Shaik Adil Islam

1801175

Consumer Behaviour Observational Study

Observational Study
I recently hung out at a local restaurant called Dosaa Xpress in Thillai Nagar. It was around
9:30 pm in the night when we went there to have dinner.
The owners of the restaurant were in their late 20s according to my judgement.
Layout/Floor Plan of Dosaa Xpress
The establishment was a narrow one with cooking/pantry house in the front and the billing
counter just beside it. Upon entering inside the restaurant, I found out that the restaurant
has 2 partitions , one has normal fan working in it and other had A/C but the partition was
not closed . The flooring and the walls were made with wooden tiles. The lighting was
yellow matching with the floor colour to make for a consistent theme. The Dosas were
provided to us in a yellow plate with banana leaf over it.

The seating was not comfortable as the leg space was not sufficient. Overall the restaurant
was not able to accommodate too many people due to lack of space. The seating was
comfortable though with smooth cushions for the back to rest against.

Physical Appearance of Group 1

While we were having food, I came across a Tamilian family consisting of Father who was
dressed in casual Western wear, Mother who was clad in a saree , teenaged Daughter who
was dressed in a Salwar Kameez. The family seemed like they belong to the upper middle
class and was running an established business of his own. Mother looked like a
housewife.Daughter looked like a college going student.

Decision Making of Family

Daughter was making the decision of ordering Dosas from the waiter. She ordered Pav
Bhaaji Dosa. It seemed like she was familiar with the menu and had consumed Pav Bhaaji
Dosa before. Father and Mother ordered different Dosas but they consulted each other
before making the decision . Daughter made her own decision but sought family approval
before ordering a Dosa. They did not try to elicit any response from the waiter nor did they
ask any questions from the waiter. This was because they most probably have consumed
Dosas from this restaurant before. They showed some collectivist behaviour in decision
making process.

Physical Appearance of Group 2

I also came across a group of 4 Male friends who were mostly wearing western outfits (T-
Shirts and Jeans) .They were mostly college going in their early 20s or working in some
company.Each one of them was well-groomed .All of them looked Tamilian as they were
speaking in Tamil. They ordered Pizza Dosas and Chinese paneer dosas .
Decision Making for Group 2
This group exhibited individualistic behaviour as each one of them was making individual
choices and not seeking the approval of others. They asked the waiter for recommendations
and were clearly baffled by the menu which had a lot of choices for Dosa. The waiter
recommended them some Dosas which he told them would have excellent taste .The group
as a whole was trying to flex their taste buds and try out new Dosas and was expressing
their freedom by their ability to make decisions about Dosas .
Recommendations for Dosaa Xpress
1)Clearly , the menu of Dosaa Xpress was a Unique Selling Point with a myriad of choices for
Dosas. The Dosas was also served hot and quickly as possible which goes down well with the
customers. I would want to go back there and observe the restaurant at a busy time and
check how they are dealing with the congestion.
2) The only drawback I could see was the layout of the establishment and the location . If I
had to open a competing restaurant , I would seek out a bigger space to establish the Dosaa
Restaurant because with the variety in the menu and the the quality of Dosas available, I
would like to have a greater footfall and appeal to more number of customer groups. This
would help to exploit all the capabilities and opportunities that a Dosaa outlet with huge
number of choices can have.