Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
Food is a basic necessity for human survival. Likewise, many an artist will undoubtedly tell you that art is also a basic necessity, an inherent part of human life without which one literally cannot survive. Let’s consider food from an aesthetic perspective. Art in the aesthetic sense deals with the idea of creation and reception, and a relationship between the object itself, the artistic creator, the artistic receiver, and the environment or context in which those three interact.
Food presentation is the art of modifying, processing, arranging, or decorating food to enhance its aesthetic appeal. The visual presentation of foods is often considered by chefs at many different stages of food preparation, from the manner of tying or sewing meats, to the type of cut used in chopping and slicing meats or vegetables, to the style of mold used in a poured dish. The food itself may be decorated as in elaborately iced cakes, topped with ornamental sometimes sculptural consumables, drizzled with sauces, sprinkled with seeds, powders, or other toppings, or it may be accompanied by edible or inedible garnishes (Styler & Lazarus, 2006).
Cooks often pay close attention to plate presentation, choosing ingredients and techniques to suit a desired effect, following a standard arrangement and wiping away drips. Some foods are included mainly to set off others, such as a parsley garnish, and such elements as shells are not to be consumed at all. Checking the food's appearance, which is the cook's last task, becomes the eater's first. Diners are often transfixed by the food when it arrives at the table, as if taking in the whole meal. Yet even the most impressive sculpture collapses at the strike of a knife, fork, or spoon, so that plate presentation is evanescent.
Aesthetics is the concept of what is attractive and pleasing to the senses. Presenting attractive, delicious tasting foods is the best marketing tool a foodservice facility can utilize. Often, the quality of food being served is judged based on the way it looks. Poorly presented foods tell customers that their enjoyment is not the main priority of the foodservice establishment. Offering attractive meals not only shows creativity and skill in the kitchen, but also makes customers feel good about their meal. The way a meal looks will influence customer satisfaction and can also have an impact on the nutritional status of a client when serving foods in various settings as they are more inclined to consume if the meal looks appetizing. Presenting an attractive meal does not necessarily have to be a labor-intensive and costly project. Creative menu planning and ambition are the key ingredients to attractive plate presentation.
To be successful in the food business like catering services, one must be well-versed in the art of presentation. Simply slapping food on a plate with no rhyme or reason will doom to failure. Great care and professionalism will help to achieve culinary artistry. The way food is presented will have a direct impact on how the customer reacts to it. A pleasing visual appearance is often enough to convince the customer of its good favor. Presentation is an art of telling customers about the food by the way it is arranged on a serving piece. Good presentation makes you want to eat the food even before you have taken a single bite. Eating is one of life's great pleasure and cooking has been elevated an art. First impression of the plate of food determines customer’s expectations of quality.
Background of the Study
One new place to look for this trend in daily life is food design. The visual presentation of food is changing. Now, food has a post-artificial shape. Technology had an impact on the color, smell, consistency and shape of food. The aestheticization of other human activities had an impact on food too. Since the 1990s, art has become part of food design. Chefs became designers of the eating experience.
Telfer (2009) argues that although not all food is or should be considered art, there are many meals that are intended from their inception “to be savoured, appraised, thought about, discussed” in the same ways as conventional art, and many eaters consider them in this way. There is food in this world that is created to not only nourish the body, but to nourish the soul and the mind as well, encouraging us to be mindful and contemplative about what exactly it is that sustains us.
Although there are several factors to keep in mind when serving food, consideration of the aesthetic appeal of the meal is very important to customer satisfaction. Creating meals that are both aesthetically pleasing and flavorful leaves the customer with not only a nutritious meal, but a good feeling about the foodservice establishment; encouraging the customer to return to enjoy the food again.
This prompted the researchers to conduct a study to determine if aesthetics in food presentation as perceived by customers on a selected catering business in San Pablo City has an impact on customer satisfaction and therefore to the catering industry.
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework of the study will be based on theory of sensory analysis by Jellinek (2005). Sensory analysis is very important in the development of any new product like food. Sensory analysis (or sensory evaluation) is a scientific discipline that applies principles of experimental design and statistical analysis to the use of human senses (sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing) for the purposes of evaluating consumer products. It uses testing techniques to accurately measure human responses to food products by minimizing any biasing effects such as brand identity which could possibly have an influence on consumer perception of the product. It attempts to isolate the sensory properties of food products themselves and provide important and useful information to the product developers and food scientists about the sensory characteristics of their products.
The theoretical framework of the study will also anchored on the marketing mix of Neil Borden as cited by Kotler (2012). This is one of the preliminary knowledge every marketer must have and is considered to be the basics of every marketing theory, which emerged henceforth. The basic major marketing management decisions can be classified in one of the following four categories, namely Product, Price, Place (distribution) and Promotion. Product: refers to the item actually being sold. The product must deliver a minimum level of performance. Price: refers to the value that is put for a product. It depends on costs of production, segment targeted, ability of the market to pay, supply - demand and a host of other direct and indirect factors. Place: refers to the point of sale. In every industry, catching the eye of the consumer and making it easy for her to buy it is the main aim of a good distribution or 'place' strategy. Promotion: this refers to all the activities undertaken to make the product or service known to the user and trade.
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework of the study is presented in Figure 1 which shows the relationship between the independent variables which include the demographic profile of the respondents such as age, gender, educational attainment and monthly income as well as the perception of the respondents regarding aesthetics in food presentation such as color, texture, shape, arrangement, garnish and dinnerware and the marketing strategies in terms of product, price, place and promotion. The dependent variables are the level of customer satisfaction as affected by food presentation in terms of food quality, menu variety, customer service, cleanliness and dining environment.
Research Paradigm
Independent Variables Dependent Variables
|
Demographic Profile of the Respondents:
Aesthetics Appeal in Food Presentation and Service:
Marketing Strategies
|
|
Customer Satisfaction
|
|
|
Figure 1.
The Research Paradigm Showing the Relationship Between the Independent Variables and the Dependent Variables.
Statement of the Problem
The study aims to determine the effects of aesthetics in food presentation of a selected catering business in San Pablo City to customer satisfaction. Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:
1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of:
1.1. Age
1.2. Gender
1.3. Educational Attainment
1.4. Monthly Income
2. What is the mean perception of the respondents regarding aesthetics appeal in food presentation and service in terms of:
2.1. Color
2.2. Texture
2.3. Shape
2.4. Arrangement
2.5. Garnish
3. What is the marketing strategies of Garcia’s Catering Services in terms of the following:
3.1. Product
3.2. Price
3.4. Promotion
4. What is the level of customer satisfaction as affected by aesthetics in food presentation in terms of:
4.1. Food Quality
4.2. Menu Variety
4.3. Customer Service
4.4. Cleanliness
5. Is there a significant relationship between the demographic profile of the respondents and the level of customer satisfaction as affected by aesthetics in food presentation?
6. Is there a significant relationship between the perception of the respondents regarding aesthetics in food presentation and the level of customer satisfaction?
Hypotheses
Significance of the Study
The researchers believed that this research study would be beneficial to the following:
Catering Business Owners. The study will give them opportunity to know what the customers want with respect to aesthetics in food preparation and how customer satisfaction it may impact the marketability and profitability of their business.
Future Entrepreneurs. The findings of the study will help them a lot to have an idea of presenting attractive, delicious tasting foods which is the best marketing tool a foodservice facility can utilize.
Hotel and Restaurant Management Students. The output of this study could be a great help to HRM students because it will allow them to learn in offering attractive meals that are not only shows creativity and skill in the kitchen, but also makes customers feel good about their meal.
Customers. This study will help the customers more satisfied with the food they are consuming because it is more attractive and delicious tasting.
Researchers. The study will serve as background and added information on how to make food presentation more attractive and pleasing to the senses. This study will enable the researchers to be more resourceful and studious in the field of this study.
Future Researchers. This study will serve as a baseline and framework for the future studies regarding the impact of aesthetics in food production to customer satisfaction.
Scope and Limitation of the Study
The study aimed to determine the effects of aesthetics in food presentation of selected a catering business in San Pablo City to customer satisfaction.
The study utilized the descriptive type of research which only included 100 past customers of a selected catering business in San Pablo City. The respondents of the study were selected through purposive sampling. The survey questionnaire was the main tool used in this study. The questionnaire is in the form of a checklist and utilizes the structured-type of question to gather data.
The questionnaires were personally distributed by the researchers to the respondents. The procedures and the purpose of the study were explained and they were given the assurance of the confidentiality of their answers. The data collected were be consolidated, tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis. The study will use of the frequency and percentage distribution, mean and Pearson correlation as statistical tools in the analysis of data.
Definition of Terms
To facilitate better understanding of the flow of the discussion, the following terms are defined conceptually and operationally as used in this study:
Aesthetics. In this study, it refers on how the food is presented in terms of color, texture, shape, arrangement and garnish.
Age. This pertains to the age in years of the respondents during the time of the study.
Arrangement. It refers to the proper placement of on a plate and how the respondents feel about the meal placed in front of them
Cleanliness. In this study, it pertains to the degree to which the staff and crew of the catering service are keeping place clean including tables, chairs and dinnerware.
Color. In this study, it pertains to the variety in the color of food being served and if it makes the food more attractive.
Customer Satisfaction. In this study, it refers on how aesthetics in food presentation affect their satisfaction in terms of product, price, place and promotion.
Customer Service. It pertains to the quality of service being provided by the staff and crew of the catering services to its customers.
Educational Attainment. The highest degree of education the respondents has completed at the time of the study.
Food Quality. In this study, it refers to the characteristics of food in terms of its taste how it was presented to the customers of the catering service.
Garnish. It refers to the addition of something as an accompaniment to food or drink that enhances its flavor or appearance
Gender. This pertains to the sexual orientation of the respondents whether male or female.
Menu Variety. It refers to the choices and kinds of food the catering service is offering their customers for different types of occasions.
Monthly Income. In this study, it is the amount of money received by the respondents received in a monthly basis.
Price. In this study, it refers to the value that is put for the food served provided by the caterer.
Product. In this study, it refers to the quality of food served provided by the catering services to the respondents.
Promotion. This refers to all the activities undertaken to make the product or service known to the user and trade.
Shape. Pertains to the shape of the food and if it has an aesthetic appeal to the menu.
Texture. In this study, it refers to the way food feels in the mouth – crunchy, smooth, soft, hard, grainy, coarse, chewy, etc.