مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - RESTAURANT MANAGERS’ VIEWS ON THE USE OF PHYSICAL EVIDENCE: THE CASE OF ESKİŞEHİR

Abstract :

The purpose of this study is to identify the views of restaurant managers (as food and beverage establishments with tourism operation license) on the use of physical evidence which is a marketing mix element used for marketing restaurants. The effects of the use of physical evidence on customers are frequently researched in the extant literature, yet there are not many studies, to our knowledge, which focus on the viewpoints of restaurant managers. Restaurant managers in Eskişehir form the population of this study. The data were collected via semi-structured interview forms. Face to face interviews were conducted with a total of 19 restaurant managers in 18 different restaurants during July, 2015. The data were analyzed through content analysis and five themes were obtained. The results of the study suggest that in planning the use of physical evidence, most of the managers pay attention to the ambiance and design dimensions; they utilize physical evidence to create customer satisfaction; change physical evidence for obligatory reasons, and pay attention to sanitation and decoration elements more than other physical factors. The current study contributes to the literature on physical evidence from restaurant managers’ perspective. The study is also expected to guide managers about the role of physical evidence for marketing restaurants.