Development of Restaurant’s Buffet Services Adapt to The New Normal

Abstract

The researcher would like to study development of restaurant’s buffet services adapt to the new normal to provide information in planning strategies for entrepreneurs to operate their business and meet the needs of consumers to the greatest satisfaction. Also intend to study a buffet style food service model that is suitable for entrepreneurs in the restaurant business that offers buffet service by studying consumer behavior, competitive conditions in the market to develop an overview and recommendations for adjusting the restaurant business that serve buffet style to be more reliable.

Objective of this research is to study consumer behavior towards choosing a buffet restaurant service, to study the factors in the restaurant business that offers buffet food service, to present buffet food service for restaurant business as a new normal appropriate to the needs of consumers and entrepreneurs. The expected benefit is to develop and improve the buffet food service model for the restaurant business in a new normal that compatible with consumer’s requirements and entrepreneurs. Get a model of serving buffet style for the restaurant business in a way that with consumer’s requirements and entrepreneurs. The study sample consisted of the population who had experiences of buffet food service among the population aged between 18-45 years in Nonthaburi Province.

The objective of this research is to study the guidelines for serving buffet food service in the New Normal situation of the Covid-19 virus epidemic that is still spreading. The questionnaire was used as a tool to collect 400 data sets. The sample size divided into 122 self-service customers, accounting for 30.5% and the service providing food service staff of 278 people, accounting for 69.5 percent. From this opinion, the researcher aware that some food service entrepreneur who provide self-service restaurants need to adjust continually according to the situation. Adaptation is strongly required because customers will be careful about touching food serving equipment and walking around to serving area. That may be risk of virus spreading by some customers who may be infected and do not know that they are infected. For service process, sample group require the restaurant to provide alcohol for customers before entering the service. Restaurant should clean the seating areas and tables with disinfectant every time before next customer will use the service. Provide all equipment for using the service such as plates, spoons, forks and napkins. and toothpick by packing in a sealed bag and arranged as a set for 1 customer per 1 set. This method ensures cleanliness and safety from the spread of germs to some extent. For drink service recommend to serve with same platform by letting customers going to the beverage service area. To give customers the freedom to choose but customers must wear gloves and a sham every time they fill up their drink. At the drinks station should be a staff to serve ice scoop and drink and must have a container to support the customer's glass in order to reduce contact with the customer's glass. The staff's dress code should be appropriate for hygiene of food handlers and wear masks and gloves throughout the operation. The restaurant should pay attention by changing the staff's gloves every half hour to avoid contamination. In additional comments from respondents have an opinion about getting food items should be a form of using technology to get food items. To reduce staff walking and shorten the time to serve food faster.