AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATION AND SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT CN PALACE BOUTIQUE HOTEL SPA

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING DUY TAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH GRADUATION THESES NGUYEN THI TU TAI AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATION AND SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT CN PALACE BOUTIQUE HOTEL & SPA Code: K23.702 Course: 2017-2021 DA NANG – May 2021 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING DUY TAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH GRADUATION THESES NGUYEN THI TU TAI AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATION AND SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT CN PALACE BOUTIQUE HOTEL & SPA Major : English for Tourism Code : 702 SUPERVISOR: THAI TRINH THAO NGUYEN, M.A DA NANG – May 2021 Graduation Paper i Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This graduation paper could not be finished without the invaluable help, advice, and encouragement of my teachers, my classmates and the management board of the university I would like to express my gratitude to all who gave me suggestion to make this paper become better Firstly, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Ms Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, who gave me the gold opportunity to this graduation paper, which also helped me in doing a lot of research, and I came to know about so many new things I am really thanks to her Secondly, I would like to thank all of the teachers at Duy Tan University, especially those of English Department Their knowledge helps me too much when I wrote this paper Thirdly, I would also like to acknowledge with much appreciation the crucial role of the staff of CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa, who gave the permission to use all require equipment and necessary materials to complete the tasks Finally, I would like to thank my parents and friends who helped me a lot in finalizing this paper within the limited times frame Moreover, the shortcomings in this thesis are unavoidable Therefore, I hope to receive the sympathy from teacher and friends At last, I wish all of you having good health and success Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper ii Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in the whole or in part from a thesis by which have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the thesis This thesis has not been submitted for award of any degree or diploma in any other tertiary institution Danang, May 20th, 2021 Student NGUYEN THI TU TAI Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper iii Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A ABSTRACT This graduation paper investigates current situation of Food and Beverage Department in CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa and give them some solutions to solve it; this case study is carried out basing on the theortical background and the experiences To find the result, I will gather all of the main related information about weaknesses and strentghs of quality of service of Food and Beverage department through my servey, finding and observation Base on this information, I wil give out some solutions to abilities of applying improving quality service of CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper iv Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1: Room rates at CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa 30 Table 2: Facilities statistics at Sunshine Restaurant 43 Table Equipment of the restaurant 45 Table Staff quantity at Sunshine Restaurant 47 Table Labor structure according to education levels at the restaurant .48 Table : Result of F&B business at the restaurant in 2017 –2019 .51 Table The number of visitors coming to the restaurant in 2017-2019 52 Table Customer’s rating for F&B facilities .54 Table Result of customers’ rating for the F&B staff 55 Table 10 Result of customer’s rating for the F&B Service process .56 Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper v Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A CHART Chart Result of F&B business at the restaurant in 2017 –2019 .52 Chart The number of visitors coming to the restaurant in 2017-2019 53 Chart Customer’s rating for F&B facilities 55 Chart Result of customers’ rating for the F&B Staff .56 Chart Result of customer’s rating for the F&B Service process 57 Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper vi Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A DIAGRAM Diagram 1: Organizational Diagram of CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa .28 Diagram 2: Organizational structure of F&B Department .38 Diagram 3: Organizational structure of the kitchen 40 Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper vii Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS F&B: Food and Beverage UNWTO: United Nations World Tourism Organization Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper viii Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A TABLE OF CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .I STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP II ABSTRACT iii TABLES AND FIGURES IV CHART V DIAGRAM VI LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS VII CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale .1 1.2 Aims and Objectives: 1.3 Scope of the Study: .2 1.4 Method of the study: .2 1.5 Organization of the Study .2 CHAPTER THEORETICAL BACKGROUND .4 2.1.Tourism 2.1.1.Definition of tourism .4 2.1.2 Type of tourism: 2.2 Hotel: 2.2.1 Definition of hotel: 2.2.2 Hotel Business 2.2.3 Hotel Product 2.3 Restaurant .9 2.3.1 Concept 2.3.2 Classification 2.3.3 Some Restaurant business problems .11 2.3.4 Restaurant business characteristics .11 Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 57 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A large meeting rooms for conferences up to nearly 300 guests promises to be the ideal venue for weddings and meetings for locals and tourists to Da Nang The revenue from the food service is approximately 20-25% of the hotel's total revenue The hotel has served the dining needs of both hotel guests and outside guests with a relatively large restaurant serving European and Asian cuisine Additionally, the hotel hosts conference parties, small-scale wedding parties, birthday parties, and other events with a diverse menu The main target customers of the restaurant are hotel guests The restaurant's room is very big, but it is not particularly airy There are separate rooms for serving VIP guests, as well as signing contracts with guests when eating There is also uniformity in the restaurant's equipment, such as the size and color of tables and chairs The building is built in a luxurious and modern European style with two key colors: yellow and white CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa is to provide hotel products and services that support the protection and advancement of Vietnamese values CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa ideals are based on the positive qualities of the Vietnamese people, with the assumption that tourists to Vietnam's various regions deserve the most comprehensive experience possible Furthermore, the staff is adaptable; they can solve issues and fulfill any requests from visitors, making guests feel at ease when using hotel services In addition to business hours, the hotel's board of directors encourages its employees to pursue their passions for sports, workouts, and beneficial outdoor activities These activities help to improve the spiritual life of the employees after long days at work 4.2.2 Weak points Despite the fact that the situation at CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa, in general, and the restaurant department in particular is almost complete Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 58 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A However, in addition to the benefits, there are still some unresolved problems, such as: In the restaurant department, some buffet pots are often not hot Despite the fact that damage is always fixed quickly, there is always damage Furthermore, there are still some old equipment and facilities that need to be replaced to ensure the restaurant's safety and aesthetics The restaurant does not have many practices to build a working environment, and legislation and establishing a behavioral partnership between employees in the department have not been prioritized The majority of the time is spent on training exercises and improving personnel skills Since the hotel does not have a scheme in place to hire part-time workers, the official staff is often required to work overtime during parties, causing exhaustion and impacting employee wellbeing The department's workforce is still relatively small, and workers in the restaurant are often required to perform several tasks at once, resulting in low productivity Since the restaurant's staff is short on manpower, the restaurant's service quality is suffering as a result 4.2.3 The impact of Food and Beverage service on business of CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa Food and Beverage service offers customers the varied local and Western dishes Additionally, while diners enjoy dishes at the CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa, this department creates a relaxing environment Last but not least, the hotel's food and beverage service generates revenue and draws a large number of guests Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 59 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A 4.2.4 Some Reasons Affecting the Guest Number at the F&B Department - In comparison to other restaurants in the region, I discovered some factors affecting the hotel's guest count at the F&B Department - First and foremost, there is an issue with the pricing strategy With a four-star hotel, the restaurant's price is very reasonable, but it's difficult to compete with other restaurants and eateries in the city - Next, the menu is also restricted due to supply and other factors such as crop, bad weather, and so on Quality raw materials are expensive and in short supply - Third, the F&B Department's facilities should be improved The hotel should pay attention to the restaurant's decor and arrange guests in a reasonable manner according to each location Beside, the restaurant must maintain the equipment in the restaurant on a regular basis - The final explanation was staff skills; kitchen staff must be professional and knowledgeable about Vietnamese culinary culture in order to spread Vietnamese cuisine to foreign friends They also need chefs who specialize in European cuisine in order to serve the country Most especially, the service staff needs to cultivate pro fessional skills and understand customer psychology Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 60 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A CHAPTER DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS 5.1 Difficulties More and more competitors: In fact, the battle for brands, premises and cuisine of consumers is very tough, creating a period of full development of price and class segments Today, times, luck is not enough to bring success and prosperity in the restaurant business, but also requires a clear, macro vision Supply is greater than demand: For those who are passionate about food, restaurant, and restaurant business in locations where the supply is higher than the demand, customers are hesitant to choose a home which row Ineffective marketing strategy: In fact, business in F&B sector is not really that simple The competitor's ability to adapt to the market is very fast, and very quickly copying and imitating the product Therefore, if the advertising of the name and brand name is ineffective, does not bring its own personality, it is afraid that it cannot compete with the competitor's reputation and advertising potential The budget is limited, bringing many challenges: When the scale, resources, clean budget, brand name and name are not enough, the restaurant operation cannot be maintained This resulted in a closure after a few months of operation Therefore, when capital and resources are not enough, you should consider running a restaurant business Customers' trust in the brand: The same dish product is the same, but when advertised with the super-clean and high-quality technique, customers will strongly believe in their choice Most important of all is how you instill confidence in those products Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 61 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A 5.2 Solutions  CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa should focus more on employee remuneration practices for all parts of the company and problems to strengthen corporate unity Avoid making comparisons between the management of the old and new businesses to avoid needless conflict Staff of each department in the hotel should improve the communication skills of each employee Each employee should be gentle and versatile in their interactions so that customers can see their faith, comfort, friendliness, transparency, thoughtfulness, and excitement in everything they say and Increase the number of employees, especially in the restaurant and reception areas In high season, there are not enough employees not only good customer care but also perform all tasks at the same time CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa will concentrate on social media marketing and promotion of hotels, such as Facebook, Instagram, Google, and other websites Consumers check for bookings on many well-known websites in the hotel and travel industries, such as Agoda, Traveloka, and others Advertising on television, radio, and associated newspapers and magazines, such as travel magazines The architecture introduces the hotel, which can be found in public locations such as train stations, bus stations, and airports Print hotel advertisements on outdoor signs, flags, logos, and bus and taxi companies Furthermore, the hotel must update the equipment in each department and boost the hotel's Wi-Fi system, which is constantly congested Finally, establishing a strategic direction to assist all employees in determining the hotel's future direction and identifying priorities to be Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 62 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A accomplished in the coming years to bring the hotel's business activities together The hotel is expanding, as is its ability to draw more visitors  For F&B Department The Food and Beverage Department also plays an important role in providing services when guests use products and services at the hotel To serve foreign visitors, the Food and Beverage Department should be more diverse and of higher quality  Sunshine restaurant department In the restaurant, staff are in direct contact with customers As a result, restaurant workers must be thoroughly educated and remain with the hotel for an extended period of time For a more efficient serving operation, the hotel needs more flexibility in hiring or training workers who can interact in languages other than English You should thank the restaurant staff and apologize Customers are often right in the service industry because they add advantages and sales to the business Restaurant business is considered quite safe because of the increasing demand for food, especially for food However, with the current situation of mushrooming restaurants, it is imperative that you master the following principles to improve your competitiveness as soon as you step into the market Furthermore, the restaurant department must upgrade the restaurant, bar, and kitchen facilities To attract more customers, the menu should be themed around the holidays For example, New Year's Day should have special or exclusive dishes Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 63 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A CHAPTER CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 6.1 Conclusions Tourism has become an indispensible part of social life as the economy continues to grow Due to the economic development, everyone is in need and able to travel and enjoy the cuisine here Many nations and countries have turned to tourism as a means of contributing to their growth With the promotion of Vietnam's reputation abroad and tourism investment policies, the number of foreign visitors to Vietnam has steadily increased over the years In addition, business establishments remain, and cuisine is expanding in both quantity and quality to meet consumer demands It is difficult for the company to maintain a competitive position in the market as the number of customers grows In this fiercely competitive world, CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa aspires to be a true provider of high-quality service to its guests In addition to maintaining the quality of room facilities, hotels must improve in order to provide outstanding products and services that customers enjoy and trust, thus enhancing business performance The standard of food service, as this is an essential component that generates considerable revenue from serving the general tourist and, in particular, the target customer market In order to meet these requirements, restaurant managers must continuously improve the quality of their services in three areas: - The staff's attitude, service spirit, and professionalism work together to give visitors a good impression of the restaurant - Marketing activities should be implemented to promote the image of restaurants to crowded people at home and abroad - To qualify for service provision, the facilities and equipment must be of high standard Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 64 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A - Guests have more options at the restaurant because of the variety and quantity of goods and services available 6.2 Suggestions  Food and Beverage Department’s facilities The restaurant's technical facilities are still limited Therefore, to improve more, the restaurant needs to replace and invest more in upgrading The restaurant can perform the following jobs: At the restaurant, many equipment is old and shows signs of damage due to many years of use Many restaurant bowls and dishes were chipped and dirty and needed to be disposed of, the number of trolleys to transport food and utensils was limited, so it needed to be strengthened Decorating in the dining room needs to hang more pictures, add ornamental plants, stone statues to create vitality for the restaurant Change the table and chair layout to avoid boredom, monotony, and convenient for the service staff to carry and clean Upgrade or adjust the position of the air conditioner, because the restaurant during service is not closed, cooling the room will take a long time, the area of operation is not wide and the machine runs continuously causing power consumption, possibly replaced with ceiling mounted air conditioning system for larger cooling zone Upgrading the lighting system in the restaurant, the restaurant is currently using yellow lights but the lighting area is small, if it is cloudy, the restaurant will be a bit dark Can change to a brighter color or to another type of bulb Tools to clean glass doors at the restaurant today still use towels, so it is not guaranteed that the glass doors are completely clean, and the disadvantages of windows are difficult to clean on the outside (difficult to Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 65 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A reach out to clean) Need to buy specialized tools for cleaning glass (glass cleaner with long handle) Check and remove damaged, broken, dirty cups, remove dishes that not meet the standards of size and freshness Purchase extra supplies and catering utensils and utensils to ensure adequate supply during peak seasons  Food and Beverage Department’s staffs To complete the service quality in the restaurant, the first job must be to perfect the staff at the restaurant Must regularly improve the quality of the workforce as well as the employee's cultural and polite attitude and behavior The restaurant needs to train more staff skills, it is shown as follows : Equip restaurant staff with product knowledge, sales skills and other skills to ensure service quality Create a healthy competitive environment: have a reasonable salary, bonus and penalty regime to encourage employees to work well, improve the sense of responsibility in employees' work, and motivate employees to work well All regimes should be implemented in a fair, open manner, without defrauding acquaintances and family members Need to train more skills and foster skills, professional skills for staff such as: how to carry calf, the profession of table set up, napkin folding to diversify and ensure aesthetics Promote training activities to improve professional qualifications for employees Improving the foreign language and communication ability of staff, should encourage and facilitate staff to learn more English, Korean, Chinese to attract more international visitors to the restaurant Organize training sessions for employees to have knowledge of communication with customers, customer psychology and manners so that employees can learn Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 66 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A and cultivate experience Train your staff the ability to deal with complaints properly The department head must regularly take care of the staff Every day, it is necessary to create a happy and friendly atmosphere when employees perform their duties Should organize fun after-hours activities or visit, travel to improve understanding as well as supplement knowledge of tourism for staff Give employees self-awareness, solidarity, and support each other at work This promotes a fast and professional service, and avoids complaints from customers for not being taken care of Experienced staff as well as strong techniques should be assigned to guide and mentor new employees who not have practical experience, or those with skills and operations that are weak need to be improved  Services of the Food and Beverage Department Now, the services at F&B are one of the most essential services provided by a hotel, as they meet the needs of guests, increase sales, and raise brand awareness for CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa Therefore, service should be improved The restaurant will open as a multi-product that can host large-scale conferences and workshops, as well as arrange large weddings Customers must be able to trust restaurants, and they must be able to satisfy their increasingly diverse needs Continuing to improve culinary facilities such as room service 24 hours a day, banquet services, weddings for outside parties on request, buffet, birthday parties Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 67 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A APPENDIX Hello everyone, My name is Tu Tai I am a final year student at Duy Tan University My major is English for tourism I am doing my report for graduating It is my pleasure if you not mind spending a couple of minutes to answer below Thank you so much! Please give me some basic information about you Gender:  Male  Female Age: Nationality: How you know about CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa?  On Facebook  On Booking  Friend’s recommendations  Others Do you usually stay at CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa when you are on trip ?  Yes  No  Sometimes  Others What form of trip you usually take?  Group  Family  Individual  Others Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 68 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A What is your trip purpose?  Business  Tourism  Visiting friends, relatives  Others Your feeling about the information of F&B Department as follow: Evaluation of service quality of Satisfied Normal Dissatisfied F&B Department Facilities Staff Service process In the order to enhance the quality of service quality of F&B Department staff, what you think we must do? Are you planning to return to CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa in the future?  Yes  No  Not sure Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 69 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A REFERENCES 1.The official website of CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa: www.cnpalaceboutiquehotel.com 2.The official website of CN Palace Boutique Hotel & Spa: https://cnpalaceboutiquehotel.com/gioi-thieu 3.Definition of the hotel: https://www.tugberkugurlu.com/archive/definintion-of-tourism-unwtodefinition-of-tourism-what-is-tourism Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 70 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A SUPERVIOR COMMENT Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 Graduation Paper 71 Supervisor: Thai Trinh Thao Nguyen, M.A Student: Nguyen Thi Tu Tai Code: 23203110305 ... Chapter 4: Analysis and avaluation includes real situation about service quality of Food and Beverage service Chapter 5: Difficulties and Solutions to improve the service department of Food and Beverages...MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING DUY TAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH GRADUATION THESES NGUYEN THI TU TAI AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REAL SITUATION AND SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVING THE SERVICE QUALITY OF. .. cleanliness, and so on 2.5.2.5 The quality of food and beverage The quality of food and beverage drirectlyaffects customers perception of service quality The customer will assess the quality of