Eastern Classic Marketing

This paper presents a marketing plan which is essential in creating a competitive advantage for the Eastern Classic Restaurant Thai. Marketing plan comprises of the information of the company, history of the restaurant industry which is growing as result of growth of the cities, company history which was established in 1999, product history which include noodles as the best performing product for the company, situational analysis that outline the deal with strengths and weakness associated with Eastern Classic Thai Restaurant. Additionally, the unique selling point for the special services such dates has been identified as the main problem that is affecting Eastern Classics. Lastly, strategic plan of the company is provided which seeks to establish what makes the company provide a high quality product, homemade meal providing the traditional touch and also identified Instagram, Facebook and Yelp as some of the social media tools that are used by the company to promote its products.

· Location: 461 Tennessee ST, Redlands, CA 92373

· Phone: +1 (909) 793-0150

· Carl’s JR

· Burger King

· Etc.

· These fast foods attract the poor and middle class

· Has more population than the upper class

· The fast food that is quicker with best tasting food has the most customers due to quickness and quality of the food

· As well as how well known the company is and the background of its brand

· Different meal packages throughout the day

· Specifically, in Thai food in surrounding area

· Garden Thai Cuisine

· 1764 E Lugonia Ave #104, Redlands, CA 92374

· Thai Bowl Café

· 25069 Redlands Blvd Suite A, Loma Linda, CA 92354

· R Thai Cuisine

· 25685 Redlands Blvd ste b, Loma Linda, CA 92354

· Recipes offered such as curries, noodles, and other homemade classics

· Served in traditional setup

· Main menu

· Appetizers

· Thai salads

· Gourmet selections

· Spicy selections

· Curries

· Spices and sour soups

· Seafood

· Fried noodles

· General soups

· The main dish is served with other components that are tailored to meet customer’s needs (Chung, Song & Lee, 2017)

· Various recipes to fit various customers’ needs

· Various appetizers before the main course

· Signature foods offered to capture the values of Thai culture.

· The best dish for Americans is the fried noodles, due to being familiar to it

· one of the best dishes served by Eastern Classic restaurant

· makes up to 29% of total sales

· Thai signature foods come second with a 15% share of the product sales (Wank & Farrer, 2015)

· Gourmet selections are also popular, 5% of total sales

· Steady rise of sales as years pass by

· New technology has improved its service to better serve customers in a more efficient way

· In Tennessee, Eastern Classic restaurant enjoys at least 30% market share across ten other restaurants

Company History

· Started in 1999

· Family owned business by emigrants from Thailand

· The food joint has since grown since then by implementing favorable business strategies (Mills, 2019)

· Seven business branches distributed across Tennessee

· Annual sales being 300 million dollars as per statistics of the financial year 2018

· Company employs at least 100 employees across its business

· Major changes

· Online ordering

· Order online and have the food delivered to your home

· The company mission is to provide excellent services without doing away with the traditional touch of recipes

· Customers identify strengths of a restaurant in order for them to identify preferred destinations

· Eastern Classsic currently has no designated place where the dates can be carried out

· Modern day, lovers gateways have become popular creating a demand for dating sites in restaurants.

· By this, the restaurant has faced the problem of losing even loyal customers (Štiglic, 2017)

· Management has plans to change to bring them back and potential future customers

· Lost customers to other business with this lovers gateway

· In terms of management, the company has experienced a decline in company revenue as a result of a company losing its customers. Customer retention has also been a problem for the company (Jang, Zheng, & Bosselman, 2017)

· Implementing dating facilities could improve sales

· A whole new way to sale, a unique service

· With this the restaurant can build relationships with its customers

· Building a trust that this is a restaurant to connect people

Product characteristics

· The products and services are intended to meet customer’s needs. As well as resolve the problem at hand.

· They intend to implement dating packages

· They intend to build cottages

· Customers need to subscribe online for this service

· Online bookings will help customers with easier access

· The market demand for these services is big and therefore this product and service will have a sustainable market considering that cottage dating functions have become a style (Chung, Song, & Lee, 2017)

· This service will be at average cost, due to its target market being young consumers

· The cost could vary due to how high the demand this will become

· If the demand is high, the cost of the product could go up (Heo, 2016)

· It will stay in the range where the population could afford

· This product will be offered at the companys main outlets

· A unique selling point

· Marketed through various advertising media.

· This will sensitize the target market about the product and provide information

Competitive Advantages:

· Eastern Classic is one of the best restaurants for a homemade meal

· Quick and satisfying meal that could fill that desire for Thai

· Well respected family owned restaurant

· Best quality food

· Yelp shows Eastern Classics having good ratings

· Advantages of expertise since family owned business are from Thai, which is the business based on

Competitive Disadvantages:

· Plenty surrounding competitors

· Eastern Classics doesn’t live up to its customers’ expectations they can lose that customer

· The presentation of its food can be a disadvantage as well.

Part 3

· Market size small

· Mostly mechanics, autobody shops, gas stations, few markets, and residential streets

· Next to freeway, still could be missed due to small sign

· Rush hour are during lunch and dinner, especially on days of Tuesdays and Thursdays

· Slowest days are Mondays and Wednesdays

· The employees along with Nick, the owner, are very capable of providing excellent customer service

· Age - history: most customers are mid 20’s to mid ’40s. Some older and younger couples dine often. 

· Gender: the majority of the customers are men, and women are generally accompanied by men.

· Marital Status: almost all customers are married or couple between the ages of 30-40. There are some family parties of 4 or more on weekends. 

· Income - Social Status: Mostly working-class, labor workers around the area for lunch, and after normal business hours. 

· Education - Social Status: Majority of customers have some college education, few college graduates; some younger customers are still enrolled in college.

· Purchase Behavior: customers buy buffet specials, or appetizer and entre. Inexpensive prices of the dishes allow the customer to try new entries every time they stop by. 

· Communication Style: customers verbally communicate their satisfaction with each other and the staff, as well as share reviews and opinions on media like yelp, google reviews, etc. 

· Geographic: most customers are native to Redlands or work around the area; yelp reviews have brought in new customers. 

· Personal activities: consumer market behaviors include people who are around the area and looking to try something new, as well as those who work around the area and people who have been recommended Eastern Classic. 

· Group Activities: People are more inclined to eat at Eastern Classic when it has been recommended by friends or family, as well as those who are Eastern Classic regulars, and those who like to try new places to support local businesses and have seen great reviews for this restaurant. 

· The average amount of time spent is approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on the time of day and the dish they decide to order. 

· The customer’s thought process is that they read the reviews whether or not a family or friend has already recommended Eastern Classic. While ordering, they also take the staff’s recommendations on what dish they should order. Also, the buffet option also attracts many customers along with the affordable prices. 

· Traditional: Eastern Classic’s phone number and location address can be found online, they do not have an active website. 

· Nontraditional: The restaurant hangs colorful banners beside their sign which helps customers find their location. 

· Social: Easter Classic is found only on Yelp and Google reviews.

· Search Engines: Eastern Classic can be found on search engines like Google, Bing, etc.; the restaurant’s website is nonexistent, only their menu can be found online which has the location address, phone number, and brief synopsis.   

· Redesign the interior of the restaurant to have a better and friendlier aspect inside.

· As a start of the finishing plans, we are seeking to start the process of promoting next month and hopefully have recognition by the end of the year.

· Have the company be friendly to kids, family, friends, and couples.

· Friendly where they can order and have a good time

· In today times, social media is a key aspect to spread the word.

· Everyone nowadays seeks any knowledge of the company on social media to get a better idea of what to expect.

· Of how the environment is in the restaurant and how the food looks. Most people like to try foods that look appealing to the eye and in today generation that appeasing looking food will be posted on social media to be seen by anyone who comes across it.

· Some ways to spread the word is encouraging its current customers to post their honest experience on yelp. This will help its reviews out and let how the restaurant is by its customers who go there.

· There is also having a social media platform; Facebook, snap chat, or Instagram. Whichever suits them best and gets them the best views. That’s how you will attract more of its younger customers in.

· Tripadvisor and Yelp both have the same ratings from previous customers. They state their honest opinions and experience during their stay.

· From the small number of posts I have seen, I have noticed small gatherings of a group of people together. If it's family or friends, it's a small group. They seem to enjoy the small environment of this place. 

· From what I have seen, the reviews state that the food is okay not as well, which the restaurant could improve on a bit.

· Could make the environment more kid-friendly, like having food items for kids, to have more family gatherings at this location.

· There also people stating that they wish it could be a great place for couples for the younger generation to come to.

· The restaurant could add more accessories around the place to make it a more modern look and appeasing to its customers, for those that look into those things.

Strategic Plan:

· Objective is to bring as many customers in, to have a refreshing moments as they enjoy high-quality food in a family oriented atmosphere with a traditional meal

· To achieve this goal, it has to go through various stages:

· Employee satisfaction

· Customer satisfaction

· Technology use

· Websites/social media

· Segmentation of customers

Implementation

· Understanding employee satisfaction

· Satisfied employees means exceptional customer services

· Well trained employees

· Effective communication skills

· Food preparation

· Monthly packages

· Customer satisfaction is also key

· Discounts are available

· Fast and excellent delicacies

· Every compliant is taken serious and precautions are taken to fix and avoid future complaints

· Technology is also taken a huge role in today’s society

· Use to manage inventory and possible attract customers

· Using online platforms to market

· Using yelp, facebook, trip advisor, posters, and flyers

· Lastly, the restaurant provides family-like ambience graced by superior brand the Thai food at the fair price that results to repeat of business (Tripadvisor, 2016)

· Explanation and Justification of message

· Customers are interested in the current state of the restaurant.

· They are zealous to know what they can get into the restaurant as per today and consume and not what was available two years ago.

· Eastern Classics Thai Restaurant has taken this seriously and provides an updated and current fresh brand that is available on its website and social media pages.

Figure 1cuisines Thai, meals lunch and dinner

Figure 2 Spicy Thai yam-style made with salad

· Prepares a high-quality meal and in particular Thai food that many customers flock in to buy.

· Additionally, the prices of its product are fair and affordable.

· This kind of sale at the discount is the pricing strategy that is on offer July 21, 2019, to 21 August 2019.

· Customers flood in to enjoy high discounts coupled with a traditional touch and homestead ambience altogether providing exceptional customer experience.

Figure 4 Thai cuisine at 20% price discount Figure 3 Thai cuisine promotion, purchase 1 get one free.

· Promotion is the marketing strategy that is used by the firm to bridge the gap between the product and the customer.

Daily promotions (Options throughout months)

· Eastern Classic carries the following daily promotional activities;

· first it offers daily discount to the customers on particular delicacies that as determined by the management,

· customers are at will to fill the feedback card after the meals

· drop it in the feedback box

· Restaurant maintains the database of the customers which entails their phone numbers and the hotel commits itself in sending text to customer informing them of the items that are on offer.

· This is important because it creates a connection between restaurant and customers and also gives the customers sense of the pride as they feel they are cared for hence resulting to the repeat of the business (Isoraite, 2015).

· From July 21, 2019, to August 21, 2019, Thai cuisine will be selling at 20% discount.

· Similarly, at the end of every month, the communication department of the restaurant will be sharing on the Facebook page on special meal highlighting its health benefits.

· This is crucial because customers enhance customer’s loyalty lead to the repeat of the business (Isoraite, 2015).

Target market

· Eastern Classic targets customers of the age bracket (20-50) years.

· This is both a youthful generation and adults’ people who have families.

· Since customers may not take all meals in a day at the restaurant, customers are expected to spend approximately $60 per week if the consume a single meal each day.

· It targets the young generation that is dating and this is the reason it has opened a special facility and garden for youths that are dating.

· To the adult customers, the restaurant seeks to provide them with homelike ambience and meal with traditional touch because of their sensitivity on their health as matters of the food is concerned.

· The first media tool that Eastern Classic uses is Facebook. @easternclassic is the title of Eastern classic Facebook.

· The restaurant chooses to use Facebook because it is able to reach to its target customers effectively and also the fact that Facebook has a wide following.

· Through the use of FB, the restaurant is able to reach about 70% of its audience.

· The cost per spot is $25 per spot providing a total cost of $120.

· Through FB, the firm gets to share a current update on its menu and special offers that are available.

· The postings are done 4: 30 PM for Friday, Wednesday and Tuesday and 11:30 AM for Saturday and Monday.

· The other social, media that is used by the firm is email.

· Since the firm has the database of its customers, it sends every day an email text to the customers informing them of the available offers and also extending a word of the welcome to the customers.

· About 60% of the customers are reached through email.

· Communication department emails the customer’s every morning at 9:00 AM.

· This method is deemed appropriate by the firm because it is specifically tailored to the customers who have previously interact ted with the hotel.

· Lastly, Eastern Classic uses Yelp.

· This is the marketing tool through which the business reaches to its potential customers.

· It provides an opportunity where individual customers get to check the ratings that they have to the restaurant and confirm if the restaurant meets their desired standards.

· Its main goal is to help rate and provide their feedback about their experience with the Eastern Classic Thai Restaurant.

· This also helps the restaurant to identify their weak areas and improve.

· The title for the Yelp for eastern Classic is Eastern Classic – Redlands.

· Using this platform, there are photos of the customers having food and drinks in the restaurants (Yelp, 2019).

· Key performance indicators are used to measure the success of the firm.

· Most commonly used

· KPI is cost of goods sold

· net profit margin

· the volume of sales

· market and share.

· Eastern Classic Restaurant, three KPI are used which are;

· the volume of sales

· market share

· product performance.

· The firm recorded annual sales worth $300 million 2018 financial year

· a market share of at least 30% in Tennessee

· product performance was as the follows;

· fried noodles performed best at 29% of total sales

· second position was taken by Thai signature at 15% of total sales

· the remaining percentage was shared among by other products.

· Problem.

· There have been complaints of unavailability of the options by the customers some of the times.

· It is necessary for the restaurant to do the necessary planning and ensure that the replacement of the empty dishes is done immediately.

· Goals.

· The objective of the firm is to provide exceptional customer experience, high-quality food with the homelike ambience and having the traditional touch.

· This is expected to lead increases in sales and consequently lead to growth and expansion of the business.

· Success.

· Eastern Classic Thai Restaurant believes in the power of the information.

· It, therefore, makes information available to the customers through their websites and social media which guides customers in buying decision.

· These are also promotional activities which lead to creating awareness about the restaurant hence contributing to its success.

Eastern Classic Thai Restaurant is keen on using the marketing plan which helps it to outline its goals, objectives, areas of the strengths and areas of the weaknesses. It also very powerful because the firm clearly documents its promotional activities and access their effectiveness. With a clear and strategic market plan, Eastern Classic Thai Restaurant is at a position to create a competitive advantage against rivals because it understands its internal capabilities and therefore capitalizes on them. Similarly, it is a tool that helps it to improve on its areas of the weaknesses.

Group Members Contribution:

• Haixin Hu 34%

• Joselyn Lopez Morales 33%

• Javier Figueroa 33%

“Eastern Classic Thai Restaurant.” SinglePlatform, places.singleplatform.com/eastern-classic-thai-restaurant/menu.

“Top 10 Best Chinese+Food in Redlands, CA - Last Updated July 2019.” Yelp, www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Chinese%2BFood&find_loc=Redlands%2C%2BCA.

Chung, N., Song, H. G., & Lee, H. (2017). Consumers’ impulsive buying behavior of restaurant products in social commerce. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(2), 709-731.

Chung, N., Song, H. G., & Lee, H. (2017). Consumers’ impulsive buying behavior of restaurant products in social commerce. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(2), 709-731.

Heo, C. Y. (2016). Exploring group-buying platforms for restaurant revenue management. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 52, 154-159.

Isoraite, M. (2015). Customers loyalty increase as effective tool of sale promotion. Global Journal of Management and Business Research

Jang, Y. J., Zheng, T., & Bosselman, R. (2017). Top managers’ environmental values, leadership, and stakeholder engagement in promoting environmental sustainability in the restaurant industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 63, 101-111.

Jogaratnam, G. (2017). The effect of market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation and human capital on positional advantage: Evidence from the restaurant industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 60, 104-113.

Kang, M. (2013). When an organizational message resonates with personal values of publics: implications for strategic communication management. Atlantic Journal of Communication, 21(4), 185-199.

Khan, M. A. (2014). Restaurant franchising: Concepts, regulations and practices. Apple Academic Press.

Mills, M. B. (2019). Cookbook confidential: global appetites, culinary fantasies, and Thai food. Food, Culture & Society, 22(1), 26-44.

Štiglic, M. (2017). Models and solution algorithms for the ride-matching problem: facilitating the matching process in ridesharing systems (Doctoral dissertation, Univerza v Ljubljani, Ekonomska fakulteta).

T., Sothy, et al. “Garden Thai Cuisine - Redlands, CA.” Yelp, 12 Jan. 2019, www.yelp.com/biz/garden-thai-cuisine-redlands.

Tripadvisor. (2016). “Excellent Thai food”. Retrieved July 21, 2019, from https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32953-d4544334-r346232764-Eastern_Classic_Thai_Restaurant-Redlands_California.html

Wank, D. L., & Farrer, J. (2015). In the new millennium, Japanese cuisine has become a truly global cuisine (see Cwiertka 2001; Imai in this volume). Alongside French, Italian, Thai, Chinese, and Mexican cuisine, Japanese restaurants are ubiquitous on every continent. Megalopolises such as Shanghai, Jakarta, and New York each have close to one thousand Japanese restaurants, while smaller cities such as Copenhagen, Pittsburgh. The Globalization of Asian Cuisines: Transnational Networks and Culinary Contact Zones.

Yambunjong, P., & Gulasirima, R. (2013). Images of Thai cuisine and Thai restaurant among tourists in the Asian market: a case study of Laos and Cambodia. Proceedings fromICCTL, 13.

Personal Interview questions

Personal Interviews: Eastern Classic Thai Restaurant

Thank you for participating in this study. I am a student currently attending Cal State University San Bernadino and I am completing a marketing project. For the project, I am interested in learning about the habits of the individuals when dining out at restaurants. During this interview, we will go into more details about dining habits at an Eastern Classic Company, Redlands, California USA.

Please answer all the questions honestly.

All your answers will be kept confidential. Thank you for your contribution!

I. What is your sex, Male { } Female { } Tick in bracket

I. What is your age bracket, 18-25{ } 26-30 { }31-36 { } 37-41{ } 41-46 { } 47-60 { }

I. What is the size of your household, 1{ } 2 { } 3-4 { } 5+{ }

I. Do you have children, Yes{ } No { }

I. If you children, indicate number……

I. What is the size of your income, <$10000{ } $11000-$20000{ } $21000-$30000{ } $31000+ { }

Lifestyle Questions

The following are based on your interests and opinions. Using the scale 1-5, 1=Strongly A, 2= Agree, 3= Neutral, 4=Disagree and 5= strongly Disagree, respond to the following questions.

I. People frequently ask me advice on place to eat 1 { } 2 { } 3 { } 4 { } 5 { }

I. I prefer cool place when dining out 1 { } 2 { } 3 { } 4 { } 5 { }

Genera; Questions about Restaurants

I. Which meal do you eat most from restaurant, breakfast { } Lunch { } Dinner { }

I. Do you look at menu in restaurant before eating yes {} No { }

I. What excites you most in restaurant, customer service { } quality of food { } cleanliness { }

I. Which cuisine is your favorite, Thai { } fried Noodles { } Soup { } Seafood{ }

Eastern Classic Thai Restaurant.

This is the restaurant located at Tennessee near Redlands Police Station. All the following questions are directed toward this restaurant.

I. Have you ever eaten in this Eastern Classics Yes { } No { }

I. How many times have you ever visited it, 0 { } 1 { } 2 { } 3 { } 4+ { }

I. How did you come to know Eastern Classic, Referred by a friend { } Facebook { } Flyer { } Instagram { } Yelp { }

I. Did you research on menu of this restaurant before eating, yes { } No { }

I. If yes, how did you research, restaurant website { }, online reviews { } Social media { } other { } if other specify……

I. Which is your favorite item on menu appetizers { } Soup { } Thai salads { } Gourmet selections { } Seafood{ } Curries { } Spicy Selection{ } Other { }

I. What did you find most interesting about this restaurant, Speed of service { } cool dining atmosphere { } friendly staff { } range of options { } Other { }, if other specify

I. Would you sit the restaurant again, yes { } No { }, please explain your answer.

End.