Advertising & Market Research Compilation Farelli’s Pizza, Parkland, Wash.

Alexander Vo Eddie J. McCoven Jacob Gleichman Matthew Gillis

Brand Inventory

Summary

Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza is a family owned and operated business with seven stores located around Pierce County. The restaurant chain prides itself on its “artisan pizza, cooked on stone in front of an open flame” trademark that is represented in each of its regional stores.

Farrelli’s brand strategy relies heavily on its focus in hiring and training staff members as reflected by its mission statement of creating a “vibrant working family that provides nourishment to our neighborhood.” Farrelli’s was also the winner of the "Top Places to Work" in the South Sound by Business Insider in 2014. Their core values comprise of growth, passion, fun, integrity, quality, responsibility and appreciation. Accountability although not included in its core values remains a visible virtue as a result of its tenuous effort to endow all employees with clearly defined roles and rules of competencies as laid out in every of its employee applications.

Farrelli’s has had a bit of a name change over the years, as evident by different signage in their restaurants, from “Farrelli’s Pizza” to “Farrelli’s On Fire” to the current “Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza”. Walking into any Farrelli’s you will immediately notice both the kitchen and the bar, and certainly some Seattle Seahawks gear, almost subconsciously making the statement that Farelli’s is the place to eat, drink, and root for the Seahawks.

208 Garfield is a small but posh cafe owned and operated by Pacific Lutheran University Dining and Culinary Services out of the Garfield Book Company building. The cafe has become quite a hangout for students, families, and professionals working in the area. 208 Garfield distinguishes itself from other cafes in the area by its Spanish, Italian, and Scandinavian inspired menu. Another part of the brand strategy of 208 is offering healthier menu options, pastries made from scratch, locally sourced ingredients, along with regional wine and beer from wineries and breweries in Oregon and Washington no farther than 300 miles away. Many of the beers and wines offered are produced by PLU alumni affiliated companies, which is indicated on 208’s menus and website.

208 describes themselves as a “cozy eatery in the heart of Parkland,” appealing more to Parkland’s year-round residents and professionals. The PLU owned store has created its own identity apart from the university as patrons will find no banners, pennants, logos of PLU or university colors tailored on its walls. Comparison

Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza and 208 Garfield are located in the same retail village. 208 Garfield is more of a geographic competitor to Farrelli’s because they are two different types of restaurants, but they are essentially competing for the same or similar publics. Both restaurants have been in the same location about the same time, shortly after the property was developed by Pacific Lutheran University (PLU).

Farrelli’s was already an established brand with other locations, but 208 Garfield is a

stand alone business. Farrelli’s strategies have made them a popular choice among families, and for those who just want to meetup and have a few drinks with friends. Farrelli’s as a whole has a much larger brand inventory than 208 Garfield, whose online presence is smaller, whose website is very minimal, and doesn’t spend much (if anything) on advertising. However, with little to no advertising, and without predecessor locations with a reputation to build on like Farrelli’s, 208 Garfield has done quite well and has gained a following. 208’s minimalist approach has allowed for the food, coffee, beer and wine to speak for itself, and has relied on word-of-mouth, perhaps the best form of advertising to generate their following. Evaluation

After visiting each restaurant, the branding strategy for both businesses are different in their own ways. While 208 Garfield and Farrelli’s are located very close together, Farrelli’s has multiple locations while 208 has only one. However, the marketing strategy of each business differs. It is safe to say that 208’s strategy is very minimal. With little to no advertising, 208 targets those who want to visit a cafe-styled environment and possibly order a glass of fine wine while catching up with an old friend. They do not find the need to advertise via legacy media. They have established themselves as an independant business separate from the PLU brand and they give patrons a reason to come back. How do they get people to come back? Because of the experience. While 208 may offer special events such as Tap Thursdays and Jazz Under The Stars, they do not rely on their advertisements for customer attraction.

Farrelli’s, on the other hand, invites families, friends, couples, and single individuals to come have a slice of pizza or unwind with a drink in their bar area. In order to give people reason to choose their pizza over the other guys (The Rock, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa Murphy’s, Round Table, Godfather’s Pizza), Farrellis utilizes tools such as social media, (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram), magazines and other print-forms of advertisement to create buzz marketing on their behalf. They are found on UrbanSpoon, Yelp, and even TripAdvisor. While their online presence may be impressive, their geographical advertisement is subpar. As a group, we agreed that it was rather difficult for an average individual who is either in walking distance or driving near a Farrellis location to realize that the restaurant is even near by. This stood out to us the most. Legacy advertising and even Social Media marketing only goes so far. With thousands of people traveling on Pacific Avenue every day, Farrellis should utilize this traffic much more effectively. We recommend making it a little less difficult to spot the restaurant while driving on Pacific Avenue. With both businesses being unique in their own way, they both advertise rather relatively different. According to our notes and experience, 208 relies on word-of-mouth while Farrelli’s relies on web advertising and their unique “wood fire” artisan style of pizza. Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza - Brand Inventory

• Print o Menus o Table tents

o Coupons Veterans Day free meal admissions

o Gift card (Good for McNamara's Pub also) o Rewards card (Fire Club Loyalty Program) o Packaging

Pizza box o Employment Application: http://farrellispizza.com/wp-

content/uploads/2014/11/Application-with-Cover-Letter-online.pdf o Menu Nutrition Information: http://farrellispizza.com/wp-

content/uploads/2015/06/Menu-nutrition-info-per-slice-6-22-15.pdf o Job Description & Competencies 2015: http://farrellispizza.com/wp-

content/uploads/2015/08/SAMPLE-Farrellis-Manger-Job-Descriptions-ALL.pdf o Kitchen Competencies 2015: http://farrellispizza.com/wp-

content/uploads/2015/08/SAMPLE-Kitchen-Compentencies2015.pdf o Business Card

• Legacy Media o Television ads o Several articles in the Tacoma News Tribune o print advertising

• Traditional Electronic Media o Media Kit: http://farrellispizza.com/media-kit/ o Website: http://farrellispizza.com/

Store descriptions for every location General Manager profile picture on every location

o News Articles (see Recognition & Awards page on website for more) News Tribune - Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza expanding to Point

Ruston: http://www.thenewstribune.com/entertainment/restaurants/tnt-diner/article47385740.html

News Tribune - Dining alert for Frederickson – two restaurants are on the way: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/tntdiner/2014/06/05/dining-alert-for-frederickson-two-restaurants-are-on-the-way/

Bellarmine Today...In Brief - Farrelli’s: A Family Affair: http://old.bellarmineprep.org/files/library/571ffc4a3029cd85.pdf

Pizza Today: http://www.pizzatoday.com/departments/back-office/proven-tactics-social-media/

PMQ Pizza Magazine: http://www.pmq.com/March-2008/Marketing-marvels-fired-up-marketing/

o Photographs Interior Exterior

• Social Media o Twitter: https://twitter.com/farrellis o Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FarrellisPizza o Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farrellis/ o Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Farrellispizza

o OpenTable Reservation: http://www.opentable.com/farrellis-wood-fire-pizza-frederickson

o TripAdvisor o Foodio54 o Yelp o UrbanSpoon

• Personnel, Events and Atmosphere o Youth Program Take Over - GMVCC Youth Leadership Program o Pizza-Expo (Las Vegas Convention Center, March 8-10 2016) o The Taste Cooks!

2015: https://www.tasteoftacoma.com/media/pdf/Taste%20Cooks!%202015%20Press%20Release.pdf

o Space Catering: http://www.farrellispartyplace.com/ o Food Symposium

2012: http://www.philosophersinamerica.com/Food%20Symposium%20Brochure%202-21-12-2.pdf

o Chef Dinner: http://sumnersd.org/arounddistrict/pdf/1314bulletins/BHSCulinaryDinner120513.pdf

o Tournament of Pizza Readers’ Poll: http://www.northwestmilitary.com/music-and-culture/walkie-talkie-blog/2011/04/uploads/blogs/26898-Tournament-of-Pizza-2011-Bracket-Updated.pdf

o Wine Wednesday (All bottles $15) • Other

o Freeway exit signs o Vehicle Branding (Farrelli's MINI Cooper, Maple Valley)

Competitor: 208 Garfield - Brand Inventory

• Print o Menus, gift cards, boxes for wine

• Legacy Media o a few articles in the Tacoma News Tribune

• Traditional Electronic Media (Website and Email) o website: http://www.208garfield.com/ o a few reviews on the food blog for the News Tribune

• Social Media o Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/208Garfield/ o Twitter: https://twitter.com/208Garfield o Foursquare o Yelp o UrbanSpoon o Trip Advisor

• Personnel, Events and Atmosphere o Beer tasting o Tap Thursday

o Jazz Under the Stars • Other

o 208 branded red wine blend

Ethnography Introduction

Our group visited Farrelli’s on Garfield Street in Parkland as well as the location on 6th and Union Ave in Tacoma. As a group, we had lunch at both locations around 12 P.M. in the restaurant section, and some individuals spent additional time at both locations on a Saturday night in the bar section. The following paragraphs describe our rationale and summarize our findings. Rationale Our group decided to make use of the class times offered to us as work days to visit both Farelli’s in Parkland and Tacoma. We went during lunch and sat in the dining room side to compare the service and atmosphere. Our goal moving forward with this ethnography is to concentrate on service. We also made it a point to order the same pizza, the “12 Deluxe Classic,” to analyze the food quality between locations. Our group also went individually on the same Saturday night to both locations and sat in the bar side of the restaurants in order analyze how the atmosphere would differ at a relatively busier time and how bar patrons may experience the restaurants.

To ensure that our research would show relatively consistent results, we arrived and dined at both Farrelli locations at similar time frames in order to help control our assessments, both in the noon and evening time slots. We ate at both restaurants as a group in the noon times instead of individually so that it would make it convenient for us to discuss some of our findings together. It also gave us a chance to see how the service would treat our group as a whole and when we went into the restaurant individually in the evenings. Summary of Findings Conflicts in Branding

We found slight confusion when reading the brand identification at both Farrelli’s restaurants on certain objects outside and inside the building. For example, when we approached each Farrellis location, we noticed that the sign on the canopy read, “Farrelli’s Pizza.” On certain marketing materials along with the company's website, it reads“Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza”. Also, printed on the glass doors at each location, we noticed it read, “Farrelli’s On Fire”. This left our group questioning which of these three different brand identifications represent Farrellis. We mutually agreed that this is a flaw within the marketing strategy of the company. Having three different brand identifications very similar to one another makes it rather confusing for customers to understand the restaurants image. Gendered Occupational Roles

We noticed that the occupational roles seemed to be according to gender. Based off of our observations, the chefs and others in the observable kitchen were all men, while the servers

were all women. Both groups seemed to consist of people who appeared relatively young, in their twenties and early thirties. At both locations the employees’ ethnicity were primarily White. The chefs had on their uniforms and wore chef hats to indicate their roles. The servers at both locations wore a similar dress code as well. Manager on Duty

There is a photo frame near the front entrance where the photo and name of the current manager in charge is posted. In both locations we had an interaction with the manager on duty. The manager was walking around to each table, checking in with patrons to make sure the food was to our liking. Having a strong leadership present not only shows dedication towards the customers; it helps to ensure that the Farrelli’s brand is a positive one that customers can trust. This adds a sense of security for everyone who walks into Farrelli’s doors, old or new, that the restaurant is being taken care of and treated by a person that can be easily identified and recognizable to both employees and customers. Having a manager that can be easily recognizable provides the business with familiarity and a relationship that customers can trust. Farrelli’s as the “Third Place”

At both Farrelli’s locations (much more so at the 6th Ave location) are the “third place,” the concept for where social and casual meetings are valued after home and work. One example at the 6th Ave location is that we saw two adult males, clothed in outdoorsman apparel. One of the gentlemen appeared to have been waiting for the other. When the second gentleman had come in, the two embraced and sat down as they began their conversation. From this we could gather that the two were most likely old friends who may have not seen each other for quite some time. While observing this, we realized that these two men traveled separately to the restaurant, thus meaning that the two men agreed to use Farrelli’s as their destination to converse and have a meal together.

Another example of this “meeting place” was a small group of middle aged adults at a booth in business-casual attire in what appeared to be a business outing while at the Farrelli’s in Parkland. Acting as a mutual middleground between home and the office, Farrelli’s provided a casual atmosphere while still allowing the group to discuss business. This revealed to our group that Farrelli’s not only strives for a friendly, family-orientated style of dining, but a semi-professional place to discuss business. Spatial Designs to Segment Publics

Farrelli’s uses spatial designs of the restaurant to segment and cater to different types of customers, namely in the clear separation of the bar and the kitchen for the restaurant side. As one enters the establishment, the bar and adjoining kitchen counter bisects the restaurant into the bar side and the restaurant side. This allows patrons an option for visiting the restaurant to what suits their needs or wants the best. Both the bar and restaurant side share similar aesthetics, however atmosphere and overall vibe are much different. The bar side has more lighting and open space to encourage movement. It’s more upbeat and noisier as there are more televisions and a pool table to imply these attributes. On the other hand, the restaurant side has much dimmer lights and more mellow decorations that implicate a much more cozier environment.

Music to Set the Tone

Music is used to set the tone and overall atmosphere. While Tacoma plays country, Parkland plays Top 40 pop music, but not the most trending of song choices for 2016, they can be enjoyed by people of all demographics. This music, though satisfying and even nostalgic (likely to cater to the nearby college campus) made it difficult to relax, gave off an aura of “eat, sit, leave.”

On the other hand, Tacoma had an atmosphere of “get in and stay awhile.” 6th Ave had a total opposite of ambience that was much more inviting . The music was mostly modern country. Their playlist was upbeat, but still fairly mellow which provides a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere while still maintaining an energetic vibe so that customers are inclined to relax and enjoy themselves. We felt welcomed.

On a side note we would like to include that our server refilled our drinks multiple times before offering our check, which allowed us to believe that it was not of her best interest to “get us out” as we felt at the Farrelli’s in Parkland. This relates back to the music: it is one of the first things guests notice before having any interaction with staff members. In certain cases, music sets a tone as guests first enter through the restaurant doors. Not only is it one of the major themes discovered, it is a strategy. Service at Parkland and 6th Ave Differ Our group visit to the Parkland location during lunch on the restaurant side was met with service that was less than desireable, as was our individual visits to the after-dinner time frame on the bar side. Servers at Parkland seemed genuinely disinterested in serving us and were not very friendly, regardless of the day or time. During the Saturday evening visit, individuals joined friends already seated in the bar section. The tone of the servers voice when asking us if we would like a menu was not inviting, almost as if it was a bother that we sat down with friends who were already halfway through their meal. After receiving our beverage and appetizer, the server did not check up on us again until we were ready for the check.

On the other hand, service at 6th Ave, both as a group during lunch in the restaurant side and as individuals after dinner on the bar side were exemplary. Our server offered appetizers and dessert, whereas our server in Parkland had very little to say other than ask us about drinks, what we wanted and the check. Reflection Limitations

We ran into a number of limitations during our observations. One of the factors was our time constraints. The limited amount of time we had to analyze meant that only so much data could be gathered. The time of day relates to this as well. The lunch crowd typically varies when compared to the dinner crowd. Families, children and possibly groups or clubs may participate in the evening rather than two friends conversing over lunch. The places we chose to sit; being on the bar side after dinner at both locations would most likely provide a different outcome of

observations than the lunch crowd. The availability of viable customers during lunch hours and late night hours will be fewer than during the dinner rush.

Another limitation was the small number of Farrelli’s locations that were visited, which were just two: 6th Ave and Parkland. This provides only two locations from which to extract data. Further subjects are necessary to be thoroughly conclusive, as data received from other facilities may or may not be consistent with current findings.

Also of note was that as previously mentioned, both locations primarily employed female servers while their head chefs (the employees wearing the red hat or outfit) were both male. Although not indicative of any gender preferences, further research from other store locations would provide substantial evidence of why certain employee positions are associated with gender, at least in Farrelli’s restaurants. Changes in Future Research

In the future, we would likely attempt to better prepare for research by knowing in advance what questions to bring and ask, and what to look for in the overall atmosphere of the restaurants. This will leave us knowing how to efficiently gather more information within the allotted amount of time. We may also attempt a greater sample size regarding the number of facilities visited, so that we could have more test subjects from which to extract data.

Another idea to consider is to try a different pizza and or appetizer rather than the one we ordered as a group. For example, the breadsticks were offered as an appetizer by our server at 6th Ave. We could have tried a common appetizer that is available at all Farrelli's restaurants and compare the quality of each along with the timing of the food reaching our table. As a group, it would have been ideal to visit a Farrellis during the rush of dinner and see how the servers treat us during a busy hour on the dining side of the restaurant. Would they stay calm and remember specific details such as refilling drinks? Would they check up on our table at appropriate times? These are questions to consider because during the times we visited the restaurant as a group, there were very few guests seated.

Content Analysis Introduction

This study follows a latent content analysis approach using consumer reviews on Yelp.com as an artifact for quantifying information In order to discern why Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza in Parkland is not up-to-par with the rest of its chains, we investigated this claim by evaluating what online users had to say about this particular establishment. A sample of 97 user-generated reviews (total to date as of January 24, 2016) were selected and grouped into four distinct categories: service, atmosphere, food and value. This paper will reflect upon our research by summarizing our findings, identify the limitations we encountered, and conclude with our changes for future research.

Rationale This study’s goal is to evaluate the elements of customer satisfaction for Farrelli’s Wood

Fire Pizza in Parkland through the powers of social media. For the sake of supplying enough data for sufficient analysis we attempted to extract and code all 97 reviews as our sample source. Using user-generated reviews from Yelp.com as our main item for analysis, we examined these reviews inductively. We began to search inductively through each review in order to reveal patterns and letting any themes emerge organically. Eventually, we agreed on a set of criteria that was prominent and most abundant in frequency throughout our observations. This led us to agree on four distinct categories: service, food, value and atmosphere.

The units of counting we established were sentences as they offer a more meaningful component for interpretation than words and are more consistently available than paragraphs. Our goal for coding these reviews was to make sure it was relevant to the categories and to retain as much of the exact wording as possible. The content analysis itself follows an unstructured form of extraction, however it employs a method of latent content coding based on thematic dissemination that is congruent to the parameters listed in our categorical instrument (see Table 1 in appendices). These parameters also index various sub-categories that help specify the classification of the artifact and to permit each member a set of interpretive guidelines to follow for coding our data as objectively as possible.

Data entry formulates from the text extracted from the series of user-generated reviews on Yelp.com into individual lines of comments. Each comment can be assigned multiple sub-categories, but may only fall into one main category. Regardless of the length of the sentence, the comments are then interpreted to fulfill positive, negative or neutral connotations in a category called attribute. Positive comments are assigned to user experiences that characterize satisfactory expectations or standards. Negative comments portray poor expectations and inadequate demands. Neutral comments illustrate an impartial attitude that customers may depict where they show no strong feelings towards the particular item that they are evaluating.

We also decided not to include the ratings in our assessment that Yelp users indicated along with their reviews. Yelp’s one-to-five rating system provides a broad overview of customer attitude towards particular establishments, however the ratings provide no clear

indicator for sufficient measurements for customer satisfaction. They are constricted and subjected to the user’s own personal values and therefore present an inconsistent margin of relativity. One or five star ratings might indicate a best or worst experience, however a two to four star rating might differ a significantly contrasting set of criteria altogether between the many different reviewers, so hence will only deter the study with deficient or uneven data.

Summary of Findings Word-of-mouth has been a prominent form of advertising that creates brand salience for

buzz marketing. Especially in today’s digital era of social media influence; media channels where anybody can offer first-hand experiences through online platforms. We chose to investigate this channel through Yelp.com as a means to explore the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) distribution of Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza by evaluating user reviews for the location in Parkland.

All 97 evaluations from the Farrelli’s in Parkland were examined through online Yelp reviews spanning over eight years from 2008 to 2016. We were able to code a total of 242 lines of comments and assigned each comment an attribute of positive, negative or neutral trait (see Table 2 in appendices). Essentially, we wanted to learn what criterion online users typically evaluated in their reviews. By analyzing the data inductively we found that four distinct categories emerged the most abundantly. Users reviewing Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza are grading their experience based on food, atmosphere, service and value. Out of the 242 comments, service (30.17%) and value (32.23%) showed the highest frequency of responses. Followed by food (20.66%) and atmosphere (16.94%).

Atmosphere Atmosphere was the first of our four categories as displayed on the graph. Our definition

of atmosphere is “The overall interior and exterior aesthetic that impacts customer satisfaction.” Of total 242 comments, we collected 41 comments that were categorized and labeled as comments referring to the restaurant's atmosphere. Of these 41 comments, 32 of them spoke positively about the atmosphere of Farrellis. Six comments spoke negatively while 3 seemed rather neutral. According to these results, it is safe to concur that the mass majority of guests that visit the Garfield Farrelli’s enjoy the atmosphere that the restaurant is creating. There is no narrow split between negative, positive and neutral. Majority of customers leave Farrelli’s feeling rather pleased with the atmosphere as proven throughout the comments provided.

Food Food is our second category. We defined food as “Any nourishing substance consumed and ingested either by eating or drinking it.” We collected a total of 50 comments that fit our description of food. Of these 50, a favorable 38 people spoke positively about the food. Seven spoke negatively about the food at Farrelli’s while only 5 had nothing good or bad to say. During our inventory and ethnography assignment, our group ordered the same pizza from two different locations to not only see how they compared, but to see how they tasted. Both pizzas had our group highly satisfied with the quality of the food. We can relate to these results because

according to our data, the majority of people who visit Farrelli’s have very little negativity to speak about the food. Regardless of service, atmosphere and value, customers who are active Yelp reviewers seem to believe that Farrelli’s is a reliable restaurant for providing quality, appetizing pizza.

Value The value category encompasses comments that ascribe money, waiting time to be seated

or served. Essentially it's answering the question of “is your time or money worth spending here?” All three attributes of negative, positive and neutral were spread the most in this category. As value denotes such an emphasis on individual bias when it comes to the weight of their money or time, value is likely defined much differently for each user hence it makes sense for the data to show a more proportional spread in attributes.

Service Service at any restaurant is imperative to the overall customer experience. While the atmosphere, value and the food itself are weighted in a customer’s decision to return to the restaurant, service can either make or break the overall experience.

Service showed the highest disparity between negative, neutral and positive comments. Of the 242 comments that we parsed from reviews, there were 73 total comments about Service, a close second to those that fell under the Value category with 78 comments. Of the 73 comments, 37 were particularly favorable or positive towards the service, while 36 were negative or somewhere in between. It is because these attributes are so close in number that we are to determine that service has either made or damaged the Farrelli’s experience for customers who visited the Parkland location. Most of the negative comments were about the lack of professional courtesy and attentiveness of the servers, while the positive comments included praise for bartenders and managers.

Overall users had a majority of positive comments (56.20%) to say about the Farrelli’s in Parkland. Although a large portion of that number is due to the high frequency in positive comments for the atmosphere and food categories.

Reflection

Limitations Due to the nature of online user-generated reviews from Yelp.com, the textual content

may include slang or unfamiliar colloquial language that can prove problematic and difficult to assess or interpret. Some content consists of elongated words used to most likely emphasize meaning, onomatopoeias for rhetorical effect or emojis that could describe a whole assortment of expressions. These texts were ultimately discarded and excluded simply because they were not clear. If it was written in a more consistent formatting, we would have been able to examine more data to include in our research.

Ultimately the nature of social media apertains a certain level of ambiguity, as many of the claims listed cannot be fully verified. We do not know if some reviews were coerced by paid incentives or if some reviews were created simply to slander the reputation of someone they may have felt wronged them. Also these texts were extracted for its relevant parts. It cannot be used as a means for extrapolating behavior or evaluating trends because it doesn’t fully include the context that it incorporates wholly.

Changes for Future Research Since we only used Yelp.com reviews and only for the Parkland location, we could broaden our research a few different ways. One way is to use additional sites, such as UrbanSpoon and Facebook, to gather additional reviews of the Parkland location. Or, we could use one or multiple sites to compare reviews at the Parkland location with that of 6th Ave Tacoma, or at a variety of Farrelli’s locations. Also, we could use one or multiple sites to compare Farrelli’s in Parkland with a similar style restaurant in the area, such as Hopjacks in Bonney Lake.

To assimilate more data for determining elements in customer satisfaction, additional categories for coding can be implemented for future studies. These categories can include themes that appear alongside other themes measuring a co-occurrence category for determining relevancy between customer values to their satisfaction.

Appendices

Table 1 Categorical Instrument

Main Category

Sub-categories Definition

Service Staff competence, timeliness, helpfulness and efficiency

The quality of staff hospitality and interaction with patrons.

Atmosphere Crowdedness, music, décor, cleanliness, ambience, view, spatial layout, TVs, events, smell

The overall interior/exterior aesthetic that impacts customer satisfaction.

Value Price, coupons, waiting time to be seated/served, discounts, rewards

The customer’s perception of worthiness in terms of input (patron’s time, money, physical exertion) to output (the product or service the restaurant offers).

Food Pizza, salads, drinks, portion size, safety, variety, beer

Any nourishing substance consumed and ingested either by eating or drinking it.

Table 2 Count of Total Coding

Categories Positive

Comments Negative

Comments Neutral

Comments Grand Total

Atmosphere 32 (13.22%) 6 (2.48%) 3 (1.24%) 41

(16.94%)

Food 38 (15.70%) 7 (2.89%) 5 (2.07%) 50

(20.66%)

Service 37 (15.19%) 29 (11.98%) 7 (2.89%) 73

(30.17%)

Value 29 (11.98%) 30 (12.40%) 19 (7.85%) 78

(32.23%)

Grand Total 136 (56.20%) 72 (29.75%) 34 (14.05%) 242 (100%)

Chart 1

Count of Attributes

Survey

Introduction

Quantitative research by means of surveys is something that is quite common in Western

Civilization. Surveys are conducted in a variety of fields, for a variety of reasons. Some are

conducted by marketing firms, others by public relations practitioners, some by scientific

researches, and some in-house. Of course, depending on the facilitator, surveys can be focussed

in many different ways. The commonality of all surveys is that they aim to find out specific

information using specified questions with predetermined answers to gain insight from a sample

of a population. The following paragraphs explain our rationale for the question design and

distribution, as well as a summary of our findings.

Rationale

Our group decided to use Google Forms because of the automated features for recording

and summarizing responses. Additionally, we chose Google Forms because of the ease of

promoting the survey on Social Media and via email. The survey was divided into five sections,

three of which were required, and two were optional. The goal of this survey was to find out who

visited Farrelli’s in Parkland, when they did, and to find out if service attributed to the low sales

of the restaurant.

The very first section featured one question, which asked if the respondent had visited

Farrelli’s in Parkland. The survey was setup that if the respondent clicked yes, the survey would

take them to the next step. However, if the respondent clicked no, the survey would

automatically submit that response and would not go any further, as to discourage persons who

have not actually been to Farrelli’s in Parkland from adding arbitrary responses.

From there, questions would regard how often, what day, what time, and with whom do

respondents visit Farelli’s in Parkland. The question of how often included the options of once

per week, once per month, twice a year, or once a year or less. This was to determine the

frequency of the average restaurant patron. Days were also important, as patrons were asked if

they usually visited during the week or the weekends. More important was the time and with

whom they visited Farrelli’s, to gauge whether this location was a gathering for lunch or dinner,

or drinking after dinner time. We hoped to find out if Farrelli’s was the “third place” for a

myriad of people, or just members of the PLU community.

The third, and last set of required questions asked respondents if they went to Ferrelli’s in

Parkland during any particular themed times, how they rated their overall experience, what kept

them coming back, what other restaurants they would visit in the area and if they were a part of

the PLU community. Asking respondents if they visited during a particular themed time would

help us to understand if this marketing strategy was effective. The overall experience was a

crucial question, as respondents could only choose the main reason they come back to Farrelli’s;

they were limited to food, service, atmosphere or none of these. We also provided a list of ten

Parkland restaurants that are in the same vicinity of Farrelli’s, and subsequently, the university.

We asked respondents to choose the three restaurants they were most likely to visit. The options

included Farrelli’s, 208 Garfield, Pita Pit, Uni Teriyaki, Marzano’s, M&J’s, Reyna’s, Lieu’s, Tea

Leaf, and Jade Pacific. Finally in this set, knowing how patrons may or may not be connected to

PLU would also provide another lense in which to analyze the restaurant and potentially use that

relationship with the university to the restaurant’s advantage.

The optional questions included how they were a part of the PLU community, and

demographic data. Those respondents who indicated they were a part of the PLU community

were taken to a separate page which asked them how they were connected to PLU, whether as a

student, alumni, faculty/staff, donor, member of Trinity Lutheran Church or in other ways, and

then were directed to the optional demographic questions. Respondents who indicated that they

had no affiliation to the university were taken to the optional demographic questions. We asked

the age of respondents by asking them to identify an age group, asked them to choose an

ethnicity, and we asked them to provide a gender identity. We also inquired into housing status,

whether they were domiciled in Parkland or a nearby community as a renter or homeowner. We

also inquired about their annual income level. All of these demographics could help us

understand the average Farrelli’s customer, and how best to target any marketing plan.

Summary of Findings

Our survey was open for one week, from 3:30 p.m. Friday, January 15, 2016, to 5 p.m.

Thursday, January 21, 2016. We received a total of 78 responses, mostly within the first few

days that the survey was open. All 78 respondents indicated that they had visited Farrelli’s in

Parkland before. This either indicates that all respondents have actually had an experience at

Farrelli’s, or that the design of the survey in which those who checked “no” to having visited the

Parkland location were taken to the submit page may have deterred them from clicking submit

due to a perceived design error or brevity of the questioning. In regards to frequency of visits to

the restaurant, 38.5% said they visited twice per year, 37.2 percent said they visited once per

month, 16.7% said they visited once per year or less, and only 7.7% stated they visited once per

week. This could infer that Farrelli’s is not necessarily the “third place,” and may only be visited

occasionally by the average customer.

When asked which days respondents visited Farrelli’s, both options were very close, with

weekends at 48.7% and weekdays at 51.3%. This shows that Farrelli’s, like most other

foodservice establishments, does a substantial amount of business in the two days that make up

the weekend over what they usually make in five days during the week. With this particular

location, the numbers are very close, but the weekdays have a slight edge over the weekends.

This may infer that the average Farrelli’s customer in this sample is more likely to visit during

the week, but this may not be indicative of the population.

Another thing we noticed is that 52.7 % chose to eat at Farrelli’s during the

weekday while a close 47.3 % chose to dine on the weekends. It tells us that Farrelli’s is not

necessarily a restaurant people only choose to visit on the weekends. It is more of an “anytime”

style of dining. With this statistic being so similar in resIt is an environment that is very

welcoming. Families with children may not feel worried taking their kids on a friday or saturday

evening and having a bunch of adults looking to drink excessively.

The majority of respondents (47.4%) opted to go to Farrelli’s during dinner time from 5

p.m. to 8 p.m., while the least popular choice was during the afternoon (12.8%) from 2 p.m. to 5

p.m. This tells us that Farrelli’s is more of a dinner time favorite than any other time. And, when

asked about who respondents attended the restaurant with, the majority of responses chose to

attend with friends (70.5%). Out of several choices including family (16.7%) team or club

members (1.3%), business associates (3.8%), and classmates or residence hall mates (7.7%),

none of the respondents chose members of their church or clients, which is interesting given later

responses in the survey about PLU affiliation through church membership.

A vast majority of respondents said that they do not visit Farrelli’s during any of their

themed times (79.5%). Trivia Night, however, was the main themed night that respondents

(19.2%) said they go to, with some who go to Family Tuesdays (2.6%) and Gluten-Free

Thursdays (5.1%). A noteworthy finding through our survey on whether respondents visited

Farrellis during their special themed days was the presence of PLU alumni who showed some

interest in the themed days especially Farrelli’s Trivia Night. Among the eleven total alumni,

more than half attended Farrelli’s for their special Wednesday Trivia Night. We had one

respondent who actually selected almost all of the themed specials including Military Sundays,

Family Tuesdays, Wing Wednesdays, Trivia Night (Wednesdays), and Gluten-Free Thursdays

who was also a PLU alumni. Further testing of this potential market with PLU alumni would

possibly yield lucrative information for Farrelli’s to invest their business to cater towards PLU

alumni. A special event possibly reuniting past PLU alumni might promote a possible new

themed day that replaces one of the more slower and less participative days with a theme that

invites a trip down memory lane for almuns. (See Appendices for graph)

All respondents who were surveyed were asked about their experience with Farrelli’s

service using a scale which consisted of excellent, good, not sure/in between, less than desirable,

and bad. Overall, the majority of responses (62.8%) say that they had a “good” experience at

Farrelli’s, with 16.7% stating they had an “excellent” experience. We chose to compare the time

of day to the respondent’s experience with Farrelli’s to observe any trends within the results. Our

personal experiences have indicated different predispositions depending on the time of day

according to our ethnographic observations. Based off of our observations at Farrelli’s during the

afternoon and the evening, we experienced a more positive change in quality for service during

the evening, thus the questionnaire on the time of day for when respondents visited Farrelli’s was

a vital statistic in developing our research. We discovered that patrons had the most “good”

responses during dinner time at 5 p. m. to 8 p. m. It is important to note that this data does not

infer a positive correlation to a better experience during dinner times because most of the

respondents who answered the survey had visited during dinner times, hence the data cannot

represent any factual indication of correlation between patron experience to the time of day.

However, it does provide a platform for further research in order to test whether or not a

correlation does exist between patron experience and time of day. Respondent’s also carried an

“excellent” experience almost evenly throughout the afternoon, dinner and night time categories.

(See Appendices for graph)

Given a choice between food, atmosphere, service, or none of these, survey participants

voted for food (57.7%) as their primary reason for returning to the restaurant. One finding that

stood out to us was that “none of these” showed the second highest frequency in responses

(24.4%), with atmosphere (16.7%) and service (1.3%) leading behind. Having performed our

interview with Ms. Valdez, she prided her staff as one of the major reasons customers choose to

return. The results say otherwise. It is rather clear that people return for everything but service.

Having observed this statistic made us rather intrigued as to why Ms. Valdez prides her staff for

the return rate of customers when our sampling showed otherwise.

Overall our goal of learning how service makes up a part of the Farrelli’s business shed

some insight into the perception of how customers feel regarding their reasons for returning to

the restaurant. It is also important to note that this observation of service shown with the least

frequency for customers to return does not bear any correlation between a negative or positive

experience with service, however if Farrelli’s promises their customers a reputation for providing

a quality service, it would be a worthwhile venture for them to investigate further implications

for why service is valued at such a lower rate than its food or atmosphere.

Respondents were asked to indicate the three, in no particular order of preference,

restaurant choices in proximity of Pacific Ave and Garfield that they were most likely to visit.

Farrelli’s (66.7%), Uni Teriyaki (61.5%) and 208 Garfield (50%) ranked the highest among the

ten choices, with Reyna’s (38.5%) and The Pita Pit (34.6%) rounding out the top five. This

shows that customers think favorably of Farrelli’s among other restaurant choices in the area,

which is a great advantage. But, it is also interesting to note that four out of the top five are also

the newest restaurants in the area, which may contribute to their recognition among customers.

Demographic Analysis

The survey revealed, based off of demographic questions, that an overwhelming number

of respondents were Pacific Lutheran University community members. A majority of the

responses were made by current PLU students (79.2%) with alumni (14.3%) leading as the

second majority. When asked if they lived in the Parkland community, the majority of

respondents rent in Parkland or live on campus (37.7% and 28.6%, respectively). Of the

remaining respondents, 10.4% are renters in a nearby community, 3.9% are homeowners in a

nearby community, 1.3% were homeowners in Parkland, and 18.2% neither rent nor own a home

in Parkland or a nearby community. This suggests that the majority of the visits to this particular

Farrelli’s (89.1%) is due to proxemics.

The majority of respondents (72%) described their ethnicity as Anglo or Caucasian. This

is not surprising, given the current student population and the historic roots of the surrounding

communities. The next highest groups were those who described themselves as Mixed or Other

Ethnicity (8% and 6.7% respectively), and those who described themselves as Asian or Hispanic

(both at 4%). Those who described themselves as either African-American, Native American,

Pacific Islander or Middle Eastern made up the remaining 5.2% of respondents, and zero

respondents identified themselves as East Indian. This could infer that that the average Farrelli’s

customer is Anglo or of Mixed ethnicity, which is indicative of the area’s current population.

It is worth noting that an overwhelming majority of the respondents were female (64%).

Indeed, the number of male (30.7%) and gender-non-conformed (described in the survey as

“person,” 5.3%) were less than half of the total respondents. It is believed that this connects with

the large female presence at Pacific Lutheran University, who make up nearly 62% of the

university’s student body according to statistics from the Office of Admissions. It is these

students who make up the bulk of Farrelli’s customers, according to the data gathered in the

survey. When performing our ethnographic research during various times, we noticed that all

servers on the dinning side of the floor were female. The only times and places we observed a

male server was on the bar side during the dinner rush and after dinner hours.

In regards to income, the majority of respondents (62%) earn less than $10,000 per year,

which directly correlates with the majority of respondents to the survey being current PLU

students. This would lead to one to suggest that price could play a factor in sales, given that,

according this data, the majority of Farrelli’s customers are students. Further testing would need

to be done to see what the average customer may in fact make, and how that relates to their

experience at Farrelli’s or how much value they place in eating at Farrelli’s.

Reflection

Limitations

The sample was taken from online through Google Forms. The survey was disseminated

through Eddie’s Facebook profile, and through Eddie’s PLU gmail account to friends and peers.

PLU professor Dr. Amanda Feller made a tweet with the survey link. The results gathered cannot

be a true representation of the whole demographic. We don’t know exactly how many times

respondents visited Farrelli’s or other Farrelli’s locations. Results from the survey thus only

indicate a small fraction of Farrelli’s market and therefore cannot add reasonable evidence for

suggesting marketing implementations based on the survey’s limited sample size. Nor does it

reveal trends in consumer motive. It simply serves as a stepping stone for future research,

especially if Farrelli’s wants to learn more about their PLU customers.

Results may be biased by sampling method. It was distributed online and we may not

know when the respondent last visited Farrelli’s, so their memory of how the service or food was

or how they felt at the time is likely inaccurate or amiss in their responses. This incurs that a

potential for error exists in the results and must therefore be treated as a broad generalization

rather than absolute data. It is worth noting that Google Forms limited our ability to ask an

ordinal (ranking) question, which could have, given us a more accurate depiction of which

restuarants in the Parkland area customers would be most likely to visit by being able to assign a

number value to each choice.

One of the biggest limitations our group encountered was not having our survey available

on the Farrelli’s Facebook page. We attempted to connect with Clayton Krueger, the Director of

Marketing and Communications for Farrelli’s, however we received no response. If Krueger

would have posted our survey on their Facebook page, it is safe to assume that the total number

of surveys completed would be much greater. Another limitation we experienced is that we

lacked a way of having the survey on Farrelli’s website. This could have not only simplified the

process of distributing the survey, but it also could have extended to a larger customer

demographic than what we had access to with our limited resources.

Changes for Future Research

One of the changes our group would make for our future surveys is to allow the survey to

be accessible for much longer than just a week. Having it available for a relatively short time

frame hindered the amount of responses. Having a survey open to the public for a longer period

of time may yield more accurate results and therefore more well-rounded evidence to reflect

upon. Granted, 78 responses is not a small amount, but having twice as many results for example

would only increase our understanding of what the people think about Farrelli’s in Parkland, and

specifically give us an idea of what non-college-student individuals think of Farrelli’s.

It is possible Farrelli’s does not utilize the university's location. Being located blocks

away from PLU should be an advantage to Farrelli’s. Take freshman orientation for example.

Hundreds of students are suddenly beginning to familiarize themselves with the new

environment surrounding them. Farrelli’s could take interest toward the orientation by handing

out free pizza on Foss Field or Centennial Red Square as a means of “getting their name out

there.” This would inform incoming students of Farrelli’s convenient location in proximity to the

university, and generate goodwill for the company.

We should asked different questions in the future, specifically about taste, price, and how

they would rate the service. Additional questions could also focus on music choices heard in the

restaurant, and what makes customers not want to return. As far as housing, instead of leaving

the term broad, we could have defined the nearby communities to Parkland as Midland,

Lakewood, Puyallup, Spanaway, Summit-Waller, North Clover Creek-Collins, Frederickson,

and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. South Tacoma and Fern Hill, as well as University Place,

although closer to Parkland than perhaps downtown Tacoma, could arguable be too much a part

of the city to share a connection with rural Parkland and nearby business districts.

In addition to using email, we would seek to make use of the PLU Facebook Page and

Twitter Feed to expand our reach with Social Media beyond what we are currently capable of.

We would try to partner the university’s page with that of Farrelli’s, and request at the end of our

surveys to pass the link to the survey along to friends or contacts, hopefully further expanding

our reach.

References

The PLU Community at a Glance. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.plu.edu/diverse/

Appendices

Synthesis

Introduction

The overall purpose of our class project was to discover why the Farrelli’s Wood Fire

Pizza location in Parkland is the lowest grossing location in the chain. During this three week

span, we constructed a brand inventory analysis of Farrelli’s as a chain in addition to that of a

geographic competitor to the Parkland location, which we identified as 208 Garfield. We also

used four instruments to further examine Farrelli’s in Parkland. These instruments were an

interview (qualitative research) with the general manager of the Parkland location, a survey

(quantitative research) that was distributed online for customers of the Parkland location, a

content analysis of customer reviews on Yelp.com, and ethnographic observations of the

Parkland and 6th Ave locations.

Looking across the breadth of our research, we were able to determine three areas in

which our research would be categorized into. All information gathered would fall under Service

(interactions with hosts, servers, and bartenders), Marketing (advertising, brand image) and

Atmosphere (patrons, themed nights, overall aesthetic). This report explores common themes

across all platforms of our research. In addition, we also offer suggestions on how to better the

customer experience in each of the main categories. These suggestions could be, with additional

research, be implemented as part of an overall plan to help increase customer loyalty and

increase gross profit for this location.

Atmosphere

Atmosphere is defined as the overall interior and exterior aesthetic that impacts customer

satisfaction. Atmosphere is a theme that differentiates all restaurants from each other. It is what

makes most restaurants unique and is a way of separating themselves from the competitors. It is

what sets the mood for guests well before they begin connecting with the host, server or

bartender. With this being said, it is absolutely vital that a restaurant provide a quality

atmospheric setting for their guests. While themes such as service and food may impact the

guests’ overall experience, the atmosphere is the “first impression” and carries great value as to

how guests perceive the restaurant as a whole. Music, decor, cleanliness and ambience are just a

few aspects that are recognized within a restaurant's atmosphere. It is crucial these aspects,

among others, are present in a manner that is comforting and friendly, insuring a quality

environment for guests to meet, socialize, or simply sit down with their families.

During the second week of research, we visited Farrelli’s in both Parkland and 6th Ave in

Tacoma. While doing so, our group payed close attention toward the overall atmosphere of each

Farrelli’s. Throughout this process, we formulated our own thoughts upon this atmosphere.

While keeping our personal comments at bay, we figured it was only appropriate to incorporate a

question involving the atmosphere of Farrelli’s in our survey instrument. The question was:

“What is the number one thing that keeps you coming back to Farrelli’s in Parkland?” The

choices our patrons had to choose from were: The food (1), the atmosphere (2), the service (3),

or none of these (4). With our survey amounted to 79 responses, only 13 people, or 16.5% chose

service as their primary reason to return. While this seems rather low, it is important to keep in

mind that the survey was mostly answered by the PLU community (79.2%). In addition, the

survey had fixed responses and may not have been accurate to what the customer wanted to say.

While conducting our content analysis, we saw a much different story. With 97 total Yelp

comments, our group was able to code a total of 242 lines of comments, assigning each comment

an attribute of positive, negative or neutral trait. Of these 242 comments, 41 of them discussed

the atmosphere of Farrelli’s in Parkland. Of these 41 comments, 32 or 78% spoke positively

about the atmosphere. 6 spoke negatively while only 3 felt neutral. The difference between the

Yelp reviews and our survey is that Yelp allows for freedom of speech as our survey offers only

fixed answers. With the ability to speak openly about Farrelli’s, Yelp allows for more decorated

responses. In result, the data shows that majority of Farrelli’s customers outside of the PLU

community do not have much negativity to speak of. After reviewing this data, along with

experiencing the atmosphere ourselves, our group feels that there is a definite room for

improvement regarding the atmosphere of Farrelli’s in Parkland.

Solutions

We have two solutions that our group believes would improve the atmosphere for

Farrelli’s. The first is the music; more specifically, the utilization of outdoor speakers.Why is it

that outdoor speakers are so important for Farrelli’s and other restaurants atmosphere? It sets the

tone before guests even have a chance to witness the inside of the business. It is essentially a

preview of what to expect. Without it, conversations would be overheard and moments of silence

would scatter across the dining room and bar. Granted outdoor speakers are a solution worth

noting, the choice of music cannot go undiscussed.. Our group experienced fast tempo pop music

each time we visited the Parkland Farrelli’s. Needless to say, this music choice felt rather out of

place. The choice of music in regards to the time of day at a resturaunt is paramount. A slower,

more relaxed genre of music would have set the tone more appropriately, allowing guests to feel

enticed to stay rather than rushed. Music is such a small yet crucial key when creating the proper

atmosphere. It is a subject Farrelli’s at Garfield should address as these suggestions would better

the environment of the restaurant.

Our second and most valuable solution for Farrelli’s atmosphere is the opening and

closing of the front door for guests entering and leaving the restaurant. This may seem like a

mild, unnecessary gesture, but it truly goes a long way. More times than not, guests leave a

restaurant while the host stands behind his or her counter, thanking the guests for coming in.

While a nice thank you means well, taking the time to stop what you are doing, move away from

the counter and open the door for your guests speaks volume. This cannot make things worse by

any means. Small actions such as this are what put the cherry on top as guests leave the

restaurant. It is the “last impression” that truly does last.

While changing the entire atmosphere of a restaurant may sound rather daunting, it only

takes the smallest of changes to ripple large effects. Of course there are certain aspects of the

atmosphere that take time to change like spatial layout or sound design. However, the

suggestions as mentioned above are a quick and easy solutions that could be implemented rather

cost-effectively. More often than not, it is these tiny, minute details which tend to be overlooked

that makes the difference in a restaurant's atmosphere.

Marketing

Marketing is described as the products, tools and services that a business employes to

make itself known, entice new customers and encourage repeat business. Marketing is vital to the

success of any business, and is indeed amongst the most important aspects of the field. One of

the most critical aspects of marketing is to maintain the aspect of integrated marketing

throughout all stages of implementation. The goal is to portray consistency and organization

within all channels of communication.

A restaurant’s number one marketing identity is their logo. Without it, no one is aware of

the restaurants existence and has no way of telling others about it. While Farrelli’s has created an

identity, they are facing a problem with this identity. When completing our ethnography, we

noticed that the restaurant possesses three different logos all representing the same business. The

first, likely an early logo when the business was young, is simply labeled as “Farrelli’s Pizza.”

The second logo, specifically located on the outside of the restaurant is “Farrelli’s Wood Fire

Pizza.” Finally, the third logo found on the table tents at each booth and table throughout the

restaurant is labeled as “Farrelli’s On Fire.” These branding issues were found not only found

throughout the Parkland location, but the 6th Ave location as well. This is just one of the sub

themes we found that poses a problem for Farrelli’s marketing.

An additional point worth noting is that Farrelli’s has a number of theme nights and

“special times,” none of which are well advertised. Among those who responded to our survey,

79.7% said that they attend none of the various theme nights, and according to our content

analysis, even the specials beyond theme nights are poorly advertised. This is problematic not

only because it means that those who would attend these events are not spending their money,

but those who do not wish to participate may be bothered by the specials that are happening that

they were not aware of.

According to our survey, we noticed that much of Farrelli’s customers are a part of the

PLU community. With 98.7% of our survey participants identifying their affiliation with PLU,

79.5 % of them are current students while 29.5% live on campus. From a marketing standpoint,

Farrelli’s is sitting on a gold mine. Thousands of hungry college students live blocks away from

their location; however we noticed very little affiliation with the university. Throughout the

interior of campus, very little signs of Farrelli’s circulate the vicinity and is another sub-theme

we noticed within the marketing of Farrelli’s.

Solutions

With a strong majority of Farrelli’s customer base stemming from the PLU community, it

would be in the restaurant’s best interest to market towards those who are visiting the restaurant

most often. In other words, the restaurant should focus its resources in marketing towards PLU,

taking advantage of the university’s close proximity and large supply of potential customers. One

possibility is to offer and sell pizza during events on campus such as freshman orientation.

Providing certain discounts for anyone with an active PLU student identification card would

attract students in a variety of ways as well. Actively engaging with the PLU students and

providing them with such options creates a connection that entices the student body to visit

Farrelli’s more frequently which in return would increase the restaurants business.

It is recognized that there is very little purpose in having specials if customers are not

aware of them. Farrelli’s struggles in this regard. Our group believes that the establishment

should focus its resources less on expanding the number of specials and more on advertising the

specials that already exist. Creating too many specials devalues the purpose. Specials are

designed to attract guests during slower business hours to help increase restaurant sales. If

Farrelli’s were to focus more on advertising these specials rather than creating additional ones,

guests would have a firm understanding of what the specials are and when they are available.

In order to fix the confusion issue found in the branding logos, our group believes that

those those at the top of Farrelli’s management hierarchy decide on a set logo that is appropriate

for all of the Farrelli’s locations. We advise using the “Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza” logo, as it

illustrates the primary service that Farrelli’s provides, that service being wood fired pizza.

Having three separate logos portrays an inconsistent brand, leading guests to feel unsure of what

the true brand of Farrelli’s is. More times than not, less is more. In this case, having one simple

logo that speaks the identity of the Farrelli’s brand is more than enough and would settle this

issue rather easily.

We recommend Farrelli’s advertise in conventional ways using print and digital media

placed on local ads that would be visible to their primary audiences. A higher investment on

using social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) will help not only attract customers but

will also build brand awareness. An example campaign would be to strategically use social

media to spread the word of Farrell’s business, by offering coupons, and getting feedback from

customers. As a form of promotions and contributing back to the community, Farrelli’s can set

up a fundraiser in which donations can be made at the restaurant to support local causes such as

military families since Farrelli’s has proven in the past that it supports veterans annually (and

weekly with their Military Sundays) by offering to host and cater to these fundraisers.

Direct mailers will be used to offer coupons to customers and let them know about events

if they choose to be on the mailing list. Farrelli’s can obtain customers’ emails from using their

POS (point of sale) system. Farrelli’s simply adds a checkbox to ask if customers would like to

subscribe to the restaurant’s listserv to receive the latest deals and events when delivering the

customer’s check. To push customers to come to the restaurant, we recommend getting featured

on sites like Groupon and offering a coupon that could be along the lines of purchasing one

entree and receive a chef’s special of the week.

Service

Service is described as the quality of the interaction of restaurant staff and customers.

Service can either make or break the customer experience. While a restaurant can have great

food and great atmosphere, if a customer has a less than desirable experience with the staff, it

may stay with them long after the memory of the great food and atmosphere fades. It is

imperative that a restaurant do everything they can to ensure every customer has a great

experience every time.

Service seemed to be a noticeable factor in all of our research. Our ethnography and

survey research provided that Farrelli’s in Parkland doesn’t particularly give PLU students a

great service experience. In our survey, which was mostly taken by current PLU students, we

found that only 1.3% of respondents said that service was the defining reason that makes them

return to the restaurant. Food, at 57.7%, was the reason the majority of respondents said they

returned. So why did our group members experience less than desirable service, even at different

times? Why did our fellow PLU Community members not even bat an eye towards service? One

could wonder if the servers are stereotyping college students or faculty and staff, or if the servers

were just not doing a great job to begin with.

In in our interview with Marcolina Valdez, the general manager of Farrelli’s in Parkland,

we learned that her perspective of service is what is to be expected in fine dining establishments

around the globe: the staff should do their best every day, and manage that first impression

experience to where guests leave satisfied and welcomed in the establishment. Ms. Valdez

brought many of these notions during our conversation. It was obvious to us she had a focus on

customer service, but when compared to our ethnography and survey data, we saw something

different.

With our content analysis, we saw a different story. Reviews on Yelp.com included 73

comments that spoke favorably of the service at Farrelli’s in Parkland. Conversely, 7 comments

were neutral and 29 comments provided negative feedback about the service. While the results of

the content analysis show a different story than that of our survey and our ethnographic report,

there are still 37 comments speaking favorable towards service, and 36 comments not speaking

favorable towards the service. This would suggest that service is “hit or miss” in terms of when

it's good or when it's less than desireable.

Solutions

We have three ways we feel that service can be improved. The first is that Farrelli’s

Parkland location should realize that a good portion of their business is from the PLU

Community, no doubt due to the close proximity of the campus, a mere two blocks. Farrelli’s

should capitalize on this relationship by further promoting their acceptance of Lute Bucks and

the “study hour” special, and should look to more ways they can enhance the relationship with

the university.

Part of that enhancement of the relationship would be to train staff in such a way to

recognize there are two main groups of customers, one being the PLU community and two being

those who are not the PLU community. Farrelli’s should look to discover ways they could cater

to both groups and meet their specific needs. One of the ways to better interact with the PLU

community, specifically the current student population, is to treat just as they would any other

customer, and not to pre-judge them. Current students may also stay slightly longer than other

guests because they are seeking a place outside of their campus life to hang out with friends and

have a good time before returning to the hustle and bustle of classes and homework, and staff

should not be in a hurry to get rid of them.

In addition to training and staff development, another solution would be looking into how

Farrelli’s in Parkland could better schedule staff to meet the needs of both PLU community

members and non-PLU community members. Perhaps some of the more seasoned servers could

also work lunch shifts, ensuring the quality of service during that time as well for students and

staff of the university who come in during that time. Another solution would be to find ways to

hold staff accountable to higher service standards. This can be done using feedback surveys

distributed online or in person that would allow customers to rate their services and their server.

Also, individual feedback given to management from customers could also be counted in

evaluating the level of service that staff are performing to.

Conclusion

Overall the changes we recommend within the restaurant’s atmosphere, marketing and

service should help provide a blueprint for Farrelli’s moving forward. These areas are simply

opportunities to learn from, it is ultimately up to Farrelli’s to decide whether or not these issues

are worth pursuing. Through the use of only 3 weeks worth of research, our team managed to

uncover a sample of just a few underlying signs that can be explored to help improve customer

satisfaction, with simple changes done to music choice, brand awareness and training.

Catering to what customers prefer or to the general demographic from atmosphere to

service, even the smallest of details affects the customer’s mood, more importantly it shapes

Farrelli’s identity for customers. A trial in music choice may reveal higher satisfaction with

customers, more marketing collateral promotes buzz and further incentivises word-of-mouth

advertising, and finally reconnecting with customers through feedback and provide training that

accounts for consistent and uniform routines from opening hours to closing. We encourage

Farrelli’s to expand on these areas and to see revenue growth so that they may continue to create

“a vibrant working family that provides nourishment to our neighborhood.”

Appendices Table 1 Categorical Instrument

Main Category

Sub-categories Definition

Service Staff competence, timeliness, helpfulness and efficiency

The quality of staff hospitality and interaction with patrons.

Atmosphere Crowdedness, music, décor, cleanliness, ambience, view, spatial layout, TVs, events, smell

The overall interior/exterior aesthetic that impacts customer satisfaction.

Value Price, coupons, waiting time to be seated/served, discounts, rewards

The customer’s perception of worthiness in terms of input (patron’s time, money, physical exertion) to output (the product or service the restaurant offers).

Food Pizza, salads, drinks, portion size, safety, variety, beer

Any nourishing substance consumed and ingested either by eating or drinking it.

Alex VoEddie J. McCovenJacob Gleichman

Matthew Gillis

Analysis and Recommendations for Farrelli’s - Parkland, Wash.

1995-2016

54% of millennials have

taken a photo of their pizza and posted it online.

-Smart Flour Foods and Center for Generational Kinetics

50% of millennials call themselves “foodies.”

-BBDO, Advertising Firm

“Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the customer gets out of it.”

- Peter Drucker

Agenda

● Credibility● Atmosphere● Marketing● Service● Recap

Credibility

Why use our team?

Because we have done our research:

● Brand Inventory● Ethnography ● Interview● Survey● Content analysis

Our mission: “To provide our clients with outstanding services and world class brand management”

Our definition: The overall interior/exterior aesthetic that impacts customer satisfaction.

● Why atmosphere?○ Guests feel this immediately

● Music, smells, decor, etc...

● It is the restaurant's “first and last impression”

● Let's see what the guests have to say...

Atmosphere

● We asked customers, what keeps you coming back?○ Here is what we found in our survey

Atmosphere

“It's a casual environment and no one cares if my crazy friends make a lot of noise.” - Brittany C.

“The environment is fun and is a great place to hang out with friends.” - Jamie A.

● Music choice○ Outdoor music - same indoors as outdoors○ Play music relevant to the time of day

● Changing the POS station location● Opening and closing doors for guests

○ The “last impression”

Atmosphere - Solutions

● Theme nights could be advertised better● Inconsistencies in brand● PLU potential for utilization

Marketing

Service

Definition: The quality of staff hospitality and interaction with patrons.

● Service can make or break a customer’s experience

● Two different groups of customers have different perspectives

Service

Service

From the Interview● Service is important● Managing the first impression, feel

at home● Train all staff as “service pros”

Service - Solutions

● Recognize the PLU community impact on the business and how to utilize it

● Further staff training and development, scheduling

● Ways to hold staff accountable to higher service standards

Review

● Shift in POS station.● Open and aware to the new

generation of customers.● Memory of taste may dissipate, but

interaction of the service will linger.

Alex VoEddie J. McCovenJacob Gleichman

Matthew GillisThank you