Fridays Service Interaction Process

T.G.I. Fridays company Thank Goodness its Friday was the brainchild of Alan Stillman where he first opened its doors at the corner of First Avenue and 63rd Street, New York City in 1965. “Within one week, the police had to ring Friday’s with barricades to handle the nightly hordes of young singles. Hundreds of blatantly imitative emporiums soon opened their doors in scores of major cities – and an industry was born” (www.fridays.lv).

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The Dramaturgical Analogy

T.G.I. Friday’s company had successfully incorporated the dramaturgical analogy into their business since day one by presenting themselves as a unique service provider in the restaurant business where they cater to their customers. The principles of social psychology is a concept of role playing, adopted by T.G.I. Friday’s that explain the successful interaction between the company with consumer (Solomon et al, 1985). Besides, T.G.I. Friday’s company has a stringent criteria when it comes to recruitment as the initial interviews take the form of ‘auditions’ to test the potential candidate’s personality type in order to adopt to the company’s culture and environment (Palmer, 2011).

1.2 Connections between Theatre and T.G.I. Friday’s

T.G.I. Friday’s service to the customers can be seen as a theatrical drama because they have friendly and highly trained staffs that make the restaurant lively with their outlandish clothes when they are serving the customers. Besides, T.G.I.F. staff will go all the way to entertain the customers by singing songs such as Happy Birthday and in the middle of the restaurant which is the bar, the bartenders will be seen flipping and tossing bottles when preparing the customised cocktails. Furthermore, there are the wooden floors, Tiffany lamps, bentwood chairs and striped table clothes in red and white that transformed the otherwise bland and boring traditional restaurant setting into a theatrical stage where decor is the key element at T.G.I.F. as the environment provides a rich experience for the visiting customers (Palmer, 2011).

Critical Incident

The Critical Incident in T.G.I. Friday’s

Critical Incident is the ‘Encounters between customers and service producers that can be especially satisfying or dissatisfying’ (Adrian, P. 2008). T.G.I.F. executes the critical incident technique by having interviews take place at the restaurant where customers talk about their personal experiences with the friendly staff. Moreover, T.G.I.F. realised that in order to stay popular and sustain premium pricing, they have to regularly train their restaurant staff and redecorate their venues.

2.2 Achievement in Customer Satisfaction

By analysing the 2006 to 2010 figures, we can conclude that T.G.I.F restaurant has achieved customer satisfaction. Normally it is known that brands that use face-to-face services are similarly important when looking at customer experiences. T.G.I.F’s progress improved majorly from 2006 to 2010, mainly due to the following points: The overall fun atmosphere at the restaurant attracted more guests which caused a rise from 36% to 52% and the cocktails being sold at the restaurant were a huge success which resulted in the customer satisfaction rising by 13 percentage points. Therefore, statistically, customer satisfaction has grown from 35% to 58%. Overall, the business is now aiming for a compound sales growth ahead of the market.

T.G.I. Friday’s Service Interaction Process

3.1 Blueprinting

“A picture or map that visually portrays the service system” (Zeithaml & Bitner 1996). It identifies “all steps in a service process that is all contacts or interactions with customers” (Palmer 2011).

The service blueprints indicate (Appendix 1), a variety of fail points may occur during the service chain of TGI Friday: A delay in serving food to the customers often results causing problems in peak business hours. However, foods are sometimes mismatched to their order specification, either because an items are unavailable, or because of a mistake. The cashier’s position is adjacent to the exit, and after completing consumption of the core service, the customer settles his or her bills and departs. This phase of service also present problems: these arise from the other roles of the cashier, which were previously mentioned and more particularly because clients sometimes complain that there are discrepancies on the bill.

Servicescapes

“The impact of physical surroundings on customers and employees” (Bitner 1992)

TGIF’s has created an atmosphere where decoration has become a key element in their experience, transforming bland boring industrial type of building into theatrical stage.

At TGIF customers get impressed by Environment: the lights are focused specially on the tables creating an onstage feeling; large central bar with dining facilities surrounding the bar and authentic, and physical design such as Red and white stripes awnings, wood floors, tiffany lampshades, cane chairs and striped tablecloths create a feeling of the American bar/diner. (Case study 2011)

Cyberscape

Cyberscape has various dimensions, which may evoke approach/avoidance responses from consumers (Williams and Dargel’s 2004). (Appendix 2)

According to TGI Friday’s, it’s a well-designed and attractive website with vibrant theme. Some important tabs are there on the top of the page with additional videos to demonstrate the environment and skill levels at TGI Friday’s. These videos can be very attractive for customers who want to know about the restaurant and may be appealing to new people and tempt them to visit the restaurant. Moreover, these facilities on the website may increase the visiting time for customers and increase affiliation levels, exploration and commitment of the customers resultantly increasing the Site Approach for TGI Friday’s.

Servuction

“Servuction concentrates on consumers’ perception of the service encounter” (Palmer 2008).

TGI Friday’s “create their own bundle of benefits from fellow consumers or third- party consumers” (Palmer 2008) by offering ‘mass customisation’ in which the company provides a basically standard service to all customers, they can still “personalise their meal through an extensive range of menu permutation” (case study 2011).

Service Experience

TGI Fridays states in the ideology of the company that “to treat every customer as we would, to an honoured guest in our home and it is reflected in everything we do” (Palmer, 2011). Whereas TGI Fridays offers standardized services, also have generated a trend schedule defining the types of customers visiting the restaurant at different times a day and employees have to match their behaviour consequently (Lashley, 2000).

Examples of unique individual services at TGI Fridays include; High chairs for babies, Helium filled balloons, Special Kid’s menu, Happy Birthday TGI Friday’s song, Attractive internal atmosphere, Friendly staff etc. However the style and decorations at the TGI Fridays clearly indicate that it’s not a formal restaurant rather a place to have fun.

Service Quality

“Service quality can be described as the result from customer comparisons between their expectations about the service they will use and their perceptions about the service company”. (Oliver 1997). To maintain service quality management and executives design various standards and systems.

The T.G.I.F’s management ensures the Service Quality, through various five star values and rings of perceived guest values. These values represent the culture of TGI Friday’s such as Integrity, Recognition, Balance, Excellence and Enjoyment. Additionally the three rings of perceived guest values represent; core values, additional features and WOW moments for guests to delight and surprise them (Christine Williams, 2003).Although TGI Friday’s adopts value based approach i.e. when quality is perceived as a function of customer benefit comparative to price or cost.(Kasper, et al., 2006)

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Service Failure/Recovery

At TGI Friday’s restaurant in Coventry, UK, where samples of service failures collected, to find out any patterns, sets or classifications that may propose solutions in the hospitality industry. Three extensive sets were revealed: customers not receiving the products and services promised; errors made by the employees in delivering the service; and unfriendly staff who act badly (Mclean & Teare, 1995).

‘Resolve problems, alter negative attitudes of dissatisfied customers, and ultimately retain these customers (Miller et al., 2000).

To avoid failures and for the smooth processes, the best technique is designing a system. At TGIF’s, experienced staff monitors the performance and train new employees; Team is instructed and prepared before every shift; computerized monitoring of service times by the managers and checking back with the customers within three minutes of meal delivery are important procedures for maintaining standards (Lashley, 2000).

Type of Service Technologies

Cash360 – Cash Management Solution

In order to serve every customer well, T.G.I. Friday’s company need to rely on a technology that will help the business to prosper and run efficiently. Therefore, T.G.I.F. adopted the Cash360 which is the Cash Management Solution developed by G4S company. By using this, T.G.I.F. managed to cut the cost of using cash and minimise losses by improving their management information, enhance security and have a solution that enables their team members to deposit notes and receive a validated deposit receipt throughout their shift. By achieving all of these tasks, it gives more time to Friday’s team, to what they do best.

P.O.S. – Point of Sale Technology

Point of Sale (P.O.S.) technology is another leverage tool used by T.G.I.F to run their successful operations. The handheld devices are used by T.G.I.F staff with easy to navigate by touch screens features. This is to enhance the restaurants’ management systems in terms of efficiency, accuracy, management visibility and analytic capabilities. Besides, T.G.I.F. also allows their customers to pay for their meal with iPhone and Android device via the restaurant’s P.O.S system where the customers need to download the free application and opens a tab within the application and they will be presented with a five-digit code to show their staff. Then, T.G.I.F. staff enters the code on the restaurant’s point of sale system and the order will proceeds just like usual.

5.0 Conclusion

Overall, T.G.I Fridays has great restaurants in the Grand Rapids areas, which is doing well to improve its market positioning as a ‘one-stop-shop’ casual chain, also continuing to struggle with the overriding issues of declining demand for broad casual chains without a clearly defensible niche.

Moreover, even if they fail in certain levels they still achieve customer satisfaction. TGIF deliver highly standardised food, different types of menu items, fun and exciting atmosphere, friendly staff and time sufficient, clean and convenient restaurant. According to current market trends and opportunities it’s likely to take a larger share for the market. Also, expectantly a new believed about Fridays in the rapids places can be seen by the aim marketplace and further.