Faculty & Research
Customer Satisfaction with Seating Policies in Casual-Dining Restaurants
Vol 7 No 16
By: Sheryl E. Kimes Ph.D. and Jochen Wirtz
Executive Summary: Restaurant guests prefer the control that making reservations gives them, according to a survey conducted at Cornell University. The survey tested three strategies for managing demand in casual restaurants, namely, accepting reservations, permitting guests to call ahead for a place on a waitlist with an approximate seating time, and seating guests from a first-come, first-served waitlist.
Respondents particularly favored reservations for business dinners, and well over half of the respondents would not consider a restaurant for a business meal if they could not make a reservation. Call-ahead seating was a poor substitute for reservations, in the respondents' estimation, but was still seen as better than first-come, first-served seating, with an estimated wait time. The survey found that guests thought reservations gave them better control over their schedule and that reservations demonstrated that the restaurant cared about its customers. Since reservations come with their own special operational problems, managers of casual restaurants might consider using call-ahead seating if reservations do not work for the restaurant. Those that continue with seating from a first-come, first-served waitlist should consider ways to empower guests, for example, by giving accurate wait times or issuing pagers.
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- Customer Satisfaction with Seating Policies in Casual-Dining Restaurants By: Sheryl E. Kimes Ph.D. and Jochen Wirtz
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Other Reports or Articles You May Find of Interest
- Examining the Effects of Full-Spectrum Lighting in a Restaurant, by Stephani K.A. Robson and Sheryl E. Kimes
- The Effects of Organizational Standards and Support Functions on Guest Service and Guest Satisfaction in Restaurants, by Alex M.
- Restaurant Capacity Effectiveness: Leaving Money on the Tables, by Gary M. Thompson
About Sheryl E. Kimes Ph.D.
Dr. Sheryl E. Kimes is a professor of operations management at the School of Hotel Administration. From 2005–2006, she served as interim dean of the Hotel School and from 2001-2005, she served as the school’s director of graduate studies. Kimes teaches restaurant revenue management, yield management and food and beverage management. She has been named the school’s graduate teacher of the year three times. Her research interests include revenue management and forecasting in the restaurant, hotel and golf industries. She has published over 50 articles in leading journals such as Interfaces, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Service Research, Decision Sciences, and the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly. She has served as a consultant to many hospitality enterprises around the world, including Chevy’s FreshMex Restaurants, Walt Disney World Resorts, Ruby’s Diners, Starwood Asia-Pacific and Troon Golf. Kimes earned her doctorate in Operations Management in 1987 from the University of Texas at Austin.
For more information visit http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/facultybios/faculty.html?id=43
