Using all the information you have about the Santa Fe Grill Mexican restaurant (Discussion 1 and 2 Readings), formulate 5 tentative hypotheses that can be tested as a result of the survey-based research and data analysis. Be sure to predict how an independent variable (IV) is likely to affect the dependent variable (DV). Some examples of correctly formulated hypotheses are provided below: o Health-conscious customers (IV) would visit Santa Fe Grill (DV) less frequently than customers who are less concerned about healthy food choices. o Customers who have more than one child (IV) will recommend Santa Fe Grill to others (DV) more frequently that customers with one or no children Discuss how the owners marketing decisions may be influenced by the results of these hypotheses testing, e.g. if it is true that customers with more children will recommend the restaurant more, these customers should be targeted with advertising more often than childless customers. This means exploring advertising on day-time TV shows and on channels with childrens programming. On the other hand, if the opposite is true, the restaurants promotion should target childless customers by, e.g. promoting a happy hour with discounted drinks, or advertising on late-night shows.

discussion 1 reading

The Santa Fe Grill Mexican Restaurant The Santa Fe Grill Mexican Restaurant was started 18 months ago by two former business students at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. They had been roommates in college and both had an entrepreneurial desire. After graduating they wanted to start a business instead of working for someone else. The students worked in restaurants while attending college, both as waiters, and one - as an assistant manager, and felt they had the knowledge and experience necessary to start their own business. During their senior year they prepared a business plan in their entrepreneurship class for a new Mexican restaurant concept. They initially intended to start the restaurant in Lincoln, Nebraska. After a demographic analysis of that market, however, they decided that Lincoln did not match their target demographics as well as did some other geographic areas. After researching the demographic and competitive profile of several markets, they decided that Dallas, Texas, would be the best place to start their business. In examining the markets, they were looking for a town that would best fit their target market of baby boomers and young families. The population in Dallas consists of 4,299,258 people, of which 50.4 percent are between the ages of 35 and 64. This showed them there were a lot of baby boomers and others in their target market in the Dallas area. They also found that 51percent of the population earn between $35,000 and $75,000 a year, which indicated the market would have enough income to eat out regularly. Finally, 56 percent of the population was married and many of them had children at home, which was consistent with their target offamilies. The new restaurant concept was based upon the freshest ingredients, complemented by a estive atmosphere, friendly service, and cutting-edge advertising and marketing strategies. The key would be to prepare and serve the freshest "made-from-scratch " Mexican foods possible. Everything would be prepared fresh every single day. Inaddition to their freshness concept, they wanted to have a fun, festive atmosphere and fast, friendly service. The atmospherewouldbeopen,brightlylitandbustlingwithactivity.Theirtargetmarket would be mostly baby boomers andfamilies. Their marketing programs would be ahead of thepack,with the advertising designed to provide an appealing,slightly off-center,unrefined positioning in themarket. The Santa Fe Grill has been successful, but not as quickly as the owners anticipated. To improve restaurant operations, the owners need to better understand what aspects of the restaurant drive customer satisfaction and where they can improve. They have come up with a few questions to be researched. Are the customers satisfied and if not, why are they not satisfied? Are there problems with the food, the atmosphere, or some other aspect of restaurant operations (e.g., employees or service)? Is the target market correctly defined or do they need to focus on a different niche? What are the common characteristics of satisfied customers? Answering these and other similar questions will help the owners focus their marketing efforts, improve operations, and be in a position to expand their restaurant concept to other markets. Recently, the owners of the Santa Fe Grill hired an experiences restaurant industry consultant. After an initial consultation, the consultant recommended two areas that needed to be examined. The first area focused on the restaurants operations. The proposed variables to be investigated included: Prices being charged. Menu items being offered. Interior decorations and atmosphere. Average dollar amount spent per customer. The second area to be studied was to learn more about what factors the Santa Fe Grill customers considered in selecting a restaurant at which to dine. Variables to be examined included: Food quality. Food variety. Servers and other restaurant employees. Pricing. Atmosphere. Dining out habits. Customer characteristics. Using your knowledge and understanding of exploratory research methods, address the following two questions: 1. Do the two research projects proposed by the consultant include all the areas that need to be researched? If yes, why? If no, which others need to be studied and why? 2. Can these topics be fully understood with qualitative data research methods? Why or why not? Or is quantitative research needed as well? Why or why not?

discussion 2 reading

Santa Fe Grill Customer Survey Hello. My name is ____ and I work for DSS Research. We are talking to people today/tonight about dining out habits. 1. Do you regularly eat out at casual dining restaurants? __ Yes __ No 2. Have you eaten at other Mexican restaurants in the last six months? __ Yes __ No 3. Is your gross annual household income $15,000 or more? __ Yes __ No If respondent answers Yes to all three questions, then say: We would like you to answer a few questions about your experience today/tonight at the Santa Fe Grill restaurant, and we hope you will be willing to give us your opinions. The survey will only take a few minutes and it will be very helpful to management in better serving its customers. If the person says yes, give them a clipboard with the questionnaire on it, briefly explain the questionnaire, and show them where to complete the survey. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DINING OUT SURVEY Please read all questions carefully. If you do not understand a question, ask the interviewer to help you. In the first section a number of statements are given about interests and opinions. Using a scale from 1 to 7, with 7 being Strongly Agree and 1 being Strongly Disagree, please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree a particular statement describes you. Circle only one number for each statement. Section 1: Life Style Questions 1. I often try new and different things. Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2. I like parties with music and lots of talk. Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 3. People come to me more often than I go to them for information about products. Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 4. I try to avoid fried foods. Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 5. I like to go out and socialize with people. Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6. Friends and neighbors often come to me for advice about products and brands. Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 7. I am self-confident about myself and my future. Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. I usually eat balanced, nutritious meals. Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9. When I see a new product in stores, I often buy it. Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10. I am careful about what I eat. Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 11. I often try new brands before my friends and neighbors do. Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Section 2: Perceptions Measures Listed below is a set of characteristics that could be used to describe the Santa Fe Grill Mexican restaurant. Using a scale from 1 to 7, with 7 being Strongly Agree and 1 being Strongly Disagree, to what extent do you agree or disagree the Santa Fe Grill: 12. has friendly employees Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 13. is a fun place to eat Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 14. has large size portions Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 15. has fresh food Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 16. has reasonable prices Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 17. has an attractive interior Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 18. has excellent food taste Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 3 19. has knowledgeable employees Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 20. serves food at the proper temperature Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 21. has quick service Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Section 3: Relationship Measures Please indicate your view on each of the following questions: 22. How satisfied are you with the Santa Fe Grill? Not Satisfied Very At All Satisfied 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 23. How likely are you to return to the Santa Fe Grill in the future? Definitely Will Definitely Will Not Return Return 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 24. How likely are you to recommend Santa Fe Grill to a friend? Definitely Will Not Definitely Will Recommend Recommend 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 25. How often do you patronize the Santa Fe Grill? 1 = Occasionally (Less than once a month) 2 = Frequently (1 3 times a month) 3 = Very Frequently (4 or more times a month) Section 4: Selection Factors Listed below are some factors (reasons) many people use in selecting a restaurant where they want to dine. Think about your visits to casual dining restaurants in the last three months and please rank each attribute from 1 to 4, with 1 being the most important reason for selecting the restaurant and 4 being the least important reason. There can be no ties so make sure you rank each attribute with a different number. Attribute Ranking 26. Prices 27. Food Quality 28. Atmosphere 29. Service 4 Section 5: Classification Questions Please circle the number that classifies you best. 30. Distance Driven 1 Less than 1 mile 2 1 3 miles 3 More than 3 Miles 31. Do you recall seeing any advertisements in the last 60 days for the Santa Fe Grill? 0 1 No Yes 32. Your Gender 0 Male 1 Female 33. Number of Children at Home 1 None 2 1 2 3 More than 2 children at home 34. Your Age in Years 1 18 - 25 2 26 - 34 3 35 - 49 4 50 - 59 5 60 and Older 35. Your Annual Gross Household Income 1 $15,000 - $30,000 2 $30,001 - $50,000 3 $50,001 - $75,000 4 $75,001 - $100,000 5 More than $100,000 Thank you very much for your help. ------------------------------------ Interviewer: Check answers to questions 22, 23 and 24. If respondent answers 1, 2 or 3 ask the following questions. You indicated you are not too satisfied with the Santa Fe Grill. Could you please tell me why? Record answer here: ________________________________________________________________________ You indicated you are not likely to return to the Santa Fe Grill. Could you please tell me why? Record answer here: ________________________________________________________________________ You indicated you are not likely to recommend the Santa Fe Grill. Could you please tell me why? Record answer here: ________________________________________________________________________ 5 Could I please have your name and phone number for verification purposes? _____________________ ____________ Name Phone # I hereby attest that this is a true and honest interview and complete to the best of my knowledge. I guarantee that all information relating to this interview shall be kept strictly confidential.