The Five Aspects Meal Model: a tool for developing meal services in restaurants

Abstract

Preparing, planning and serving meals require several important steps before you can enjoy a meal. The meal takes place in a room ( room ), where the consumer meets waiters and other consumers ( meeting ), and where dishes and drinks ( products ) are served. Backstage there are several rules, laws and economic and management resources ( management control system ) that are needed to make the meal possible and make the experience an entirety as a meal ( entirety -expressing an atmosphere ). These five factors are the major ones for developing meal service in restaurants, and together form the Five Aspects Meal Model (FAMM). Several studies have shown that the context of a meal is important for the acceptance and consumption of a meal. Accordingly, the context has to include the food product itself, the consumer and the environment. These three factors need to be considered in an integrated manner, because they affect each other. A qualitative study of restaurant consumers found that there are at least eight main categories of importance for the experience of the meal: restaurant atmosphere, core items of consumption, restaurant scene, personal service encounter, staff quality, visitors, restaurant decision process and individual circumstances. These categories can easily be related to the 'Five Aspects Meal Model'. The essence of each factor is dependent upon different forms of knowledge, such as science, practical-productive, aesthetical and ethical.

Dual pillars of hotel restaurant food quality satisfaction and brand loyalty

“…Gustafsson et al (2006) found that staff quality and behaviour significantly influence consumer perception and perceived quality of food in restaurants. For example, Abubakar and Mavondo (2014) concluded customer satisfaction is important to all commercial organisations due to its influence on word of mouth promotion and repeat purchases.…”

Customers’ Perceptions of Service Quality Dimensions in the Indonesian Banking Industry: An Empirical Study

“…Bitner (1992) contended that the surrounding physical environment, in which the process of a service encounter takes place, played an important role in influencing customers" overall perceptions of service quality. Researchers state that a physical or "built" environment affects customer service evaluations, as the quality of the physical environment is an important aspect of the service assessment by customers (Baker, 1987;Bitner, 1992;Gustafsson et al, 2006;Rust & Oliver, 1994;Wakefield & Blodgett, 1996). The importance of the physical quality proposed in this hierarchical model is similar to tangible aspects of the SERVQUAL proposed by Parasuraman et al (1985).…”

How Might Gastronomy be a Suitable Discipline for Testing the Validity of Different Modern and Postmodern Claims About What May be Called Avant-Garde?

“…Research identifies the complexity and the multidisciplinary nature of understanding the concept of a meal and the work involved in meal provision situations. To be able to form an opinion and make a judgment on the quality of food and a meal/ gastronomic experience, all relevant factors need to be considered (Gustafsson, Ostrorn, Johansson, & Mossberg, 2006). This requires multidisciplinary knowledge because the different fields of knowledge affect the look of the quality of a meal as a whole (Meiselman, 2000).…”