Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2/ 15A

Interview #1

My first interview was a vegetarian. Choosing places to eat for lunch has many factors to her. I asked if she would be more likely to pick a small vegetarian restaurant with a few options or a larger chain non-vegetarian restaurant to have lunch. I asked whether price was an issue and she explained that for a vegetarian restaurant, price is usually not an issue. They do tend to be pricier, but she gets so excited to go vegetarian restaurants and loves feeling “in her element” that the price is worth it. If she was to choose to eat at a bigger chain restaurant then price would be more of a concern since she is paying for food that may be cooked around other meat based foods and she may not even enjoy. She tries to not eat out too much and bring her own lunch to work because homemade lunches do tend to be cheaper and also healthier so going out for lunch is a once a week treat. After her purchase she tends to judge the food based on taste. If there is a problem, she will tell her wait staff and get a new plate so issues are usually easily resolved before she even eats the meal.  

In this interview, I discovered that price is really not an issue and the demand for vegetarian restaurants is definitely larger than the supply which means people will pay more for what they enjoy.

Interview #2

Since my next interview was not a vegetarian, my first question was whether he would choose a small locally owned restaurant with a few healthy options or a large chain restaurant with a large menu and few healthy options. He explained that it all depended on the day and who he was having lunch with. He likes to watch what he eats, but sometimes his friends do not care so much about what they eat. If he was eating along he would choose to smaller restaurant even if the prices were more expensive because he likes to support local business and also sees the value of the food is more. He would eat the larger restaurant if he was eating with other people because there are more options and that prices are generally lower. So if he wanted to buy the table lunch, it would not hurt his pocket as much. For after purchase evaluation, he does have stomach problems so if he feels sick afterwards that is obviously a big regret. He also explained that sometimes the food is just so good at some places that a tummy ache can be worth it so the restaurant isn’t written off completely.

During this interview, I realized that having a larger menu with many options is important to some. When dining with a group of people you have to consider what they like to eat as well.

Interview #3

My last interview was with a vegan man who has a lot of experience traveling and visiting vegetarian restaurants. His favorite restaurants to visit are those who have unique menu items. Normally price depends on many things in his experiences such as environment, the ingredients in the food and also where the restaurant is. He said I would think the prices in LA restaurants were ridiculous! He would absolutely choose a small restaurant in Ocala over a large chain because every small restaurant brings something unique to the table (ha-ha). His evaluation of the place has a lot to do with the staff. One of his biggest issues with restaurants is when they have unfriendly wait staff. The environment itself is also very important and he likes so eat somewhere where he can talk to the person he is dining with and hear what they are saying.

In this interview the aspect of “uniqueness” stuck out to me. For a restaurant to be very successful, there must be something different about the place.

Conclusion:

I think with restaurants, you really have to find “that place”. First experiences kind of make or break whether a customer will be returning to its important the restaurant makes sure each one of their customers have a good experience and also an experience that will make them tell their friends “You have to check this place out!”.