistical Evaluation Recruitment Contact
Generation Solicitation
Opportunity Incentives Training Proactive
Analysis Communication
Input to the Accountability Supervision
Organization and
Scheduling

Table 2. Strategic Service Functions and its activities. Adapted from

‘’A Framework for Organising Customer Service Activities by
Function’’ (Goodman 2009, 114).

The strategic service functions include eleven activities:

Analysis:

 Statistical Generation combines all data gathered from complaints

and requests handled
 Opportunity Analysis identifies systematic problems that prevent
customer’s loyalty
 Input to the Organisation summarises the outcome of the process
and gives individual recommendations to the head of the department

Evaluation and Incentives:

 Evaluation assesses the performance of complaint handlers and

focuses on the improvement of the response process
 Incentives provide employees with the rewards to stimulate better
work and effectiveness
 Accountability assigns certain responsibilities for handling complaints
and preventing problems and evaluates the performance afterwards
(Goodman 2009, 116.)

Staff management:

 Recruitment seeks for the competent employees in particular area

being able to work either in the office or distantly
 Training provides staff with the educational training where everyone
obtains specific skills via role playing or other methods
 13

 Supervision and Scheduling makes sure that both parties are satisfied
with their work and schedule and that the workload equals to the
time given

Awareness:
 Contact Solicitation informs customers that organisation is keen to
take every complaint and educates them about the availability of the
service
 Proactive Communication educates consumers on how to avoid any
issues purchasing the product or obtaining the service (Goodman
2009, 117.)

2.2.5 Quality Control

All companies should keep track of their businesses to succeed. Quality

control is a process which helps businesses to check the quality of a service
or product as well as to check employees’ work. It reduces mistakes and
lowers risks at the workplace. For example, to motivate employees and
provide them with qualification opportunities the company can implement
various qualification courses for the better effectiveness of the staff.

There are four main types of quality control:

- The process control means that process of producing a product or

delivering any service is functioned properly with all set rules. The
example in a restaurant industry can be food preparation. An
organisation has to make sure that everything is prepared for the
process so that it goes smoothly
- The acceptance sampling. This is a process of sampling a product or
service. Sometimes it can be too costly for the company to make a
sample of a product; however, it has to be done to meet the business’s
specific needs
- The control charts. It helps a company to analyse a variation in the
process. It gives opportunity to double check the actual process
- The product quality control focuses on a product itself to make sure
that it meets company`s standards. During this stage, a company must
make sure that nothing is missing and all stages of the process are
completed (Study.com)

2.3 Importance of Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality Measurement

2.3.1 Introduction

Whenever something is being measured; as a result, it usually gets better,

improved and completed. This is the reason why analysis techniques have
become the essential part of quality improvement. That has also become
 14

the reason why so many organisations nowadays are starting to measure

their customers’ satisfaction level. When the company has quantitative or
qualitative figures, it easier to analyse certain factors to improve
company`s efficiency. (Gerson 1993, 6.)

2.3.2 The Importance of Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

To measure something, it is essential to understand the reasons

underneath the process. According to Richard Gerson, measurement
programs must answer the following questions: who, what, when, where,
how and why something needs to be measured. (Gerson 1993, 23.). Below,
there are six main measurement program questions which are essential to
the company’s success:

Who must measure the quality? Everyone

What must be measured? Everything that affects the
customer
When to measure? All the time
Where to measure? Throughout the entire
company and every process
How to measure? The company establishes
performance standards that
are quantifiable to measure
performance
Why is it important to measure? To learn how to improve
quality and increase
customer satisfaction

Table 3. Measurement Program Questions (Gerson 1993, 23).

In this paragraph, there will be seven main reasons introduced on why it is

important to conduct those measurements.

The first reason for measuring quality and customer satisfaction is to learn
about customer`s perceptions. It is worth trying to consider each client’s
needs because every customer has different perceptions within the same
environment. Instead of taking average results, the company should try
identifying different opinions to meet all client’s needs. The company may
try to find out what customers find attractive in business, what might make
them change using a service, what are their criteria for acceptable service
quality performance and what can be done for a better satisfaction.
(Gerson 1993, 24.)

The second reason is to determine customer’s needs, wants, requirements

and expectations. Customer satisfaction measurement programs not only
must identify customer`s feelings about a product or service but also
determine their needs and desires. It is also important to understand what
 15

customers require from a product or service provided as well as what

customers expect a company to provide while performing a service or
during the overall sale. Current and future needs must be identified as well.
Companies should analyse the behaviour of their customers as well as
personal and psychological reasons behind every purchase of a product or
using a service. (Gerson 1993, 26.)

The third reason is to close the gaps. There are many differences between
customers and a company which are based on different perceptions of
both parties: (Gerson 1993, 26.)

- The gap between what business thinks a client wants and what a
customer wants. It is when a company produces a product or delivers
a service and tells customers to obtain it while customers need a
different product or service. The company here should first assume
what customers want, let them know about it and only after that ask
directly what customers want (Gerson 1993, 27.)

- The gap between what business thinks a customer has bought and
what a client perceives has been received. The perception gap
between what a company thinks was provided and what a customer
received sometimes can be big enough. The gap exists because a client
perceived an obtained product or service in a different way with what
a company has thought (Gerson 1993, 27.)

- The gap between the service quality the business believes it is

providing and what the customer perceives is being provided. This gap
is very similar to the former issue. For instance, a company sets certain
customer service policies and does not inform customers about it. The
customer feels that service is lacking something and feels dissatisfied
and businesses here cannot be aware of customer’s dissatisfaction.
Thus, there is a possibility of a misunderstanding between two parties,
and that is the reason why the gap occurs (Gerson 1993, 27.)

- The gap between customers’ expectations of the service quality and

actual performance. If a company is not aware of client`s needs, there
is a significant possibility that a customer will get dissatisfied because
his or her expectations were not met. Therefore, it is essential first to
learn about customer`s needs and expectations and only after that
provide the service (Gerson 1993, 27.)

- The gap between marketing promises and actual delivery. Very often
companies market their service or product in the best way possible
exceeding customer expectations. If the promises were not delivered,
a customer would get dissatisfied by getting lower quality service than
was expected (Gerson 1993, 27.)
 16

Closing those gaps is essential for companies’ success as well as for

obtaining new customers and retaining the old ones.

The fourth reason is to inspect what company does to improve the service
and customer satisfaction. Clients and employees should be aware of
certain standards set by a company to perform the service at its best. The
measurement of the performance should be made compared to the
standards that were set. Goals and objectives must be set based on the
customer`s requirements and expectations and afterwards measured. This
will help to improve both customer satisfaction and quality of the service.
Analysis of where the business is now and where it must be will contribute
to improving the performance of the service. In the end, if customer`s
needs and perception were met and even exceeded, a customer will be
satisfied. (Gerson 1993, 29.)

The fifth reason for measurement quality and satisfaction is that improved
service leads to increased profits. If the service is improving, there will be
more customers what automatically leads to the bigger profit. Besides, if
the level of the service quality and customer satisfaction increases at the
same time, the company can charge more for the service and goods
provided, and that will lead to a greater profit. (Gerson 1993, 29.)

The sixth reason is to learn how the business is doing and whether it goes
further or not. This reason might be the most crucial because it is
imperative to understand the current stage of the firm. Also, a company
should have clear goals and objectives for the future success. Customer
satisfaction and quality performance measurements will help to
understand whether the client is satisfied and whether the business is
doing good or not. (Gerson 1993, 30.)

Finally, the last step is to apply the process of a continuous improvement.

This is important to understand that improving service once in a while will
not make a company successful in a long term because this is an ongoing
process which requires significant efforts, however, pays off at the end
with a big loyal customer base, satisfied employees, and a huge
competitive advantage. (Gerson 1993, 30.) Continuous improvement is
something organisations shall do every day, step by step, analysing their
company’s weaknesses and strengths, measuring service quality and
customer satisfaction level. Following those steps, a company will stay
successful and highly competitive.

2.3.3 The Benefits of Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

Measuring customer satisfaction and service quality in the service business

is a crucial factor in a company`s success. Measurements are vital because
it allows to see how business is going, compare results and come up with
the certain improvement plans. It also gives the possibility to give the
feedback to the staff members what makes them work more efficiently.
 17

When the results are measured, it is easy to see whether the business is
growing or goes down and see the roots of the problem. Besides, it gives
people the sense of accomplishment what, hence, gives more motivation
to the further work and development. With the measurement techniques,
it is easier to reward people with their job because the results are visible
and the company is aware of who did what, when and where.
Measurements lead to the higher level of productivity and greater results.
(Gerson 1993, 31.)

2.3.4 Tools for Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

There are many techniques for measuring the quality of the service and
customer satisfaction. In this chapter, several of them will be introduced.

Benchmarking is a process of measuring the performance of a company’s

product, service, or processes against those of another business
considered to be the best in the industry. (business encyclopedia n.d.) This
is a useful tool for improving company’s performance by comparing it to
another industry. It allows to identify weaknesses of the enterprise, adapt
new knowledge from other businesses and effectively apply it. (Gerson
1993, 43.)

Force Field Analysis was developed by Kurt Lewin in the 1940s. This method
is mostly about analysing the current stage of the business and finding
ways for its improvement. It allows identifying driving and restraining
forces of the company. Driving forces here are the ones which lead to the
increased productivity of the company, and restraining forces are those
which lower productivity. The decision can be taken when driving forces
and restraining forces become equal. (Gerson 1993, 45.)

Check Sheet is a tool which allows seeing the frequency of poor-quality

events or customer dissatisfaction. On the form, there are several columns
where a company can mark the problem occurred and tick the time when
something has happened. The last column is the column which summarises
the results and allows to see the most significant problem. (Gerson 1993,
33-34.) The example of the check sheet is shown below:

Problem January February March Total

Goods broken 2 2 1 5

Wrong delivery 1 0 0 1

Stock is not full 3 2 1 6

Table 4. Check Sheet Example

 18

This allows a company to see the bigger picture of the problem and then
take following measures.

Pareto Chart is a tool for measuring problems in quality control and

customer satisfaction. Problems are pictured on a vertical bar graph by the
frequency of their occurrence. With this chart, it is easy to see the
importance of each problem and take the right order of the problem
solution. (Gerson 1993, 34-35.) The example of the Pareto chart is shown
below:

Figure 4. Pareto Chart (Excel Easy).

Histograms are the vertical graphs which illustrate numerical data about
the frequency of the service and product distribution. It is very similar to
the Pareto chart. The only difference is that histograms display quantitative
data while the Pareto chart is all about qualitative information. (Gerson
1993, 36-37.) The example of the histogram graph is shown below:

Figure 5. Salary Histogram Example (ConceptDraw).

 19

Cause-and-Effect Diagram, also called fishbone diagram, was created by

Professor Kaoru Ishikawa in the 1960s. This is a quality control tool which
allows identifying the roots and causes of the problem. This technique is
mostly used in group settings when there is almost no quantitative data for
the analysis. With the help of this tool, it is easy to identify why the process
is not working. (Gerson 1993, 39.) The example of the cause-and-effect
diagram is pictured below:

Figure 6. Cause-and-Effect Diagram Example (Edraw).

3 THE ANALYSIS OF THE RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1 Nationality of the Customers

The results of this question showed that from 75 participants of the survey
65 respondents were Finnish people (87%) while ten people (13%) were
foreigners. The reason for a small number of foreign nationals visiting the
restaurant could be that the period when the survey was conducted was
not a tourist period; therefore, the most customers were Finns. As for the
foreign people living in Finland (not tourists), most of them are students
who do not eat out as often as people who have a permanent job, and that
could also be the reason for a small number of foreigners visiting the
restaurant. From this result, the assumption can be that there is not much
sense of having so many foreign employees as well as making English the
primary language at the restaurant, however, giving a job opportunity for
foreigners gives a positive image for the company as well as brings
economic benefit for the country. Besides, since the majority of Finnish
population speak fluent English, the use of English language at the
 20

restaurant shall not be a problem. The graph below shows a visual division
of the nationalities visiting the restaurant:

Nationality

13%

Finnish

Other

87%

Figure 7. Nationality of the Customers

3.2 Age of the Customers

The results of this question showed that from 75 people 30 people were of
the age from 26 to 35 years old (40% of the respondents). 13 people were
from 21 to 25 years old (17%). 12 people were 20 years old or younger
(16%). Nine people were from 36 to 45 years old (12%), eight people were
from 46 to 55 years old (11%), and only three people were of the age of 56
and older (4%). The results of this question showed that most of, many of
the customers are adults. There is a tiny amount of underage customers;
therefore, Fafa’s restaurant could think of selling more types of beer and
other alcohol beverages because it attracts more customers as well as gives
more profit for the company. One of the comments on the open-ended
question proves the point mentioned above: ‘’more beer options would be
nice’’. (Appendix 2/1, Question 13) And this is a suggestion for the
company to consider. The age division of the Fafa’s customers can be
visible on the chart below:

Age

30

12 13 9 8 3

20 OR 21-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56 OR

YOUNGER OLDER

Figure 8. Age of the Customers

 21

3.3 Gender of the Customers

69 people answered this question. 41 participants were females what is

59% of the respondents, and 27 were males what is 39% of the
interviewees. 2% preferred not to indicate their gender. As most of the
customers are females, it is important to consider different diet options.
Nowadays women pay considerable attention to what they eat. Hence it is
important for the employees to be aware of all ingredients included in the
meals served. Also, the smart idea would be to have an amount of calories
each food contains because many women on a diet used to count some
calories they intake. Gender distribution can be visible on the graph below:

Gender

Male
2%
39% Female

59% Prefer not to answer

Figure 9. Gender of the Customers

3.4 Food Preferences of Fafa’s Restaurant Customers

68 people answered this question. 53 people said that they do not have
special food preferences or specific diets (78%), nine people were
vegetarians (13%), and six individuals were vegans (9%). As the majority of
people do not have specific preferences and can eat most of the food,
there is no need for the restaurant to make the place specified only on
vegetarian or vegan food. From the question 11 and 13 there were several
answers concerning this topic:

Question number 11:’’ Is there anything you are not satisfied with? If so,
why?’’ (Appendix 2/1)

 ’’It would be nice if the whole menu would be vegan.’’

 ‘’I would rather see Fafa's without serving any meat.’’
 ‘’I would like to have more vegan options (same recipes, but with
vegan tzatziki, vegan feta, vegan pesto).’’
 ‘’I would like to have other vegan options for falafels.’’
 22

Question number 13: ‘’ Is there something you would like to have/to

improve at Fafa`s restaurant? ‘’ (Appendix 2/1, Appendix 2/2)

 ‘’I would like to have more gluten free options.’’

 ‘’It would be nice to have a bigger variety of vegetarian dishes:
something with fried tofu, soy sprouts, and nut paste or something
with beans (bean cream soup to go, for example).’’

It goes without doubts that the restaurant should consider the opinions
mentioned above, however, if the majority of the customers are people
without specific food preferences or diets, the place should still serve
meat. The suggestion would be to add more vegan and vegetarian options,
make the menu more diverse and make sure that those meals are never
mixed because it can lead to the severe consequences and spoil the image
of the restaurant. One of the comments which must also be considered is
the following: ‘’Before visiting the restaurant, I assumed it would be a more
vegetarian place, and I do not feel that meat dishes fit with the concept
and style of the restaurant (fresh, quite healthy) The restaurant should also
use organic products. Instead of plastic takeaway boxes, for example, there
should be more environmentally friendly options. More consciousness
would be highly appreciated’’ (Appendix 2/1). Restaurant shall be more
conscious serving diverse types of meals. For instance, different chopping
boards and knives must be used when serving the vegan, vegetarian food
or meat. Visual distribution of the customer’s food preferences is pictured
on the graph below:

Are you vegan or vegetarian?

9%
13%
Vegan

Vegetarian

None of it
78%

Figure 10. Food Preferences of Fafa’s Restaurant Customers

3.5 Frequency of the Restaurant Visits

68 people answered this issue. 27 people used to visit the restaurant once
in a month (40%). The first time to visit Fafa’s restaurant was for 17 people
(25%). 15 people visited Fafa’s only a few times a month (22%). Five people
visited Fafa’s just once a week (7%), three individuals came by few times a
 23

week (4%) and only one person from the respondents used to visit Fafa’s
restaurant every day (1%). By these answers, it is clear the that the
restaurant is quite popular and there are always new customers as well as
the regular ones. The results of the question are shown below on the chart:

How often do you visit Fafa's restaurant?

ONCE A MONTH 27

IT`S MY FIRST TIME 17

FEW TIMES A MONTH 15

ONCE A WEEK 5

FEW TIMES A WEEK 3

EVERY DAY 1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Figure 11. Frequency of the Restaurant Visits

3.6 Time of the Restaurant Visits

68 people reacted to this issue. Most of the people visited Fafa’s restaurant
during the lunch time – 49 people (72%) and 17 people visited the
restaurant for dinner (25%). 2 people answered that it always depends
(3%). Time of the customer’s visits is shown in the graph below:

At what time do you usually visit Fafa's

restaurant?
60 49
40
17
20 2

0
LUNCH DINNER IT DEPENDS

Figure 12. Time of the Restaurant Visits

 24

3.7 Days of the Restaurant Visits

The results were as follows:

Figure 13. Days of the Restaurant Visits

67 people answered this question. 50 people visited Fafa’s restaurant

during the weekdays (75%), and 17 people visited the restaurant on
weekends (25%). The answers to this question might be inaccurate
because most of the surveys were answered by Fafa’s customers on the
weekdays. The reason for that is that during the weekends it is usually very
crowdy at the restaurant and there was no proper time for employees to
share information about the survey as well as not enough time for
customers to fill it in. As the answers to the study do not show it, the
conclusion was made from the author’s point of view as the author of the
research is one of the employees of the restaurant.

3.8 Sources of Information about Fafa’s Restaurant

The answers received were as follows:

 25

Figure 14. Sources of Information about Fafa’s Restaurant

71 people responded to this question. 37 people got to know about Fafa’s

restaurant from their friends (52%). 12 people – word of mouth (17%), nine
people – from their families (13%), nine people just saw it and decided to
try (13%), and four people got information about Fafa’s restaurant from
the Internet (6%). As the results showed, the most popular sources of
transferring the information are customer’s friends and word of mouth
what have quite the similar meaning. However, a very slight percentage of
the information derived from the Net shows that company should pay
more attention to the social media channels and be more active online.
Nowadays people spend much time using the Net; hence it is important to
keep the customers updated about the latest offers, opening hours,
competitions or other changes.

3.9 Customers’ Experience

The graph below visually shows the answers of all the respondents:

3
8 15

27 21
36 38 32
44 38 38
26
52

38
25 25

25 23 14
15 11 8
31
8 10 2
15 2 6 3
2 5 0 3
8 7 7 8 6
5 4 5 5
2

Never Some of the time Most of the time Always

Figure 14. Customers’ Experience

 26

• I have to queue for a long time. 68 people responded to this

statement. 31 people said that they never have to queue (46%), 26
people said – some of the time (38%), eight people - most of the
time (12%) and three individuals said always (4%). The results of
this statement showed that the work of the employees is quite
efficient and the staff does the job fast. However, because the
survey was conducted on weekdays mostly, it is worth to have more
employees during the weekends so that there are no long queues
at the restaurant.

• The restaurant is clean. 69 people answered this statement. 38

people said that the restaurant is most of the time clean (55%), 15
people said – always (22%), eight people – never and eight people
– some of the time what is 12% of each statement. It is also worth
to consider comments on the open-ended questions which were
the following: (Appendix 2/1, Appendix 2/2)

 ‘’The place is usually quite messy with food on the floor.’’

 ‘’It is often quite dirty inside (food on tables, etc.).’’

 ‘’Tables sometimes are unstable and dirty.’’

The conclusion of this statement would be that the staff should pay
attention not only to the food preparation but to the maintenance of the
restaurant itself. The cleanliness of the restaurant is the first thing
customer pays attention to when entering a place. Having more employees
can be a solution so that there is always rotation between food preparation
and cleaning of the area.

• The utensils and cutlery are clean. 68 people answered this

statement. 36 people said that the utensils and cutlery are always
clean (53%). 25 people answered - most of the time (37%), five
people answered – never (7%) and two people said - some of the
time (3%). There are almost no issues with this statement as the
most comments were positive. However, it is pretty the same thing
with the cleanliness of the place. All cutlery and utensils must
always be cleaned as well as the tables, floors and the entire space.

• The portion sizes are big enough. 68 people answered this

statement. 44 people said that the portion sizes are always big
enough (65%), 15 people said – most of the time (22%), five people
answered - some of the time (7%) and four individuals said - never
(6%). The comments on the open-ended questions must also be
considered here: (Appendix 2/1)

 ‘’I would like to have bigger portion size.’’

 ‘’More falafels in one dish.’’
 27

Although most of the answers were positive, the restaurant should

consider making larger portions.

• The staff is friendly and helpful. 69 people responded to this

statement. 52 people said that the staff is always friendly and
helpful (75%), ten people said - most of the time (14%) and seven
people said - never (10%). Although most of the answers are
positive there were few comments to consider from the open-
ended questions:

Question number 11: ‘’ Is there anything you are not satisfied with? If so,
why?’’ (Appendix 2/1)

 ‘’ Sometimes staff looks a bit stressed. I think the reason is that there
are not enough staff members working in the restaurant.’’

Question number 13: ‘’ Is there something you would you like to have/to
improve at Fafa`s restaurant? ‘’ (Appendix 2/2)

 ‘’Friendlier staff, some of them are not engaging.’’

The reason for that can be a lack of employees working, especially during
the weekends when the number of customers is doubled comparing to the
weekdays.

• Employees speak clearly. 69 people answered this statement. 38

people said that employees always speak clearly (55%), 23 people
said - most of the time (33%), five individuals said - never (7%), and
three people answered - some of the time (4%). Since half of the
employees are foreigners who do not speak fluent Finnish, the
problems with understanding can occur. It can happen especially
with the older generation who might not speak good English. The
solution will be to have one Finnish employee and one foreigner
during the shift so that in the case of misunderstanding there is
always a Finnish speaker who will be able to solve the problem.

• I can find a seat. 69 answered this statement. 27 people said that

they can always find a place (39%), 25 people said - most of the time
(36%), 15 people answered - some of the time (22%) and only two
people said - never (3%). The following comments from the open-
ended questions should also be taken into consideration:
(Appendix 2/1, Appendix 2/2)

 ‘’I would like to have more seats available.’’

 ‘’More tables would be nice because there were very few places to
sit.’’
 ‘’I think a bigger place for the restaurant would be a good idea.’’
 ‘’Coat rack.’’
 28

During the weekends, very often people have no place to seat that is why
they order food ‘’take away’’ or just leave the restaurant. The restaurant
should think about expanding the space because for the moment there is
no room for more tables or chairs available.

Having a coat rack could also help regarding saving some space since
people will have a place to put their outwear and will no more storage it
on the chairs.

• The quality of food is excellent. 58 people answered this statement.

38 people said that quality of food is always excellent (66%), 11
people said - most of the time (19%), seven people said - never
(12%), and two people said - some of the time (3%). Also, there
were some negative comments from the open-ended question that
must be considered: (Appendix 2/1)

 ‘’Once I had kebab pita that was a bit undercooked.’’

 ‘’The lemonade I drank last time at Fafa's Tampere was too sour.’’

When it comes to meat, the staff should pay extra attention to this process
since undercooked meat can cause poisoning and other illnesses.

The lemonade has to be tested by employees before serving it to the

customers.

• The food is served rapidly. 57 people answered this statement. 25

people said that most of the time the food is served rapidly (44%),
21 people said - always (37%), six people said - some of the time
(11%) and five individuals said - never (9%). As it was mentioned
before, during the weekends it is always better to have more
employees working so that the service is fast and efficient.

• The food is served hot and fresh. 56 people answered this

statement. 38 people said that food is always served hot and fresh
(68%), eight people said - most of the time (14%), eight people said
- never (14%), and two people answered - some of the time (4%).
Getting a fresh and hot food is one of the most valuable customers’
experience. Some restaurants are trying to prepare some of the
food beforehand so that it fastens the process; however, the author
underlines that this is not a solution. Sometimes it is better for
customers to wait longer than to get cold or not that fresh food.

• Sauces and napkins are available. 55 people answered this

statement. 32 people said that sauces and napkins are always
available (58%), 14 people said - most of the time (25%), six
people said - never (11%), and three people answered - some of
the time (5%). However, from the comment of Appendix 2/1 (’’I
would like to have some sauces to be applied by myself’’) the
 29

suggestion would be to offer more sauces so that customers can

independently choose and use if needed:

3.10 Variety of Meals on the Menu

57 people answered this question. 52 people think that the menu has a
wide range of meals (91%) while five people believe that the variety of
meals on the menu is poor. (9%) The answers can be visible on the chart
below:

The meny has a great variety of

meals
9%
Agree

Disagree
91%

Figure 15. Variety of Meals on the Menu

There were few suggestions from the customers based on the open-ended
questions: (Appendix 2/1, Appendix 2/2)

 ’’I would like to have more fries available. ‘’

 ‘’I would like to have more drinks available.’’
 ‘’Some special coffee would be nice.’’
 ‘’More options to eat on the menu.’’
 ‘’Some desserts.’’
 ‘’There could be a 'meal' option, including regular fries/sweet
potatoes fries for 3 euros, for example.’’

Drinks and fries are the most popular options; therefore, those items shall
always be available. The restaurant should keep track of the customers’
average orders to know the approximate amount of goods to request from
stock. The check sheet can go in use here as it helps to keep track of the
items needed.

Having a coffee machine, for instance, will not be costly for the company
but will make customers satisfied instead.

Since some customers suggesting having more options on the menu, it

might be a smart idea to have some desserts for those who came for a
coffee, for instance.
 30

More ‘’meal’’ options would be a bright idea since those orders are always
popular and cheaper for customers to buy.

3.11 Satisfaction Level of Service Quality at Fafa’s Restaurant

The answers can be visible on the chart below:

Figure 16. Satisfaction Level of Service Quality at Fafa’s Restaurant

60 people responded to this question. 33 people were extremely satisfied

with the degree of service quality of the restaurant (55%), 20 people were
somewhat satisfied (33%), six people were neutral (10%), and only one
person was somewhat dissatisfied (2%).

To increase satisfaction level at Fafa’s Restaurant the following customers’

suggestions shall be considered: (Appendix 2/1, Appendix 2/2)

 ‘’More English menu for non-Finnish customers.’’

 ‘’I would change tables.’’
 ‘’At this particular Fafa's the lamps are a bit too low.’’
 ‘’NO TV! It is definitely not part of the restaurant experience I want.
There are too mush screens and stuff entertaining us everywhere
already. Let's focus on people and interaction instead.’’
 ‘’Is it possible to have the internet? Every time I use the Internet from
the neighbouring cafeteria.’’

The amount of English menu must be equal to the Finnish menu since the
number of foreign visitors will be increasing due to the upcoming summer
season. The availability of English menu will make customers feel welcome
and satisfied.

Tables can be changed so that the design of the restaurant gets a fresh and
modern style.

The location of the lamps at Fafa’s restaurant in Tampere is low what might
somehow spoil the visitors’ experience (customers often hit their heads
because of the lights). The restaurant shall reinstall lamps since the
 31

physical environment of the restaurant is also crucial and creates a very

first impression about the place.

Employees shall be more interactive and open with the customers since
communication is one of the restaurant experience the visitor wants to get.
The information about the internet shall be more visible for the customers
so that they know how to use it. The suggestion would be to make a big
cardboard with the wi/fi login and password information.

3.12 Quality/Price Ratio at Fafa’s Restaurant

The answers to this question can be visible on the chart below:

How satisfied are you with the

quality/price ratio?

23 25
9
1 1
1 2 3 4 5

Figure 17. Quality/Price Ratio at Fafa’s Restaurant

59 people replied to the question. 25 people were extremely satisfied with

the quality and price ratio at Fafa’s restaurant (42%), 23 people were
somewhat satisfied (39%), nine people were neutral (15%), one person was
somewhat dissatisfied (2%), and one person was totally dissatisfied (2%).
Quality and price ratio at Fafa’s restaurant make the customers quite
satisfied. However, company should always work towards the
improvement to meet customer’s needs and desires

3.13 Recommendations by Fafa’s visitors

The answers were as follows:

 32

Figure 18. Recommendations by Fafa’s visitors

61 people responded to this question. 56 people said that they would

recommend Fafa’s restaurant to the people they know (92%) while five
people were not sure about it (8%). The statistics derived from this
question shows that most of the customers are satisfied with the
restaurant and would recommend it to the people they know. This is an
excellent quality index for the restaurant; hence company should keep up
with the progress.

4 SWOT ANALYSIS

SWOT analysis is a framework for measuring company’s internal strengths,

weaknesses as well as evaluating company’s external opportunities and
threats. After conducting research on the customer satisfaction and service
quality at Fafa`s restaurant, it is easier to use SWOT framework for
analysing the outcomes. Based on the multiple choice and open-ended
answers of the survey, there are certain findings presented in the table
below:

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
Satisfied and loyal customer base Small space of the restaurant=>no
Excellent level of the quality seats and tables available
service Low usage of the social media
International atmosphere channels
Positive image
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
To expand the space Chance to lose vegan and
To open the second restaurant vegetarian customers
To get more customers and boost
popularity by using social media
platforms
To satisfy vegan and vegetarian
customers by being more
conscious about their food
preferences
To improve the existing level of
service

Table 5. SWOT Analysis of Fafa’s Restaurant

Based on the survey, there is no doubt that Fafa’s restaurant has a satisfied
and loyal customers base. Most of the customers participating in the
 33

survey were satisfied with the quality of the service in Fafa’s restaurant,
and this is also one of the big strengths the company has. Moreover, the
international atmosphere at the restaurant brings a positive image to the
company and creates some uniqueness.

As for the company’s weaknesses, based on the customer’s comments and

opinions, it turned out that the restaurant’ space is not big enough,
especially during the weekends when the number of visitors is doubled
compared to the regular days. It should also be noted that the usage of the
social media channels is quite low and it can have a damaging impact on
the popularity of the restaurant since most of the information is spread via
the Internet today.

One of the company’s threats could also be the chance to lose vegan and
vegetarian customers. This thought was derived from the customers’
comments on the open-ended questions of the survey. Some of the visitors
were suggesting making the whole menu vegan without any meat served.
However, as the 78 % of the customers participating in the survey did not
have any specific food preferences or diets, there is no point to stop serving
meat.

Based on the certain strengths, weaknesses and threats the company has,
there are following opportunities identified:

 Since there were complaints from the customers that there are no
seats available or not enough tables, the suggestion would be to
expand the space by reorganising some equipment and furniture and
open the second restaurant with a bigger space in the future.
 The results of the survey showed that most of the information was
spread by word of mouth and there was almost no Internet usage.
The suggestion for the company here will be to be more active on the
social media platforms. It will increase the number of customers as
well as boost company’s popularity and the image.
 One of the threats was the chance to lose restaurant’s vegan and
vegetarian customers since there were complaints about serving
meat and not enough vegetarian meals, not being environmentally
friendly. The solution here is to be more conscious about serving
vegan and vegetarian meals along with the meat options. Different
utensils (knives, forks and chopping boards) must be utilised not to
mix the ingredients used in the meals. Having more vegan, vegetarian
and gluten-free options as well as using less plastic boxes will also be
a solution to the problem. Following these rules, all customers will
stay satisfied and happy with the service provided.
 As for the strengths the company has, it is vital to keep up with the
level of the service provided as well as move towards the continuous
service improvement.
 34

5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

The aim of this research was to measure customer satisfaction and service
quality level at Fafa`s restaurant and find ways for its improvement. The
primary research in the form of the survey was conducted to gather and
analyse the data and meet the research objectives. The methodological
approach included the survey of 16 questions including three open-ended
questions. 75 customers were participating in the study in total. The
process went smoothly due to the author’s connection to the restaurant.

The majority of the customers were Finns what was 87% of the
respondents. Most of the customers were mainly from the age between 26
to 35 years old. 59% of the customers were females while the other part
were males. The considerable number of visitors participating in the survey
did not have specific food preferences or diets. However, there were many
comments from people following vegan or vegetarian diets saying that the
restaurant should be more conscious about serving this kind of food. The
frequency of the restaurant visits varied from people visiting the restaurant
once a month, being there the first time and coming to Fafa’s few times a
month. The less number of individuals was visiting the restaurant more
frequently. The most popular time to visit the restaurant turned out to be
lunch time and weekdays were the most popular days to visit the place.
However, as it was mentioned by the author before, the answers regarding
the days of the visits were inaccurate since most of the surveys were
spread on the weekdays. The information about Fafa`s restaurant was
mostly spread via customer’s friends and word of mouth. Most of the
customers were satisfied with the variety of meals offered by the
restaurant. However, there were few suggestions about serving some
coffee with desserts, having more fries and drinks available and adding
more gluten free options to the menu. 55% of the customers participating
in the survey were extremely satisfied with the service quality level, and
33% were somewhat satisfied. Regarding the quality and price ratio at
Fafa’s restaurant, 42% were extremely satisfied while 39% were somewhat
satisfied. 92% of the customers would recommend Fafa’s to the people
they know, and that is an excellent result for the restaurant.

The results of this research successfully answered the research question.

Customer satisfaction and service quality level has been measured, and
recommendations were given.
 35

REFERENCES

Asubonteng, P., Mccleary, K. J., & Swan, J. E. (1996). SERVQUAL revisited: A

critical review of service quality. The Journal of Services Marketing.

Berger et al., (1993). Kano’s model of customer satisfaction.

Innsbruck/Igls/Austria.

BusinessDictionary (2017). Service Quality Definition. Retrieved 24 May

2017 from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/service-
quality.html

ConceptDraw. Salary Histogram Example. Retrieved 05 May 2017 from

http://www.conceptdraw.com/samples/business-charts-bar-histogram

Edraw Visualisation Solutions. Cause-and-effect diagram example.

Retrieved 08 May 2017 from https://www.edrawsoft.com/template-low-
satisfaction-fishbone.php

Excel Easy. Pareto chart. Retrieved 14 May 2017 from http://www.excel-

easy.com/examples/images/pareto-chart/pareto-chart.png

Fafa’s (2015). Catering. Retrieved 22 April 2017 from

http://www.fafas.eu/catering/

Fafa’s (2015). Locations. Retrieved 22 April 2017 from

http://www.fafas.eu/locations/

Fafa`s (2015). Menu. Retrieved 22 April 2017 from

http://www.fafas.eu/menu/

Gegeckaitė (2011). Factors of customer satisfaction and its determinants.

Retrieved 08 May 2017 from http://scholararticles.net/factors-of-
customer-satisfaction-on-services/

Gerson, R. F. M. B. (1993). Measuring Customer Satisfaction. Menlo Park:

Course Technology Crisp.

Goldstein, Sheldon D. (2009). Superior Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty.

ASQ Quality Press. ProQuest EBook Central.

Goodman, J. (2009). Strategic Customer Service. 1st edition. AMACOM.

Kano, N., Seraku, K., Takahaski, F., & Tsuji, S. (1984). Attractive Quality and
Must-be Quality. The Journal of Japanese Society for Quality Control.
 36

Kothari, C. (2004). Research Methodology. Edited by C.R. Kothari. New Age

International Pvt. Ltd.

Kotler, P. & Keller, K. (2006). Marketing Management. 12th edition,

Prentice-Hall.

Kotler P. & others. (2012). Marketing Management: A South Asian

Perspective. 14th edition, Pearson.

Morris T. (2016). It is 6 Times More Expensive to Win a New Customer than

to Retain an Existing One. Retrieved 15 May 2017 from
http://www.parature.com/customer-retention/

Mykkänen J. (2017). Wolt julkaisee ensimmäistä kertaa Tampereen 10

suosituinta annosta – ja joukossa on ihan jonkin verran siipiä. Retrieved 23
April 2017 from https://wolt.com/blog/fin/2017/03/17/wolt-julkaisee-
tampereen-10-suosituinta-annosta-ykkosena/

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. & Berry, L. (1985). A conceptual model of

service quality and its implication. Journal of Marketing

Rai, A. (2008). Customer Relationship Management: Concepts and Cases.

PHI Learning.

Sauerwein E., Bailom F., Matzler K., & Hinterhuber H. (1996). The Kano
Model: How to delight your customers. Preprints Volume I of the IX.
International Working Seminar on Production Economics,
Innsbruck/Igls/Austria.

Shopify (n.d.) What is benchmarking? Retrieved 14 May 2017 from

https://www.shopify.com/encyclopedia/benchmarking

Study.com. Four types of quality control. Retrieved 10 May from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/four-types-of-quality-
control.html#lesson

Tse, D. & Wilton, P. (1988). Models of Consumer Satisfaction: An Extension.

Journal of Marketing Research.
 37

Appendix 1/1

Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality Survey at Fafa`s Restaurant

1. Nationality

Finnish Other

2. Age

20 or younger
21-25
26-35
36-45
46-55
56 or older

3. Gender

Male Female Not known

4. Are you vegan or vegetarian?

Vegan Vegetarian None of it

5. How often do you visit Fafa`s restaurant?

Every day
Few times a week
Once a week
Few times a month
Once a month
It`s my first time

6. At what time do you usually visit Fafa`s restaurant?

Lunch Dinner It depends

7. At what days do you usually visit Fafa`s restaurant?

Weekdays Weekends It depends

8. How did you find out about Fafa`s restaurant?

Friends
Family
Internet
Word of mouth
Just saw it and decided to try
 38

Appendix 1/2

9. Please tick as appropriate

Most of the Some of the Seldom Never

time time
I have to queue for a long time

The restaurant is clean

The utensils and cutlery are clean

The portion sizes are big enough

The staff is friendly and helpful

Employees speak clearly

I can find a seat

The quality of food is excellent

The food is served rapidly

The food is served hot and fresh

Sauces and napkins are available

10. The menu has a great variety of meals

Agree Disagree

11. Is there anything you are not satisfied with? If so, why?
 39

Appendix 1/3

12. On a scale from 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with the Fafa`s service?

1 2 3 4 5

13. Is there something you would you like to have/to improve at Fafa`s restaurant?
(Example: coffee, TV, more tables, entertainment for kids, etc.)

14. On a scale from 1 to 5, how satisfied are you with the quality/price ratio at
Fafa`s restaurant?

1 2 3 4 5

15. Would you recommend Fafa`s to the people you know?

Yes No May be

16. Is there anything you would like to suggest to Fafa`s that was not addressed in
a survey?

Thank you for completing the survey!

 40

Appendix 2/1

Open Answers to the Open-Ended Questions of the Customer Satisfaction and Service
Quality Survey at Fafa’s Restaurant

Answers to the question number 11. Is there anything you are not satisfied
with? If so, why?

 The place is usually quite messy with food on the floor

 Once I had kebab pita that was a bit undercooked
 I am satisfied, keep up with a good job
 It would be nice if the whole menu would be vegan
 I would like to have bigger portion size
 I would rather see Fafa's without serving any meat. Before visiting
the restaurant, I assumed it would be a more vegetarian place, and I
do not feel that meat dishes fit with the concept and style of the
restaurant (fresh, quite healthy) The restaurant should also use
organic products. Instead of plastic takeaway boxes, for example,
there should be more environmentally friendly options. More
consciousness would be highly appreciated
 I would like to have more vegan options (same recipes, but with
vegan tzatziki, vegan feta, vegan pesto)
 I would like to have other vegan options for falafels
 It is often quite dirty inside (food on tables, for instance)
 Sometimes staff looks a bit stressed. I think the reason is that there
are not enough staff members working in the restaurant
 The lemonade I drank last time at Fafa's Tampere was too sour
 Everything is fine

Answers to the question number 13. Is there something you would you like
to have/to improve at Fafa`s restaurant? (Example: coffee, TV, more tables,
entertainment for kids, etc.)

 I would like to have some sauces to be applied by myself

 I would like to have more seats available
 I would like to have more fries available
 I would like to have more drinks available
 I would change tables
 Lamps should be higher
 Some special coffee would be nice
 I think a bigger place for the restaurant would be a good idea
 More falafels in one dish
 Larger Coca-Cola selections like 1/2 litters, more zero coke
 More English menu for non-Finnish customers
 I would like to have more gluten free options
 More beer options would be nice
 At this particular Fafa’s, the lamps are a bit too low
 41

Appendix 2/2

 More options to eat on the menu

 Bigger space
 Everything is fine
 Clean tables
 NO TV! It is definitely not part of the restaurant experience I want.
There are too mush screens and stuff entertaining us everywhere
already. Let's focus on people and interaction instead
 Coffee would be nice
 Friendlier staff, some of them are not engaging
 Is it possible to have the internet? Every time I use the Internet from
the neighbouring cafeteria
 It would be nice to have bigger variety of vegetarian dishes:
something with fried tofu, soy sprouts, and nut paste or something
with beans (bean cream soup to go, for example)
 More tables would be nice because there were very few places to sit
 Some desserts
 Free coffee during lunch time
 Coat rack

Answers to the question number 16. Is there anything you would like to
suggest to Fafa`s that was not addressed in a survey?

 There could be a 'meal' option, including regular fries/sweet potatoes

fries for 3 euros, for example
 You have a great taste in music
 I don't like music
 Tables sometimes are unstable and dirty
 Keep up with a good work
 Bigger store in the future