When
I went to the Cheesecake Factory, it was around 12:30 p.m. on a Friday, so I was
there at time. This time and date were very important for some of my
observations. Two things that certainly were influenced by this were what was
being eaten, and how many people were in each group. Since it was only lunch
time, most of the meals that I noticed people were ordering were smaller, less
filling dishes, like salads, sandwiches, or appetizers. This also could be due
to everyone ordering cheesecake at the end of their meal. They may have just wanted
to save room for the best part of the meal. There were a few exceptions to my
observations. A few people ordered larger entrees like steak and fish. There
weren’t too many people that did this though, since it was lunch time, and
normally in our culture, dinner is usually the largest meal of the day. The
second factor that was influenced by the time of day was the size of the
groups. Most people would come in pairs, but I did see a few groups that looked
to be a possible business meeting. The pairs were either a couple or two women;
there wasn’t a group of just two men. All in attendance were also about middle
aged, with a few elderly couples too. I determined that this could be because
it was a weekday and most young people were in school. That also could be the
reason why there were no families that all came together.
I
noticed a few other things about the people that were eating there as well. The
first was that there really wasn’t too much of a difference between male and
female consumers, it was split fairly evenly, with a slight edge to females.
The second thing I noticed was that the people were consistently white and
seemed to be either middle or upper class. It is no secret that the Cheesecake
Factory is not a cheap meal, and the people eating there acknowledged this by
dressing nicer than they normally might. Other than white people, there were a
handful of Hispanic individuals that were eating there as well. Since everyone
was in small groups, they weren’t really doing much else besides eating and
talking to each other. Some people were being anti-social and were on their
phones, and one person that was alone was working on his computer. This
reinforces the idea that eating is not solely about consumption of food, even
at a very nice place like the Cheesecake Factory, people are always doing
something else besides eating and it is often times a social event.
One
of the most prominent observations I made was about the atmosphere of the
restaurant. According to the article “Generation Y Consumers: Key Restaurant
Attributes Affecting Positive and Negative Experiences”, written by Robert J.
Harrington, “Atmosphere includes many aspects: cleanliness, odor, lighting,
temperature, color, decor, and music”. All of these factors were things that I noticed
were spectacular within the Cheesecake Factory. The restaurant was very clean,
it was brightly lit, but not too bright, it was a relaxing temperature, it was
painted mostly gold and dark yellow, which was very calming in that setting, it
was decorated in a contemporary style, and they played modern, yet relaxing
music. Even though it was such a fantastic experience, I later found out in the
article by Harrington, that in a study done by Beth Chung and Douglass Hoffman,
customers are more likely to remember a negative experience of atmosphere in a
restaurant rather than a positive experience. One of the most important factors
to consider in regards to the atmosphere is the comfort of the seating. The
Cheesecake Factory definitely had comfortable seating. They had nice booths
with cushioned seats that I was extremely comfortable sitting in. A study done
by Julie Baker and Michaelle Cameron in 1996 showed that if seating is
uncomfortable, wait times are perceived to be longer. I completely agree with
the findings of that study. Too many times I find myself waiting for a table
and either I am forced to stand and wait, or I have to sit on a hard wooden
bench. It seems like the wait takes forever. There was none of that at the
Cheesecake Factory though. I had a wonderful experience with this meal and I cannot
wait until the next time I am able to go there.
1. Some of the field observations that I found interesting were the ones involving the atmosphere of the restaurant and the types of seats that the restaurant provided. I had never thought about the type of seats that I sat on while I waited, but now, I will be more aware of it and see if the trend matches up. The other observations about the people seemed fitting for the type of restaurant that they went to, but still interesting to see it confirmed.
ReplyDelete2. The source helps contribute to the essay because it solidifies the reasoning behind the atmosphere and architecture of the restaurants. It shows that if the atmosphere is not correct for the restaurant, then people will be more irritable during their wait and meal.
3. The larger conclusion that is made about food values and culture is that people enjoy being comfortable in their surroundings and that restaurants tend to attract people that fit in with their image. However, these conclusions are not explicitly stated in the essay and deductions must be made in order to figure out what point is trying to be made. You can refine this by stating it, not outright, but giving more concrete transitions between each of the sections outlining the most important topic for each.
4. I thought this was a great essay overall, it was informative and gave great detail.
I think that your observations reflected what I would have thought about lunch on a friday afternoon. I have never been to a Cheesecake Factory, but you gave me a very good image of what it looked and felt like to you. I think the connection with seat comfort and perceived waiting time is interesting, I had not thought of that before. I think you could have tied the Chung/Hoffman article in a little more, or at least expanded on how your experience might have paralleled their findings a bit more closely. I think a concluding paragraph could have brought your concluding thoughts a bit more to the surface for the reader as well, this was a very good observation of the restaurant but I think if you drew out a little bit more from how your observations might have reflected on the restaurant industry or the diners themselves a bit more it could be even stronger.
ReplyDeleteOne of the field observations that I found interesting was the idea of how eating is not solely about the consumption of food and how people are always doing something while eating, like the man on his laptop eating alone. Another thing I found interesting like my peer Alex was the idea of what types of seats the restaurant provided. When I go eat I don't usually take into consideration the idea of seating I just go for the food and to socialize. Your source about atmosphere on a restaurant helped with the idea of how we as customers want to enjoy our experience when we go out and we want a comfortable atmosphere to eat. It justifies the idea of how in the grand scheme of things restaurants pay carful attention to how they architecture is played out so that the customer can have the best possible experience. The larger conclusion you are making on food values and culture is that people/ customers enjoy being in a comfortable setting, and how restaurants want to ensure there customers get the most out of there experience there. However this is not directly stated in the paper and I had to assume that is what you are saying. For this reason one revision I would suggest is that you make a claim about food values and culture. But overall it was a good read.
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