International Tourism and Hotel Systems - the Department of Restaurants - Coursework Example

Griffith College Group Assignment International tourism and hotel systems Student’s names Institution Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 The role of restaurant department in an international hotel 3 Key internal and external relationships in the department 5 Key management competencies required for this department. 7 Conclusion 9 References 10 International tourism and hotel systems The department of Restaurants Introduction Hotel industry exists in the tourism industry and offers accommodation, food, drinks and other services to the public at a given cost. In an international hotel setting, there are various departments working together to ensure that customers are well served. In an international hotel, the quality of customer service as well as the services offered is very crucial aspect. Restaurants department offers foods, drinking and other related services (Kandampully & Suhartanto, 2000). This paper discusses the role of this department in international hotels, key internal and external relationships in the department, and also key management competencies required in the department. The role of restaurant department in an international hotel This department has a very crucial responsibility of providing and keeping the quality of service of foods and beverages in a hotel. It is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the hotel customers are served with food or drinks and this should be done with high quality levels of customer service and hospitality. A successful hospitality venture such as a hotel does not count only on its products and services, but also how they are delivered to customers. A given hotel may have the best foods and drinks but the fact that customers are not given the service they want does not guarantee profitability to the hotel. The qualities of staff as well as the way they deliver services are often more important than the tangible products and services in determining whether a hospitality experience is satisfactory or unsatisfactory (Mok et al., 2013).  Restaurants forms one of the most visited departments in an international hotel and so it plays a big role in the overall performance of the entire hotel system. One of the major factors considered by customers when looking for rooms is efficiency, thus, they tend to prefer hotels that have almost all services being provided under within the hotel. When a customer rents a room in a hotel for accommodation, he or she will want food or drinks while still in the building, and this service is provided by the restaurant department. Also, a hotel hosts conference rooms and it is the responsibility of the restaurants to offer foods and or drinks to the attendees of such meetings. In the restaurant, customers have the chance to enjoy food and beverages in a good atmosphere. Restaurants can be classified into two: formal and informal restaurants. Formal restaurants give exclusive service to customers whereas informal restaurants tend to prioritize on efficiency. In an international hotel, the restaurant department is one of the most important departments in terms of profitability (Mok et al., 2013).  Specific roles and functions of restaurants include creating and promoting positive customer relationships by offering quick, courteous and efficient services to all customers and guests in the hotel. In the tourism industry, hospitality and customer service are crucial for the success of any of the hotel departments. For instance, in the restaurants, employees are not just tasked with serving foods and drinks; rather the way this is done determines a lot the growth of the entire hotel industry. Thus, owners of the hotel are very keen when it comes to this department as they know that effective and efficient customer service will enhance the hotel’s profitability as well as reputation (Kandampully & Suhartanto, 2000). A hotel has the mandate of making sure that the meals offered are ready in time for convenience of all customers. This duty is delegated to the restaurant department to make sure all meals are ready as per the set menu. A well-organized restaurant guarantees a hotel more customers hence earning more profits for the hotel. Given that international hotels have complicated meals which may force enquiries from customers, this is where the restaurant department comes in to answer any raising question as well as giving elaboration wherever need comes in (Mok et al., 2013).  One of the crucial factors while dealing with customers and guests is the quality of services offered. Restaurant ensures that all customers are served to their satisfactory in order to market the hotel positively. The restaurant being in charge of meals has the role of maintaining high quality hygiene in the serving area as well as the utensils being used and this attracts more customers (Mok et al., 2013).  When customers are through with their meals, restaurant staff makes sure that the tables are cleared and rearranged to create space for more clients and this make the hotel ever clean and welcoming for more customers. Payment of meals and other services offered in a hotel is the key aim of keeping the hotel moving, the restaurant staff being the ones in touch with the customers have a role of following up and making sure clients have cleared their bills before leaving (Kandampully & Suhartanto, 2000). Key internal and external relationships in the department In an international hotel setting, the restaurants department is one of the key departments as it ensures that customers and guests are served with food and drinks as required. Without this department, chances are that customers may shy away from such a hotel as what they need most is convenience, with all services being served in one place (Paraskevas, 2001). This department works in conjunction with several other departments such as the kitchen, finance, sales and marketing, the front office, purchases department etc. the restaurant works very closely with the kitchen as the foods served are made in the kitchen. Without the support of the kitchen, there will nothing to serve customers with and this means that the hotel would be in a stand still. The restaurants should always consult the kitchen department as pertains the available foods, so as to ensure that the customer is not inconvenienced. Also, it is the responsibility of the kitchen to ensure that the restaurant department is well informed for effective customer service and experience (Paraskevas, 2001). The house keeping department is also another department that has a close relationship with the restaurants department. Cleaning and maintenance of the restaurant rooms is done by the housekeeping department and this means that they should be well informed when cleaning should be done. However, there are specific schedules followed by the housekeeping departmentto ensure that the rooms are cleaned at the right times. Incase emergency cleaning is required, it is the responsibility of the restaurant department to inform the housekeeping department and the cleaning will be done. Also, the restaurants department works very closely with the front office department in serving customers effectively and efficiently. These two departments are key for the hotel and they interact one on one with customers in almost all their operations. Thus employees serving in these two departments should be almost similar in terms of the manner in which they serve customers. They are always expected by the hotel management to give the best experience to customers in every touch they make with them. At times, the hotel would receive special guests, for instance, the disabled who may need to be served even from their rooms. It is the responsibility of the front office department to inform the restaurant accordingly. Other guests that need special handling by both of these departments are children and sick guests. These guests require some special handling by both of these departments who must work closely together for the benefit of the organization. In the hospitality industry, departments that interact with customers on one on one basis are very crucial as they can enhance or even destroy the organization’s image (Paraskevas, 2001). Also, the restaurants department works closely with the finance department in reporting day to day sales and giving the exact figures. Remember that the restaurants is one of the revenue generating departments for the hotel and since everything is reconciled at the finance department, a close relationship between these two departments must be promoted at the end of the day, the restaurant management should report expense or revenue made in the department and also clarify anything as needed by the finance department. Also, the restaurants should coordinate well with the engineering and maintenance department in ensuring that the rooms, tables and seats are well maintained. This is done so as to ensure the comfort of the customers and to promote the organization’s reputation (Paraskevas, 2001). This department has both internal and external customers. Internal customers may refer to members of staff from the same department or other departments who visit to have, say for instance lunch or dinner. External customers include guests who are being accommodated in the hotel, outside catering or even customers who visit specifically the restaurant department. Key management competencies required for this department. This section uses the Sandwith’s Competency Domain Model to highlight the key management competencies required in the restaurant department so as to ensure its success (Kay & Russett, 2000). This department needs to have high quality management team who are able to ensure that the department meets the increased demands for improved quality of service and constant creativity and innovation. Managers and supervisors ought to be multi-skilled, meaning that they need to have skills that can enable them to work in almost all the hotel departments. According to the Competency Domain Model (Kay & Russett, 2000). The management at the restaurant department needs to have the following key competencies: be creative, have leadership skills, interpersonal skills, administrative competencies as well as technical ability. The hospitality industry is faced with stiff completion and this means that creativity should take a center stage if at all a hotel would maintain its competitive advantage in the market. Creativity is one of the key competencies required by managers and supervisors at the restaurants. Creativity allows the management team to understand the customers’ lifestyle and come up with services that fit the customer’s needs and lifestyle. Creativity is a very essential skill in problem solving. Customers are always faced with various issues and problems and it is the responsibility of the restaurant management to ensure that all customers feel comfortable while at the hotel (Kalargyrou & Woods, 2011). Another key competency required by the management at the restaurant department is high levels of leadership skills. Managers and supervisors at the restaurants should have leadership skills that enable them serve customers and deal with members of staff in the most effective manner. Employees in this department need to be motivated for them to give customers the best experience, and it is the responsibility of the management to ensure that the employees are highly motivated. Also, the management should be in a position to solve issues and problems that arise in the department. Ability to handles stress is also another key competency under leadership (Testa & Sipe, 2012). The management team serving in the restaurant department ought to have high levels of interpersonal skills which enable them to relate well with customers as well as with other members of staff. These skills enable a person to interact with others properly, especially in the business domain. Dealing with customers requires this particular key competency and it is a must for the restaurant management. Another key competency required is the administrative competencies. Restaurant managers handle some administrative activities such as paper work and other office related activities and thus, they should have the ability to survive well in the office. They should have high levels of computer skills for them to succeed in the department (Testa & Sipe, 2012). Restaurant managers should have a technical ability or competency for them to be able to serve customers effectively and manage employees in the department. A technical skill may be defined as a learned capacity by an individual in a given field of work. Thus managers at this department should have the necessary education qualifications as well as relevant experience. Technical skills may also include other aspects such as typing skills, computer knowledge etc. (Kalargyrou & Woods, 2011). Conclusion The restaurant department is one of the key departments especially when it comes to customer service and revenue generation. The quality of customer service offered in this department is very key for the maintaining the reputation of the entire organization. The restaurant department deals with the serving of foods and drinks and works very closely with other departments such as the kitchen and front office in giving customers the best experience. Various key skills and competencies are required by the management to be in a good position to serve customer and at the same time manage the whole department. Such competencies include creativity, leadership skills, interpersonal skills, administrative competencies as well as technical ability. References Kalargyrou, V., & Woods, R. H. (2011). Wanted: training competencies for the twenty-first century. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 23(3), 361-376. Kandampully, J., & Suhartanto, D. (2000). Customer loyalty in the hotel industry: the role of customer satisfaction and image. International journal of contemporary hospitality management, 12(6), 346-351. Kay, C., & Russette, J. (2000). Hospitality-management competencies identifying managers' essential skills. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 41(2), 52-63. Mok, C., Sparks, B., & Kadampully, J. (2013). Service quality management in hospitality, tourism, and leisure. Abingdon: Routledge. Paraskevas, A. (2001). Exploring hotel internal service chains: a theoretical approach. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 13 (5), 251-258. Testa, M. R., & Sipe, L. (2012). Service-leadership competencies for hospitality and tourism management. International journal of hospitality management, 31(3), 648-658. Read More