"Going to a restaurant is more than just food," Hansen points out while he is taking a look at the premises. We are seated in a café of some prestige and have just been served a salad for lunch.
"The food looks fresh and delicious. But the metal table legs carry marks of dirty shoes. The menus have spots on them. Admittedly trifles, but they disturb the good impression", says Hansen who is a member of faculty at the Norwegian School of Hotel Management – Department of Business Administration.
For several years now he has been researching what factors influence our experience when we have a meal in a restaurant. The main conclusion is that a meal is a complex phenomenon.
A five factor model
Hansen's research model consists of five factors which together influence the customer's experience. The first is the product, the taste of food and drink. Secondly the look of the premises, like furniture, decorations, lamps and napkins play a role.
"The chairs, for example, are very important. It is not easy to eat a three course meal if one sits uncomfortably and gets a backache after one hour", Hansen says, and continues:
"Here the staff have now lit the candles on all the tables, also the ones that are unoccupied. It's a small detail that creates a nice atmosphere and makes the premises look attractive from the outside. Candles don't cost much and I don't understand why not all restaurants do this."
Delays in settling the bill cause irritation
It is not surprising that Hansen found service to be of great importance for the enjoyment of the meal. But what surprised the UiS researcher was the importance of the situation when the customer wants to pay. Many guests find that they have to wait a long time before they get the bill settled which is detrimental to the experience because the meal ends in annoyance.
"We often plan to spend a certain time at the restaurant and want to go somewhere afterwards. If it is difficult to get hold of the staff and the bill takes a long time, we get preoccupied with this and this is harmful for the whole experience", Hansen says, and points out that there are few studies that deal with settling of bills in a restaurant.
Hansen explains that the encounters between the members of the staff and the staff and the guests influence also influence our experience.
"In some restaurants the waiters are responsible for certain tables. But the guests don't always notice this and may find the service bad if a waiter doesn't want to assist the guests at a table that doesn't belong to him", Hansen explains.
Atmosphere is important
The company of guests and the atmosphere are the last two factors in Hansen's model. While restaurants have little influence on who we associate with, the staff can contribute to creating a good atmosphere.
"We instinctively know whether we have had a good experience or not, but cannot always explain why", says the associate professor.
"In this café I would say the atmosphere is good. It sounds as if people are happy and conversation lively. The waiters do what they are supposed to and stay professionally in the background not to disturb the conversation", Hansen says.
Advice from the researcher
Kai Victor Hansen wants the restaurant staff to realize that a meal is a comprehensive experience for the customers. Even if the kitchen should make a mistake with the food, the meal can be a good experience if the staff provide good service and correct the mistake.
"It's a good idea to give the guests adequate information. If the restaurant is understaffed because of sickness, the guests accept that service is slower if they are told why. Guests are basically very patient if they are properly informed", Hansen believes.
But he also encourages the customers to speak up if they aren't happy with something. Only then do the restaurants have the chance to improve and develop
Confirms the results
In his research Hansen has interviewed experienced restaurant guests and developed theories on the basis of the answers. The interviewees must have had several restaurant meals the last month and generally eaten out a lot professionally and privately.
Hansen used sample groups consisting of academics, employees in a international petroleum company, county employees in catering, journalists in a national newspaper and civil servants in a government ministry. In all 32 persons from two Norwegian towns.
"I have thought a lot about the fact that I have only interviewed experienced restaurant guests. But I think the results would have been the same if I had talked to other people. They might only have used other words", Hansen says and continues:
"When I give talks and teach courses for business people, they confirm my findings. I take that as proof of the validity of my results", Kai Victor Hansen concludes.
