Business life in cottage inn restaurant

According to Bjerke and Ramo, the behavior is just as much about how different people act in certain social situations or circumstances (25). Behavior, therefore, refers to the habitual things that people do during a certain period. Behavior can also be referred to as a norm or habit. I decided to observe the behavior of the employees (waitresses, cashiers, chefs among others) thereby focusing on the importance of good behavior and customer relation in creating customer loyalty.
Context: Cottage Inn is a medium restaurant that serves the daily food needs of the habitats of Chester’s Mill. It is located at the heart of the town, directly opposite Walmart Mall and beside Shell gas station. The restaurant serves various types of foods such as snacks, entrees, and beverages, which are drafted in a stylish menu. Upon entry, there is a buffet service on the first right turn. I observed waiters standing behind big silver dishes awaiting to serve the customers. On the left, is a classy burrito bar that contains all the necessary items that are needed to make a sandwich or a Mexican burrito.
Opposite the burrito bar is a brand new machine that is used to produce blended juice. Besides, this restaurant has also adequate space that allows the customers to relax and have a clear view of the outside while dining. The dining room, a huge room decorated with golden curtains and expensive furniture, is located on the first floor of the building. Leather couches are arranged all-round the dining room with large television sets positioned exactly opposite each couch, I carried out my observations seated on the middle couch since I could observe almost everything from that point.
This observation spanned over a period of half an hour. First, I noted that there were different jobs assigned to different employees who were expected to carry them out. There were a couple of workers including five chefs on the main kitchen, six cleaners (three downstairs and three upstairs), two ushers, one burrito bar attendant, one milk and beverage server and four to five dishes washers. These workers were all cladded uniformly. They wore white headwear, black pants, and a white apron. They all looked neat apart from one whose shirt had been spilled over by soup. Besides, I also saw the manager, a middle-aged fat woman dressed in a bright lady’s suit. The manager had an office opposite the dining room.
As I expected earlier, the jobs were distributed evenly between the male and female employees. The female employees tended to have more jobs that dealt with the serving and distribution of the food. For instance, at the entrée and the burrito servers, there were two ladies who cut the food in a relatively stylish way and folded or rolled the food making it appear delicious and appealing. In most setups women are usually better in doing decoration works, this, therefore, did not come as a surprise to me. On the other side, the male seemed to be more involved in jobs that required more strength and lifting. For instance, they transported milk gallons whenever necessary and refilled the beverage machines. In addition, floor cleaning was carried out by male workers. This involved excessive sweeping, mopping and disposal of garbage bags. Gender roles did play an integral part in the jobs assigned to the workers.
The workers were highly concerned about time management and they did not want to keep the customers waiting for long. As soon as the customers arrived, they were ushered in by two waitresses, Amanda and Samantha. They were shown where they could seat after which their orders were taken. I also noticed that every time a customer came by, the two ushers wore a smiling face and in a low tone whispered “ welcome!” This is a good show since most people are usually grateful when they are welcomed to a place. Doing this makes the customers feel important thereby creating a good impression more so to those visiting for the first time like me.
Additionally, I also realized that the manager was constantly walking from table to table, seeking information on various aspects such as food taste, the services being offered and the general hospitality of the restaurant. In addition, the manager also requested to know the different areas that could be improved. Besides, I also realized that she treated all the workers with equality and politeness thereby creating a good relationship with the workers. For this part of my ethnographic research, I decided to interview Amanda on the relationship between the manager and the workers. She pointed out that the manager is like a mentor to them and they are always motivated by her motivational words to work hard and make sure the customers are comfortable. Amanda also added that in Cottage Inn, the “ customer comes first.” This is a good show since many people become loyal to places where they are treated better.