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Abstract
The fast development of the foodservices industry, the globalization and the aggressive
competition requires the mobilization of the marketing budgets of the organizations involved in
this domain on relationship marketing campaigns which are focused both on the acquisition of
The main goal of our research is to determine the most efficient techniques of relationship
marketing that can be applied to the organizations involved in foodservices industry. The tool
The research objectives are focused on the analysis of relationship marketing strategies
applied by the organizations from this activity domain and the determination of strategic options
applied for each type of menu items (star, plowhorse, puzzle and dog) by the marketing managers
of these organizations.
The research results emphasize the fact the marketing managers of the foodservices
industry organizations are oriented towards the business development centered on profitable
customers and the adaptation to the market requirements. The acquisition of new customers
represents the main concern of the marketing managers which participate to our survey, even if
the defensive strategy focused on loyal customers involves less marketing budgets then an
offensive strategy based on new customers. The strategies adopted by these marketing managers
concerning the four types of menu's items based on the model of Kasavana&Smith put in
can’t survive than by the efficient marketing activities. The modern company acts in a dynamic
managers of the organizations must have a prospective vision, imposed both by its internal
conditions (technical, organizational, etc) and by those external (the instability of the supply
The main task of a marketing specialist is to influence by his methods and techniques the
level, the period of the manifestation and the demand structure for a certain product or service.
In this context, our research has followed five major objectives, each of them being then
• the pursuit of the application level of the marketing planning as part of the foodservices
industry analysed;
• the analysis of the manner in which are led the resources as part of the marketing budgets
• the analysis of the strategic options applied for each type of menu item (star, plowhorse,
As a research tool, it was used a questionnaire which reveals both aspects concerning the
type of the marketing strategic orientation adopted by the Romanian foodservices industry and
different aspects concerning the implications of the strategic analysis of the menu items portfolio
high level of notoriety, and the marketing managers accepted to answer the questions from the
questionnaire, confirming by their answers the business strategy orientation adopted by the
organizations they manage to a total satisfaction of the customers’ needs and preferences.
The first major objective was to establish the fundamental principles which could assure
the performance achievement in the marketing management field in the foodservices industry.
These principles allow to the companies to define exactly the target of the planning application of
the marketing activities and to create adequate offers depending on the customers’ demands.
The highest weight of the answers in this case is held by the exigency towards the quality
of the services and of the culinary dishes which leads to the customers’ acquisition and loyalty
(37%), then the innovating activities in the field of culinary dishes and of the customers’ service
(20%) and the concentration of the employees’ efforts from the Front-Office and Back-Office in
order to deliver irreproachable services to the customers (17%). A more reduced weight is held
by the aspects connected to the adaptability to the changes of the customers’ culinary preferences
(14%) and the competent cooks and waiters’ attraction (12%). (figure no. 1)
The organizations performances from the foodservices industry are conditioned by the
way in which their marketing managers succeed to transpose the marketing planning objectives in
the results appreciated by the customers, the only stakeholders able to generate a high
17%
20%
the exigency towards the quality of the services and of the culinary dishes
which leads to the customers’ acquisition and loyalty
the innovating activities in the field of culinary dishes and of the customers’
service
the concentration of the employees’ efforts from the Front-Office and Back-
Office in order to deliver irreproachable services to the customers
the adaptability to the changes of the customers’ culinary preferences
Figure no. 1 – The principles considered fundamental by the marketing managers of the
marketing, we appreciate the fact that the marketing managers are setting in priority the
orientation towards a business expansion centred upon the profitable customers (31%), followed
by the application of certain training programmes meant for the employees implied in the
customer care processes who wish to form a proactive attitude towards the customers (29%) and
a constant participation of the cooks at the international exhibitions in order to get used to the
These answers show both a professional approach of the external marketing (the efficient
management of the customer relationships) and of the internal marketing, which refers to the
21%
29%
the orientation towards a business expansion centred upon the profitable customers
the application of certain training programmes meant for the employees implied in the
customer care processes who wish to form a proactive attitude towards the customers
the constant participation of the cooks at the international exhibitions in order to get
used to the newest trends in this field
the existence of a marketing information system intended to manage the relationship
marketing activities
the use of original recipes in order to realize culinary dishes
Figure no. 2 – Determination of the strengths weight of the foodservices industry in the
The use on a limited scale of the information systems meant to the marketing
management activities in the foodservices industry (only 12%), could be considered a weakness,
in the conditions in which the number the software available for this sector is in a continuous
increase.
The classification of the strengths that assures the competitive advantage in this sector in
which acts the companies from foodservices industry, emphasizes the arrangement on the first
position of the report quality-price appreciated by the customers (32%), followed by the high
level of customers’ loyalty (24%), the high motivation level of the employees (22%) and the
innovative capacity (22%) (figure no. 3) The fact that the percentage differences are very reduced
shows that the marketing managers of the companies included in the research sample allocate
22%
24%
Figure no. 3 – The classification of the strengths which assure competitive advantages to the
By analysing the marketing managers’ opinion of these units concerning the major
advantage of the marketing planning, we noticed that the general vision of the market and the
efficient resources allocation is situated on the first position (36%). It is followed by the vision on
the long term of the marketing policies (24%), by the response capacity at the needs and desires
of some market targets well defined (21%) and by the application of some obvious criteria in
order to evaluate the market targets and the offers positioning. (figure no. 4)
The minimization of the risks associated to some modifications in the menus structure,
determined by the changes of the customers’ preferences wasn’t considered as a main advantage
of the marketing planning by any manager interviewed; though, in our opinion, the adaptation
capacity at the customers’ demands in a continuous change involves to revise the way of the
menu organisation, which represents in this context the interface between the company and the
customer.
19%
36%
21%
24%
the response capacity at the needs and desires of some market targets well
defined, presenting a potential development and a high profit on long term
obvious criteria application in order to evaluate the market targets and the
offers positioning
Figure no. 4 – Identification of the main advantages of the marketing planning in the vision
In order to realize and to implement the marketing planning in the foodservices industry
intervene some barriers, as for example: confusions between the marketing strategies and the
marketing tactics, between the marketing function and the marketing concept, between the
marketing planning process and its result, impediments generated by the lack of implementation
The orientation of the marketing managers is based first of all on the receptivity towards
the market demands (31%), followed by the competitive advantage which these companies own
by a good placing of the customers service locations (25%), the adaptation capacity of the
marketing activities at the market dynamic (24%) and the unitary vision to the marketing mix
policies that assures the fair positioning of the offers in the customers’ mind (20%). (figure no. 5)
20%
31%
24%
25%
the competitive advantage which these companies own by a good placing of the
customers service locations
the adaptation capacity of the marketing activities at the market dynamic
the unitary vision to the marketing mix policies that assures the fair positioning
of the offers in the customers’ mind
permanently the business environment in order to react promptly at the changes which appear in
The answers received concerning the identification of the prior objectives in the frame of
the marketing strategies of the foodservices industry reveal that the acquisition of the new
customers represents the main preoccupation of the marketing mangers (30%), even if the costs
in this case are significantly bigger than in the case of the customers’ loyalty programs by some
special menus and price offers (26%). The decision of financial resources concentration on the
profitable customers’ targets (24%) is wholly justified from the financial point of view, but it
appears the risk to lose some customers’ targets that could become profitable, using personalized
changing the menu offers and by the launch of some original recipes has a percentage of only
20%; in our opinion, it represents the success key in the offer’ differentiation strategy towards the
24%
26%
The biggest weight in the customers’ portfolio owned by the foodservices companies is
held by the loyal customers (52%), followed by the relationship searchers (24%) which
discovering the services and the culinary dishes of these units become loyal customers if their
expectations are satisfied; another category is represented by the occasional customers (14%); the
relationship profiteers impose a special attention, because they are predisposed to migrate easily
towards the competitors when the first opportunity appears on the market. (figure no. 7)
10%
14% loyal customers
relationship searchers
52% occasional customers
relationship profiteers
24%
beginning and under the external competitive pressure, which become much more merciless
together with the adhesion at the European Union, the Romanian foodservices industry is obliged
Concerning the typology of the launched offers in a frequent way by the foodservices
industry, we notice a high weight associated with the offers that can generate new customers
needs categories (34%), followed by the special offers for the loyal customers’ reward (30%),
offers which aim at the prevention of the customers churn (21%) and the offers intended to
15%
34%
21%
30%
The strategic analysis of the existent products portfolio in the menus of these units, by the
popularity index and profitability point of view shows the following distribution: STAR (37%),
Figure no. 9 - Strategic analysis of the existent products portfolio in the analysed
From the strategic options specific to the menu items type STAR, the marketing managers
from the Romanian foodservices industry prefer to emphasize these products by their inclusion in
the promotional campaigns (45%), by the maintenance of the actual standards (22%), by the
investments in mass media in order to promote these products (19%) and by the test of the price
The strategic options applied for the PUZZLE items reveal the setting on the first position
the low prices test in the purpose to relaunch them (39%). It was given a special attention to the
setting strategy of these products in the menu top page in order to increase their notoriety level
(36%). The promotion of these products by aggressive marketing campaigns and the limitation of
their number in the menu represent 17% and respectively 8% thinking that their contribution is
The analysis of PLOWHORSE items showed the following classification of the strategic
options which are applied by the marketing managers for these products: the cost cut by the
diminution of the portions served to the customers (33%), the allocation of a promotion budget
more reduced for this product category (30%), the limitation of the product number from this
menu category (19%) and the test of the customers’ reaction at the sensible reduction at the
employed prices (18%). We think that the price diminution by the portions reduction is a
dangerous strategy, because the customers could notice this thing, fact that can determine them to
From the price strategies implemented in creating the menus, the principle of the scale
opening is situated on the first position according to the managers’ opinions of the foodservices
industry investigated (34%), followed by the principle of the price dispersion, which supposes to
determine the item prices from an inner scale in comparison with the external prices from the
menu (29%), the demand and offer principle measures the correlation between the average price
asked by the customers and the average price offered by the firm (20%) and the principle of the
special price offers is chosen by 17% of the marketing managers. (figure no. 10)
17%
34%
20%
29%
Figure no. 10 – The typology of the price strategies applied to the menu engineering
DOGS menu items represent a true challenge for the marketing managers, who could
relaunch the sales and their profitability by the following strategic options: the creation of a
partnership with a catering firm which could impulse their consumption (22%), the diminution of
the sales prices (17%), the increase of the profit margin by the price reduction (14%). The most
part of the received answers (47%) emphasizes the elimination strategy of these products from
the menus, fact which we consider to be convenient from the profitability principles point of
Our opinion is that the price, as a marketing tool, could represent a decisive factor of a
company competitivity from the field of foodservices industry in the conditions in which it is
associated to a qualitative level perceived as being adequate at the target customers’ group.
The acquisition rate of the new customers has occupied the first position in the
classification associated to the indicators used for the performance control management applied
to the relationship marketing strategies of the foodservices industry (37%), while the loyalty rate
The transforming index of the PUZZLE or PLOWHORSE menu items in STAR products
represents 18%, while the number of the customers’ claims towards the service staff is 14%.
14%
37%
18%
31%
General conclusions that result from our research show that the Romanian final transition
period coincided with the passing from the production maximization orientation to a business
philosophy centred on the customer, the application on the foodservices industry of some
relationship marketing strategies focused more on the acquisition of new customers and less on
loyalty programs, the concentration of the marketing managers efforts to anticipate the
customers’ preferences and to create new needs categories and to elaborate periodically new
reward strategies for the loyal customers which aim at the diminution of the churn rate to the
competitors.
References:
1. Arduser L. (2001) – „Restaurant Site Location: Finding, Negotiating & Securing the
Best Food Service Site for Maximum Profit”, Mc Graw Hill, New York
2. Lundberg D. (1995) – „The Restaurant: From Concept to Operation”, John Willey and
4. Reid R., Bojanic D. (2004) – „Hospitality Marketing Management”, John Wiley &Sons,
New York