Consumer Behavior

Research ProjectShane Palazzi, Matt Houseal,

Stanley Anton and Ryan DePinto

The Bar SelectionDecision Making Process

Stanley Anton, Ryan DePinto, Matt Houseal & Shane Palazzi

The Survey Questions

1. What is your favorite bar? Why?

2. What is the first factor you consider when going to a bar?

3. How do the people you go out with influence your decision?

4. Does the distance of the bar have a significant impact?

5. Do you consider specials/happy hour promotions offered when deciding what bar to choose on a given night?

6. What is the ideal type of atmosphere you look for in a bar?

7. How does transportation play a factor in the decision of which bar you go to?

The Survey Questions

8. Do you take into consideration the proximity of

food to the bar or the dining menu that the bar offers?

9. Do you prefer dive bars, sports bars, or lounge bars?

10. Does it matter whether the bar has ample seating or are you comfortable with standing at a bar?

11. Is the music or entertainment a factor in which you make your decision?

12. If you are going to the bar for an event (birthday, graduation, etc…) does that influence the place you choose to go?

13. Any other factors that you would like to mention when making your decision?

Background Information

Age Income Race Residence Occupation Preferred

Drink

58 > $100,000 White Suburban Financial

Services

Pinot Noir

33 $25,000 - $50,000 Black Urban Nurse Long Island IT

35 $50,000 - $75,000 White Urban Insurance Cran Vodka

24 < $25,000 White Urban Renovations IPA Beer

51 > $100,000 White Suburban Mother Wine

34 $25,000 - $50,000 White Urban Q.A. Craft Beer

31 $50,000 - $75,000 Black Suburban Real Estate Craft Beer

27 $50,000 - $75,000 White Suburban Teacher Island Breeze

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

Interview A

Who is the interviewee?

58 year old, male financial services provider from suburban Blue Bell, PA

Divorced, thrifty, business-oriented extrovert with two adult children

Survey Results:

Favorite bar is The Lucky Dog

Looks for a full bar dining menu

Not willing to drive far at all

Seeks a diverse, fairly priced wine menu

Decision

Funnel A

Location: within 10-15 minutes

Food: always eats at bar

Drink Selection:

prefers wide range of

wine choices

Price: fairly

priced wines

Seating:

ample

tables

Interview B

Who is the interviewee?

33 year old, female nurse from urban Newark, NJ

Engaged, eccentric, high-spirited introvert

Survey Results:

Favorite bar is Blitz Sports Bar

The prices of mixed drinks is her highest consideration

Willing to drive a generous amount

Requires a booth or table

Decision

Funnel B

Location: within 25-45 minutes

Price: will spend no more than

$7 on mixed drink

Seating: refuses to

stand at bar

Food: looks for

quality dining

menu

Entertainment:

enjoys

live

music

Interview C

Who is the interviewee?

35 year old, male insurance salesman from urban Trenton, NJ

Single, talkative, opinionated, political intellectual

Survey Results:

Favorite bar is First & Ten

Looks for fairly priced, decent quality vodka drinks

Expects a full dining menu in addition to drinks

Enjoys the “eating at the bar” experience

Decision

Funnel C

Price: likes cheap mixed drinks

and beer

Food: looks for large

dining menu

Location: within

30-45 minutes

Seating: likes

sitting at bar

Entertainment:

enjoys live

music

Interview D

● Who is the interviewee?

○ 24 year old, contractor from urban central New Jersey

○ Laid back, extroverted, frugal foodie

● Survey Results:

○ Favorite bar is Yogi’s

○ Transportation heavily weighted during decision making process

○ Prefers somewhere equally close to everyone

○ Separates experiences between weekend and weeknights

Decision

Funnel D

Transportation: Needs to establish who is

designated driver firsthand

Company: Makes communal decision when

meeting up with multiple people from

different areas

Food: Prefers bars with good,

affordable food

Entertainment: Enjoys live

music or fun songs to

sing along with

Atmosphere:

Wants ample

lighting

(not too light/

dark)

Interview E

Who is the interviewee?

51 year old, stay-at-home mother

from suburban West New Jersey

Energetic, frivolous, sociable mother of two

Survey Results:

Favorite bar is The Rail

Favors bars within walking distance or close

enough where she can be picked up by one of her kids

Decision

Funnel E

Atmosphere: Needs bar to be clean

both inside and out

Proximity: Enjoys local bars close

enough to either walk or have a kid

come pick her up

Specials: Feels more inclined

to go in when specials are

well advertised

Food: Enjoys decent

weeknight dining

experience

Seating:

must be

seated

Interview F

Who is the interviewee?

34 year old female, vegetarian, works in quality assurance, graduate student,

enjoys outdoor activities (hiking/camping),

independent personality, from suburban Edison, NJ

Survey Results:

Favorite bar is Morris Tap and Grill

Needs large selection of

vegetarian options and craft beers

Prefers small crowds in an intimate environment

with “homey” atmosphere

Environment: laid back and mellow; not

too crowded or loud

Drinks: Looks for places with craft

beer options

Food: Wants bar to offer

multiple vegetarian options

Travel: up to 45

minute drive

Final consensus

made

considering

time of

day

Decision

Funnel F

Interview G

Who is the interviewee?

31 year old, male project manager from suburban Newtown, PA

Independent, sociable, athletic, former football player

Survey Results:

Favorite bar is Black Horse Tavern

Values large selection of lagers

Will eat at bar but likes places within

walking distance to late night eateries

Doesn’t care for noise or loud clientele

Decision

Funnel G

Environment: laid back clientele; not too loud

Price: looks for craft beer and

appetizer specials

Travel: not more than 15

minutes

Food: generally

eats any bar food

Entertainment:

live music

Interview H

Who is the interviewee?

27 year old, female business professor in suburban Fairless Hills, PA

Former collegiate basketball player, extroverted, energetic newly wed

Survey Results:

Favorite bar is Green Parrot

Goes to bar in different school district to avoid students

Mixed drink and craft beer specials are preferred

Eats at bar if kitchen is open late

Decision

Funnel H

Environment: enjoys noisy

camaraderie of a sports bar

Location: in a different school

district 15 minutes away

Specials: mixed drink/

craft beer

Food: kitchen is open

until 2am

Seating:

always

standing,

watching the

game

Most Considered Attributes

Evaluative

CriteriaA B C D E F G H

Entertainment 2 4 3 5 2 4 5 5

Food 5 4 5 4 3 5 3 3

Price 3 5 5 3 3 1 4 4

Specials 1 1 2 3 1 1 3 4

Location 5 5 4 4 5 3 4 5

Seating 3 5 4 2 4 3 3 2

Drink Selection 4 2 3 1 5 5 4 4

Interviewees

Min: 1

Max: 5

Collective

Decision

Funnel

Location: Travel time to bar or proximity to home

Food: People look for a diverse food menu

with many options

Entertainment: Live music and

atmosphere of bar

Price/Drink Selection: Fairly

priced quality drinks

35

Seating: Sufficient

amount of tables/

stools

32

Specials:

Viewed as

a nice

bonus

30

28

27

16

Ideal Bar Selections Per Demographic

Evaluative Criteria Bar A Bar B Bar C

Type of Bar Local Dive Bar Sports Bar Lounge Bar

Price $ $$ $$$

Menu Medium Large Small

Specials Drafts Nightly None

Interviewee(s) who

fit evaluative

criteria

B, C, D, F A, B, C, D, E, H A, E, F, G

Evaluative Sets - Interviewees A & D

Awareness Set:

Molly’s, McGrady’s, TallyHo,

Broadway Social, Social Still,

Funhouse, Soto’s, The Bookstore

Unawareness Set:

McCoole's’, Eagle Hotel,

Pub I, Braveheart

Evoked Set:

Social Still, The Bookstore,

Broadway Social

Inert Set:

McGrady’s,

Soto’s

Inept Set:

Molly’s, TallyHo,

Funhouse

Alternative Selected:

Broadway Social

Alternatives Considered:

The Bookstore, Social Still

Correlations & Outlying Factors

Trends

Location

Preference for bars within walking distance or typically no longer than a 25 minute drive

When meeting up with people, bar must be in same proximity to all parties

● Food

○ Availability of food at or near the bar of choice is the second most important data point

○ In evaluative criteria, none of the interviewees ranked food lower than a 3 out of 5

Outlying Factor

Specials are surprisingly not of high importance to any interviewees in selection process