Restaurants in Lucena City as Perceived by Potential Customers

Restaurants make a huge part of the food service business and create extensive employment. Restaurants may be independent or part of hotel operations. An early type of restaurant was the coffeehouse, which appeared in England in the mid-1600s. By the 18th century, there were approximately thousands of coffeehouse in London. By the 19th century, big chains of restaurants were operated and propagated in US and other parts of the world (Andrews, 2008).

Restaurants deal with the production and distribution of food and beverages for a fee. Restaurant business aims to serve quality products in quantity, customer’s satisfaction, employees’ satisfaction, and profit.

Restaurants belong to food service business, and restaurant ventures are varied from simple types to the most elegant ones. According to Coltman (1983) several types of restaurants are family type, fast food, coffee shop, cafeteria, gourmet, ethnic or specialty, delicatessen, buffet and institutional.

From its basic history, restaurants varied to different forms and styles. At present, restaurant business becomes one of the most viable businesses in the Philippines. The influx of domestic and international tourists makes the hospitality management a strong industry where restaurants become profitable and responsible ventures.

However, running a restaurant operation is very challenging. Restaurant business requires high investment cost, diverse man power, varied customers, wide variety of products and services, conducive ambiance, innovative facilities and equipment, appropriate procedures, and time requirements. Competition is stiff as restaurants have mushroomed in many places.

Lucena City is one of the fastest growing cities in the Philippines. Lucena City is a place where commercial, industrial and institutional projects are being developed to cater the needs and demands of the community. People in Lucena City grow in number as business and tourism projects arise in the city. One of the favorite ventures in Lucena City is food service, basically people in Lucena City are fond of food and beverages, leisure, and they have varied food preferences and habits.

On the other hand, despite different types of restaurants in Lucena City from small scale restaurants business to large scale restaurants, people tend to look for what is new and what is more reasonable and comfortable for them . The emergence of big shopping malls in Lucena City makes the restaurant competitions even tougher. Local restaurants are being dominated by multinational restaurant operations. This restaurant business scenario gives the local restaurants a hard time to sustain its operations.

As the competition is getting high in restaurant business in Lucena City, the local restaurateurs should find ways to comply with the demands of the competition. The researchers have prompted to undertake the study in order to Meet the demands of the competition by having the appropriate information for a successful restaurant business. The desirable characteristics of a restaurants would render vital contribution for the restaurateurs to start, operate, compete, sustain, and expand the restaurant operations. The study will dwell into more preferred descriptions of restaurants based on the desires of its potential customers, and the study will entail strategic measures for effective cost control