Hospitality and management sector
Most of the hospitality studies have focused on the controllable variables than uncontrollable variables that affect the hospitality management industry. The purpose of the study is to scrutinize the impact of group gender composition in, i.e. mostly men, balanced gender and mostly women on restaurant revenue management measures of, spending, meal duration and average spending per minute [SPM]. It also focuses on investigating the place of customer-based cues [dining hour, day, presence of drinks and party size in gauging rates of food intakes in restaurants. Based on the research conducted, it was found that heterogenous groups, i.e. mixed gender, are more profitable than other groups as they spend more, and stay for shorter periods in the restaurants. Concerning gender composition, customer cues depicted essential effects than gender composition, a trait that helps managers to develop efficient marketing by analyzing the duo. Since levels of revenue collected is a determinant to the success of every business, it is observed that music and table characteristics have emerged to explain the time duration and spending in the hospitality industry. Customer-based uncontrollable factors influence customer interactions at the restaurants hence should be considered.
Gender composition as an aspect in hospitality determines the length of stay and the amount spent by customers; hence a better understanding of this helps hoteliers and managers to determine the profitability in restaurants. As seen in the impression management theory, most people tend to record-high food intake when eating with others than when they are alone. (Salvy et al., 2007). It is also important for hotel managers to consider the reasons for lengthy dining duration and spending by customers. It is also important to consider table location and type when designing eating places as this factor tends to determine time duration and amount spent.[ customers may stay for longer periods while served on great design tables than usual ones] besides, dining duration may be lengthy in far end corners of the restaurants as compared other locations within the restaurant.
Based on the research carried out on the effect of gender composition in performance of the hospitality industry it is evident that many people or customers showed highest levels of satisfaction when served in hotels and restaurants having balanced- gender employees since heterogeneity in gender promotes unity and close relationships within hotel employees. I, therefore, collude that hotel managers and authorities should consider employing workers of both genders to work in the hotels to realize more profits.
The impact of customer cues on restaurants was also focused on; party size, presence of drinks and the dining hour of the day. According to (Sommer and She lar Teele, 1997; Bell and Pliner, 2003; Pliner et al., 2003) the larger the party size, the higher the food intake and vice versa it is therefore important for hotel managers to examine the party size when gauging the amount of food taken or to be taken, drinks also increase duration hours and spending [Lindman 1982], argues that drinking in party contexts increased drink intakes than in solitary drinking. Moreover, dining hours determine the length of stay in the restaurants; happy hour dining customers spend less than normal spending in normal operating hours. The spending ability of customers also depends on the day of the week. For instance, during the weekend’s customers dine for social interaction and dine for meals during weekdays.
The significance of this study is that it outlines the state of the hospitality management industry and pressurizes the need for necessary improvements and adjustments in the quest to realize high profit per capita considering that the hospitality industry is one of the major revenue earners to the economy.
In conclusion, the hospitality management industry should consider the essence and impacts of controllable and uncontrollable variables in the operation of restaurants and hotels. Customer-based factors like gender composition should be considered more as they have a direct implication to sales in the hospitality industry.