The following document was written in order to fulfill an assignment for my

Business Communications class. It implemented unweighted and weighted decision

matrices in order to determine the best decision for a business.
DATE:

April 13, 2016

TO:

Guido Caputi

FROM:

Meredith Weaver

SUBJECT:

Parking Problem

The following report will outline the different alternatives we have previously discussed
regarding the parking problem we are currently experiencing at Caputis Italian
Restaurant. All of the alternatives have been considered in regards to the restaurant and
the customers. The cost, ease, and convenience have all been evaluated and and
recommendation has been placed based off of the findings.
Problem: Availability of Parking
The high level of customer traffic that the restaurant has begun to attract is a very good
advancement as far as profits go, but our current parking lot is not large enough to
accommodate the increase in traffic. We are unable to have all of the customers park in
the current parking lot, because this lot accommodates only twenty vehicles. Many
customers are beginning to give up on the restaurant and go elsewhere to eat, cutting into
our business, and driving away our regular, loyal customers. We cannot add onto the
current parking lot because of an adjacent building, and relocation is another option
which has been ruled out.
Solutions and Alternatives: Different Parking Options
We currently have three different parking options which are available for our company to
implement. The first is a valet service, which would allow customers to drive their car to
the restaurant and have a valet drive and park their car in a close lot. The second service
we have as an option is a shuttle service. Customers would have this service free of
charge, and it would run between the restaurant and the local parking garage. The third
option is to advertise the close parking spaces with a billboard close to the restaurant.
This would allow customers to become more aware of the parking spots close to the
restaurant.
Choosing a Solution
There are four different criteria which I have established related to choosing the solution
for our problem. Each of the four alternatives will be ranked on a scale of one through
three, and then multiplied by the weight. The criteria are as follows:

1. The cost to Caputis This will weigh how much the different solutions cost
the restaurant individually.
2. The cost for the customer This will show how much each alternative costs
our customers.
3. Implementation of Solution This will show us how easily the solution will
be implemented after being chosen.
4. Customer Convenience This will demonstrate how convenient the solution
will be for our customers.
Discussion: Evaluation of Alternatives
Valet Service:
The valet service has been offered to our company free of charge. However, there
is a seven-dollar rate per customer car, which makes this the most unattractive solution
for the customer cost-wise. In terms of convenience, this is very good for the customer,
because it requires them to do almost nothing. This requires little work in regards to
implementation, but does require a small amount of administrative work.
Shuttle Service:
The shuttle service will cost about $1,500 to buy a van, and around $200 per week
to pay an employee to shuttle the customers back and forth. It will also require regular
maintenance, which is another added cost to running the shuttle service. In addition to
this, it is very inconvenient for us to buy and maintain the shuttle service. This option
does, however, cost the customer nothing, and is fairly convenient for them as well.
Advertisement:
The advertisement for additional parking would cost the restaurant around $200.
It is very easy to implement, because we do not have to do a large amount of work other
than pay someone to put up the sign. It also costs our customers nothing, but is not
convenient for them because it does nothing to change the current parking situation,
except inform those who did not previously know.
The following table takes all of the important categories for each of the alternatives, and
places them into a table, with three being the most attractive option, and one being the
least:

3
1

Cost for the

Customer
1
3

Implementation
of Solution
2
1

Customer
Convenience
3
2

Cost to Caputis
Valet
Shuttle
Advertisemen
t

Weighing the Alternatives

Each one of our four criteria have been assigned weights in relation to their importance to
the restaurant. The cost to Caputis has been given a weight of ten. The cost for the
customer has received a weight of six. The ease of the implementation has been given a
weight of four, and the customer convenience has been given a weight of eight.
Multiplying the individual ratings by their respective weight will give us an answer to our
problem, and help us pick a solution.

Valet
Shuttle
Advertisemen
t

Cost to
Caputis
30
10

Cost for the

Costumer
6
18

Implementatio
n of Solution
8
4

Customer
Convenience
24
16

20

18

12

Totals
68
54
58

Conclusions and Recommendations

Choosing the shuttle as an option would be convenient to the customer, but would cost
our restaurant a large amount of money, making this the least attractive option for us to
choose. This makes the shuttle the least attractive solution to our problems. Implementing
the advertisement may seem easy, but it does not help the customers who simply do not
want to park farther away and walk to the restaurant. This is the second best solution for
our problem, but still not the one which I would recommend. In the above table, the total
of 68 with the valet as the option has been shown to be the best option for our restaurant
and the customers. Choosing this option will save the company a lot of money, because
we do not have to pay anything for the service, as well as make customers happier
because they do not have to worry about arriving at certain times for the shuttle or
parking their car in a different lot. For these reasons, I would recommend using the valet
service in order to solve our parking problem.