Menu Engineering: A Model Including Labor

Menu engineering is a methodology to classify menu items by their contribution margin and popularity. The process discounts the importance of food cost percentage, recognizing that operators deposit cash, not percentages. The authors raise the issue that strict application of the principles of menu engineering may result in an erroneous evaluation of a menu item, and also may be of little use without considering the variable portion of labor. They describe an enhancement to the process by considering labor.

Employee Job Satisfaction in Major Cruise Lines

A survey of 244 crew members with six major cruise Iines indicated the most satisfaction with organization and supervision, satisfaction with working environment and ship life, and least satisfaction with rewards. The study suggests that the analysis of job satisfaction level may be used to develop organizational strategies to improve shipboard employee job satisfaction.

A Look at Restaurant Commissaries

Restaurant commissaries range the full spectrum from simple storage of food and supplies to multi-million-dollar processing plants. The author discusses the cost effectiveness of commissary units, including their operating costs, quality control, and scope.

The Five Foundations of Leadership in Japan's Lodging Industry

This article discusses the results of pioneer research done by Michigan State University's School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management researchers, in cooperation with the Japanese Management Association, on the foundations of Japanese lodging industry leadership. While the results presented here simply represent the opinions of CEOs and presidents in Japan's lodging industry, the research offers an insight into leadership foundations and the results provide a guide for developing leadership skills in those who aspire to be future leaders in Japan’s lodging industry

Recreational Food Service is Big Business

In the analysis - Recreational Food Service Is Big Business - by Gary Horvath, President, Recreational Foodservice Division, Service America Corporation and Mickey Warner, Associate Professor School of Hospitality Management at Florida International University, Horvath and Warner initially state: “Recreational food service is very different from routine food service management. The authors review the market and the management planning and challenges that create that difference.” Recreational food is loosely defined by the authors as food for special events. These can be one-time events, repeated events that are not on a fixed schedule [i.e. concerts], weekly events such as football-baseball-or basketball games, or other similar venues. Concessions are a large part of these fan based settings. “An anticipated 101,000 fans at a per capita spending of $5-6 [were expected]. A typical concessions menu of hot dogs, popcorn, soda, beer, snacks, novelty foods, candy, and tobacco products comprises this market segment,” say Horvath and Warner in reference to the Super-Bowl XXI football championship game, held in Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California, on January 25, 1987. Some of the article is based upon that event. These food service efforts focus on the individual fan, but do extend to the corporate-organizational level as well. Your authors will have you know that catering is definitely a part of this equation. The monies spent and earned are phenomenal. “Special events of this type attract numerous corporate catering opportunities for companies entertaining VIP guest lists,” the authors inform. “Hospitality tents usually consist of a pregame cocktail party and buffet and a post-game celebration with musical entertainment held in lavishly decorated tents erected at the site. In this case a total of 5,000 covers, at a price of $200 each, for 12-15 separate parties were anticipated.” Horvath and Warner also want you to know that novelties and souvenirs make up an essential part of this, the recreational food service market. “Novelties and souvenirs are a primary market and source of revenue for every stadium food service operator,” say Horvath and Warner. The term, “per capita spending is the measurement used by the industry to evaluate sales potential per attendee at an event,” say the authors. Of course, with the solid revenue figures involved as well as the number of people anticipated for such events, planning is crucial, say Horvath and Warner. Training of staff, purchasing and supply, money and banking, facility access, and equipment, are a few of the elements to be negotiated. Through both graphs and text, Horvath and Warner do provide a fairly detailed outline of what a six-step event plan consists of.

A Case Study of Health Tourism in the Jeju Province, South Korea

The United States Census Bureau (2006) reported that in 2005 more than 46 million Americans lacked health insurance, and that by 2019 national spending for health care would exceed $4.5 trillion (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2010). Because those numbers are expected to increase, health tourists are seeking better opportunities for low-cost, high-quality treatment in other countries, plus the added benefit of experiencing foreign cultures. Health tourism is a rapidly growing market in both advanced and developing countries. The purpose of this study was to develop an applicable model of health tourism, the Jeju-Style Health Tourism Model, for Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and to provide other cities and countries with its implications. This study employed a focus group, indepth interviews, and content analysis to discover important factors in developing the model. The results suggested that four major sources must be executed together to maximize the benefits of health tourism development. On a foundation of natural resources, knowledge-based resources were most important (54.5%), followed by artificial resources (25.7%), and expenses-based resources (19.8%).

Personal Care Amenities: Are They Important Attributes in the Selection of Hotels?

Personal care amenities (PCA) are a big business in the lodging industry today. For several years hotel industry vendors and marketing consultants have claimed that PCA are very important to hotel guests and are a "must" for every hotel operation. The purpose of this study was to make one attempt to validate or discredit these claims based on actual guest feedback.

Innovation Leads to World's Largest Casual Dining Company

The chairman and CEO of Darden Restaurants, Inc. discusses the growth and success of the Red Lobster chain and the founding of the Olive Garden

A Longitudinal Study of Consumer Perceptions of Travel Websites: The Case of Hong Kong

Knowing how consumers perceive travel websites can help practitioners better understand consumers’ online requirements. This paper reports the findings of a longitudinal study that investigated the changes and trends in the profile and behavior of online travel-website users in Hong Kong. The profiles of e-buyers and e-browsers in 2009, when compared with those established by prior studies conducted in 2000 and 2007, point in a new direction for practitioners and researchers investigating online travelwebsite user behavior. The results indicated that more middle-aged consumers have become online travel-website users, and that website security and price are perceived to be the most important factors for travel-website use by both e-browsers and e-buyers.

Voluntary Termination In Restaurants: An Exploratory Determination of Causes

Each year high numbers of employees voluntarily terminate their employment with restaurant organizations. The author reports the results of an exploratory determination of the reasons why a group of employees who left during a three-month period did terminate with the organizations. The subjects were examined as a total group and as subgroups identified by position. It was found that 47.8 percent of the time the manager is able to influence the factors which may lead to voluntary separation from the organization.

Disney's Internship Program: More than Hands-On Experience

The vast majority of hospitality management programs require students to participate in a hands-on work experience, which helps bridge the gap between theory and practice, providing the student with an opportunity to practice the theory learned in the classroom. The Walt Disney World Co. developed, implemented, and operates one of the most successful internship programs in the hospitality industry. It recognizes the need for business practitioners to become more involved in the education of future hospitality managers. The authors summarize the company's program and offer suggestions for other employers looking to give interns more than hands-on experience.

The North American Spa Industry: An Examination of Emergent Trends

The spa industry is rapidly growing, both in North America and around the globe. However, hospitality and tourism professionals seem to be surprised and unprepared of the impressive evolution. The authors report of the North American spa industry’s current practices and emergent trends that are likely to prove significant for spa stakeholders and educators in this growing field of inquiry.

IRS Looks Closely at Independent Contractors

The IRS is using various tools to attack the status of various so-called 'outside consultants" being used by hospitality firms. This article will provide some planning tips so that the hospitality firm can minimize its chances of having workers reclassified as employees.

Visitor Center Staff Training: A U.S Assessment

As the first step toward developing benchmarks for travel counselor training, the authors identify the methods and characteristics of existing travel counselor-training programs in the U.S. Responses from 30 out of 50 state tourism agencies indicate that 12 different methods of training are emplyed; however, usage and satisfaction with these various training methods vary.

Curriculum Review: A Model

Hospitality programs in the United States are continually undergoing curriculum review to stay current and to produce graduates who will excel in the industry. This article describes the revision process used by one university.