SOLUTION: LONG - TERM

Currently, FSC Garden restaurant does not have any flatform or system to record customer data;
moreover, it also does not pay much attention into developing a professional after-sales service. With
the current operations, the restaurant will face major obstacles in expanding the business.
Understanding that, we recommend that the POS system should be further upgraded which will allow
the users to store consumers’ data for internal and external usage.

Our first solution is that the restaurant will start collecting personal information of customers
such as name, birthday, phone number and so on. Then, the person in charge will input the data into the
system for analysis. With the big enough data set, the restaurant can clearly define its target customer’s
profile, the purchasing habit and needs of customers. These insights clearly benefit the restaurant in its
business planning (new stores opening, menu design, ….) and marketing activities. For instance, knowing
what factors contribute to the purchasing decisions, the restaurant can emphasize those elements in its
communication messages to the customers. Moreover, the restaurant can send message on birthday or
offer promotion on special occasions to increase the loyalty and engagement of customers. Restaurant
quality survey form is also one of the most efficient methods to gather customers’ opinion about the
products/ food and services at FSC Garden. In general, customers will be asked to rate the food’s taste
and presentation, staffs’ behavior, infrastructure and interior. Through this simple survey, the restaurant
could briefly understand the view of customer about all the primary factors and recognize the room for
improvement. The goal when we suggest these solutions is to help the restaurant to enhance the
product and services quality, and successfully expand the business in the future.

CHALLENGES

After building the implementation for FSC Garden, we realize that the restaurant might face the
challenges when changes happened. First of all, budget investing in upgrading the system is limited. The
restaurant was officially opened at the end of 2020, just a few months before the social distancing
forcing it to shut down. It had been reported that the sales soared; however, it still managed to reach
the break-even point. During first half of 2022, the restaurant experienced a more stable growth rate,
resulting in a positive result in terms of operating profit. Having said that, investing a sum of money in
designing and maintaining the information system could be a burden for the restaurant as it also needs
budget for other business activities at the moment. Secondly, the current organization structure will be
an obstacle when the restaurant applies the system. With 80% of the staffs are part-time workers who
have low commitment, they are more reluctant to change or to acquire new knowledge. Therefore, it is
a challenge when the owner communicates about training before launching the new system. Another
noteworthy point is that as the system contains too much sensitive information such as financial report,
customers profile and so on, data should be guarded and only authorized person should have access to
them. It is simple to grant rights and withdraw access; but controlling over those types of permission
requires a constant monitor. Last but not least, FSC Garden restaurant does not have a separated IT
department. Consequently, any issues arised will be assisted by external parties, which will be not only
costly but also time-consuming. Before applying the new system, the restaurant should carefully
consider those factors for an effective innovation within the organization.