http://www.epinions.com/review/rest-Chain_Restaurants-All-Waffle_House/content_161263292036
http://www.rateitall.com/i-8640-waffle-house.aspx
http://www.flakmag.com/misc/wafflehouse.html
http://www.twitter.com/WHRegulars
http://www.facebook.com/wafflehouse
http://www.wafflehouse.com/
woensdag 4 augustus 2010
Interview with Thomas: Relief Manager of Waffle House in Tempe since 1992
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| Left: Thomas (Relief Manager), Right: Sean (Employee) |
Does your restaurant has a location-, target group- or formula oriented concept?
The Waffle House has a formula oriented concept. Our formula is ‘serving good food fast & friendly’.
We saw on the Waffle House website that each restaurant is operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Why is the Waffle House 24/7 open?
Well, we want to serve every customer that’s passing by. As example: many ASU students come at night, because they are way too busy at daytime. Also many travelers are passing by. The most of the Waffle Houses haven’t got any locks.
The Waffle House is open 24/7, but you can’t work 24/7. What are the working times at Waffle House?
We work with three shifts in a day. There are two shifts of 7 hours at daytime and at night we have a shift of 10 hours.
Which time is the most crowded? Is it breakfast, lunch, dinner or another time?
The breakfast is the most crowded time here, following by lunch and dinner.
Do you have many regulars?
Yes, we have many customers who are coming back, because of the food and the friendly faces here at Waffle House.
We’ve seen that Waffle House is active on Twitter and Facebook. Which other kinds of marketing does Waffle House use?
Waffle House use word-of-mouth marketing and we spread flyers in local businesses in a two mile radius.
Do you know if Waffle House has tried to expand his restaurants to other countries? If yes, why was/wasn’t this a success?
No, Waffle House hasn’t tried to expand his restaurants to other countries yet. We even not expand to some other states because of their laws, which make it impossible to keep our low price.
What are the strengths of the Waffle House?
I think our consistency, the friendly faces and the fast served food.
Do you think the Waffle house could be successful in the Netherlands?
Yes, I think it could be successful in any country!
Conclusion
The main question of this research was: does Waffle House fit in the Dutch market?
Our answer on this question is: YES!
They serve waffles in a cosy atmosphere, which is popular in the Netherlands. Also the friendliness will be appreciated. So we think it is possible, but some changes are necessary.
The restaurants don't have to be open 24/7. The Dutch aren't used to eat their breakfast in a diner like the Americans do. That's why the lunch and dinner will be the busiest times of the day.
Our answer on this question is: YES!
They serve waffles in a cosy atmosphere, which is popular in the Netherlands. Also the friendliness will be appreciated. So we think it is possible, but some changes are necessary.
The restaurants don't have to be open 24/7. The Dutch aren't used to eat their breakfast in a diner like the Americans do. That's why the lunch and dinner will be the busiest times of the day.
The Branded Customer Experience
If you look at reviews about the Waffle House, the experiences are great as well as terrible.
Complaints are mostly about the poor cooking or the filthiness.
But also a lot of pros are mentioned: fast, inexpensive and friendly.
The big difference is where the establishments are placed, because every establishment attracts different kind of people. This requires a whole other way to serve.
We mentioned the Waffle House to local people. Some had never heard of the Waffle House before. Others knew this company, but didn’t know where to find it (we got a lot of wrong directions).
Positive reactions were:
A woman, who was working at the information desk at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, told us that her grandson loves to eat there. She doesn’t eat there herself, because she bakes her own waffles.
A taxi driver also mentioned he like the food of the Waffle House.
At the bus stop, a young man said he really likes eating breakfast at this company.
Some people, who want to visit the Waffle House, expect too much. That’s why we think there are bad reviews; they are disappointed. But if you don’t expect that much, you can’t be disappointed.
We also went to the Waffle House. If we had to place a review, it would be 5 stars!
You can read our experiences at ‘Mystery Guest Research’.
Complaints are mostly about the poor cooking or the filthiness.
But also a lot of pros are mentioned: fast, inexpensive and friendly.
The big difference is where the establishments are placed, because every establishment attracts different kind of people. This requires a whole other way to serve.
We mentioned the Waffle House to local people. Some had never heard of the Waffle House before. Others knew this company, but didn’t know where to find it (we got a lot of wrong directions).
Positive reactions were:
A woman, who was working at the information desk at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, told us that her grandson loves to eat there. She doesn’t eat there herself, because she bakes her own waffles.
A taxi driver also mentioned he like the food of the Waffle House.
At the bus stop, a young man said he really likes eating breakfast at this company.
Some people, who want to visit the Waffle House, expect too much. That’s why we think there are bad reviews; they are disappointed. But if you don’t expect that much, you can’t be disappointed.
We also went to the Waffle House. If we had to place a review, it would be 5 stars!
You can read our experiences at ‘Mystery Guest Research’.
The marketing mix: 5 P's
The 5P’s stands for Place, Promotion, Product, Price and Personnel. Beneath we’ll explain the marketing mix of Waffle House.
Place
The Waffle House is established in the east and south east of the United States. They are also settled in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. We don’t know for sure why they aren’t established in the northern states. For California it was really expensive to open a restaurant in this state. Waffle House is very popular in the southern states.
Promotion
Waffle House doesn’t spend much about promotion. The best promotion for them is word-of-mouth. Customers are mostly very positive about Waffle House and they let others know. Social Media like Twitter and Facebook is a different kind of promotion they use. At the social media sites people can respond and give reviews about the company. Waffle House itself posts the latest news about the company and their merchandise. Now and then they advertise with flyers.
Product
The Waffle House serves waffles, why they have chosen waffles is a mystery. Next to waffles they also serve other food like hash browns, eggs, sandwiches, burgers, salads. For almost everything you can chose your own toppings. Waffle House has a famous iced tea drink named Alice’s Iced Tea. It is very different than regular iced tea that others serve. Waffle House is open 24/7 and all food and drinks are available at any time of the day.
Price
The prices are low. All meals are available below $10. The linking between the price and product is very good, because the quality and quantity you’ll get for such a low price. The prices can deviate between different waffle house restaurants but it always has a low price. In our experience there was a menu called ‘the $5 menu’, everything on that menu costs only $5.
Personnel
The personnel of Waffle House are one of the key points of the company. They are known as very friendly and helpful. For example they greet you and they are very patient and fast when needed. Employees are interested in you as a customer; they make a little conversation with you. The best thing they do is create an atmosphere like home, a place you’ll return to.
Place
The Waffle House is established in the east and south east of the United States. They are also settled in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. We don’t know for sure why they aren’t established in the northern states. For California it was really expensive to open a restaurant in this state. Waffle House is very popular in the southern states.
Promotion
Waffle House doesn’t spend much about promotion. The best promotion for them is word-of-mouth. Customers are mostly very positive about Waffle House and they let others know. Social Media like Twitter and Facebook is a different kind of promotion they use. At the social media sites people can respond and give reviews about the company. Waffle House itself posts the latest news about the company and their merchandise. Now and then they advertise with flyers.
Product
The Waffle House serves waffles, why they have chosen waffles is a mystery. Next to waffles they also serve other food like hash browns, eggs, sandwiches, burgers, salads. For almost everything you can chose your own toppings. Waffle House has a famous iced tea drink named Alice’s Iced Tea. It is very different than regular iced tea that others serve. Waffle House is open 24/7 and all food and drinks are available at any time of the day.
Price
The prices are low. All meals are available below $10. The linking between the price and product is very good, because the quality and quantity you’ll get for such a low price. The prices can deviate between different waffle house restaurants but it always has a low price. In our experience there was a menu called ‘the $5 menu’, everything on that menu costs only $5.
Personnel
The personnel of Waffle House are one of the key points of the company. They are known as very friendly and helpful. For example they greet you and they are very patient and fast when needed. Employees are interested in you as a customer; they make a little conversation with you. The best thing they do is create an atmosphere like home, a place you’ll return to.
The concept
To describe the concept of Waffle House we use the ‘holy triangle’. The concept is divided in location, target group and formula.
Location
The Waffle House we visited (2189 East University Drive, Tempe, AZ) is located next to a freeway. Therefore it is easy to reach by car or bus. The parking spaces are limited.
Target group
There is not a specific target group. As far as we know most of the time the customers are travelers, students and families. This depends on the part of the day. For example students mostly come at night after going out.
Formula
‘Good food fast & friendly’; that’s the slogan of Waffle House. This slogan means that people, who want to eat something nice in a short time, still can eat in a restaurant atmosphere where the employees are customer friendly.
The Waffle House is a formula oriented concept.
Location
The Waffle House we visited (2189 East University Drive, Tempe, AZ) is located next to a freeway. Therefore it is easy to reach by car or bus. The parking spaces are limited.
Target group
There is not a specific target group. As far as we know most of the time the customers are travelers, students and families. This depends on the part of the day. For example students mostly come at night after going out.
Formula
‘Good food fast & friendly’; that’s the slogan of Waffle House. This slogan means that people, who want to eat something nice in a short time, still can eat in a restaurant atmosphere where the employees are customer friendly.
The Waffle House is a formula oriented concept.
History of the Waffle House
The idea of starting a business began when the neighbors Joe Rogers and Tom Forkner wanted to create a restaurant focused on customers while serving quality food at great value.
The first Waffle House restaurant opened his doors on Labor Day 1955 in Avondale Estates, Georgia.
They had no plans to expand, but when the first Waffle House became popular by providing the friendliest service in town, the company grew steadily. Six years later, there already were 4 small restaurants in the same state. In the following years the company grew in both existing and new markets. Now more than 50 years later, the Southern icon has become a unique American phenomenon by serving GOOD FOOD FAST.
A short Waffle House timeline:
1955: Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner opened the first Waffle House restaurant in Avondale, GA.
1960’s: Waffle House Inc. opened 44 new restaurants, which brings the total to 48.
1980’s: New food such as Bert’s Chili™, Lib's Patty Melt™ and hashbrowns "Scattered, Smothered and Covered®" were edited on the menu.
1990’s: Walt's Soup™ was added to the menu. In the 90’s was the biggest growth of the company, with 1228 restaurants by the end of the decade.
2005: 50th anniversary. They also held the first World Waffle- Eating Championships.
2006: There are already 1500 restaurants in 25 states. Introducing of credit card payment. Till 2006 it was primarily cash-based system.
2008: A Waffle House museum was opened in Avondale, were it all began.
Fun facts of the Waffle House:
Since 1955, WAFFLE HOUSE Inc. has served:
495,264,367 Waffles
957,041,599 Cups of Coffee
204,164,660 Omelettes
Waffle House Inc. serves PER MINUTE:
159 Waffles
136 Cups of Coffee
There are scenes shot at the Waffle House for the movie Crossroads and the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, which shows that the Waffle House has become a familiar icon in the South.
The first Waffle House restaurant opened his doors on Labor Day 1955 in Avondale Estates, Georgia.
They had no plans to expand, but when the first Waffle House became popular by providing the friendliest service in town, the company grew steadily. Six years later, there already were 4 small restaurants in the same state. In the following years the company grew in both existing and new markets. Now more than 50 years later, the Southern icon has become a unique American phenomenon by serving GOOD FOOD FAST.
A short Waffle House timeline:
1955: Joe Rogers Sr. and Tom Forkner opened the first Waffle House restaurant in Avondale, GA.
1960’s: Waffle House Inc. opened 44 new restaurants, which brings the total to 48.
1980’s: New food such as Bert’s Chili™, Lib's Patty Melt™ and hashbrowns "Scattered, Smothered and Covered®" were edited on the menu.
1990’s: Walt's Soup™ was added to the menu. In the 90’s was the biggest growth of the company, with 1228 restaurants by the end of the decade.
2005: 50th anniversary. They also held the first World Waffle- Eating Championships.
2006: There are already 1500 restaurants in 25 states. Introducing of credit card payment. Till 2006 it was primarily cash-based system.
2008: A Waffle House museum was opened in Avondale, were it all began.
Fun facts of the Waffle House:
Since 1955, WAFFLE HOUSE Inc. has served:
495,264,367 Waffles
957,041,599 Cups of Coffee
204,164,660 Omelettes
Waffle House Inc. serves PER MINUTE:
159 Waffles
136 Cups of Coffee
There are scenes shot at the Waffle House for the movie Crossroads and the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, which shows that the Waffle House has become a familiar icon in the South.
vrijdag 30 juli 2010
Mystery Guest Research
At Thursday July 29th we did a mystery guest research at the Waffle House in Tempe. We tested the quality of the food, service and the prices.
On our way to the Waffle House we searched for promotional activities on the side of the road. We couldn't find anything. When we arrived we noticed the big yellow logo at the outside of the building. The building itself looked simple and maintained with red canopies. We didn't see menus at the outside, except some offers. The location is easy to reach by bus, but it isn't really well-known amongst the locals. Parking spaces are limited.
The first impression of the inside was simple and looked like a typical American diner (red cushions for the sofas and chairs; they also have a jukebox). There's no extra decoration present. The menu is already placed on the tables and at the same time it is served as a place mat. There were clear pictures of the food on it and they were large. They have an open kitchen and it looked pretty clean.
The people who were eating at the Waffle House were mostly families and youth.
We were immediately greeted by employees. Their uniforms are all the same: black aprons and caps with the logo on it. They were wearing gloves when they prepared the food. The service was very fast and the personnel was very friendly. They started a conversation and even made some little jokes. When we asked for new cutlery, we got it right away. When serving a waffle, a employee asked if it wasn't to dark and also the butter came aside. They were cleaning regularly. The farewell was very friendly.
The quality of the products was good. The quantity was maybe not as much as Americans are used to. For us it was perfect! The price-quality ratio is good to perfect. The serving of the food was not that special and looked simple. The cutlery was clean but there were some fluffs on it.
Some other things we noticed, were: there were house rules and some certificates hanging on the wall.
On our way to the Waffle House we searched for promotional activities on the side of the road. We couldn't find anything. When we arrived we noticed the big yellow logo at the outside of the building. The building itself looked simple and maintained with red canopies. We didn't see menus at the outside, except some offers. The location is easy to reach by bus, but it isn't really well-known amongst the locals. Parking spaces are limited.
The first impression of the inside was simple and looked like a typical American diner (red cushions for the sofas and chairs; they also have a jukebox). There's no extra decoration present. The menu is already placed on the tables and at the same time it is served as a place mat. There were clear pictures of the food on it and they were large. They have an open kitchen and it looked pretty clean.
The people who were eating at the Waffle House were mostly families and youth.
We were immediately greeted by employees. Their uniforms are all the same: black aprons and caps with the logo on it. They were wearing gloves when they prepared the food. The service was very fast and the personnel was very friendly. They started a conversation and even made some little jokes. When we asked for new cutlery, we got it right away. When serving a waffle, a employee asked if it wasn't to dark and also the butter came aside. They were cleaning regularly. The farewell was very friendly.
The quality of the products was good. The quantity was maybe not as much as Americans are used to. For us it was perfect! The price-quality ratio is good to perfect. The serving of the food was not that special and looked simple. The cutlery was clean but there were some fluffs on it.
Some other things we noticed, were: there were house rules and some certificates hanging on the wall.
dinsdag 27 juli 2010
Research Proposal
We want to know more about the history of Waffle House, about the concept, about the marketing mix and most important about the branded customer experience.
We will be analyzing this by using desk research and field research.
Desk research:
- The official website of Waffle House for information about the history & mission, fun facts, customer experiences and different locations;
- Review websites;
- Forums;
- Which keywords on search engines make that customers will see Waffle House first? (promotion/place);
Field research:
- Mystery Guest research by ourselves (we check the quality of the service, food and the prices);
- Interviews with the manager, customers and employees after getting permission to do this (if possible);
- Searching for promotional activities in and around Tempe and the media.
Before we will do the mystery guest research and the interviews, we will make up questionnaires. This will make it easier for us. During the interviews, one of us will ask the questions and another member of our group will write the answers down.
The theories we will be using, are: the holy triangle (target group, location, formula) from Inbev and the marketing mix (product, location, promotion, employees and price).
Introduction
Hey!
We are group one and would like to introduce ourselves and our subject.
Tamara Pleiter and Jelle Verhoeven are both upcoming 2nd year students Tourism Management (Dutch). Tamara is 20 years old and lives in Breda. Jelle is 17 years old and lives in Oisterwijk.
Sanne van Pinxteren and Evelien van Raan are upcoming 4th year students Function-oriented Bachelor Tourism and Recreation (Dutch). Sanne is 22 years old and lives in Rosmalen. Evelien is 23 years and lives in Oosterhout (NB).
We're now participating in a Summer Course of NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, which takes place in the state of Arizona, USA. Here we shall fullfill a assignment called 'Branded Customer Experience'.
The company we chose for this assignment is 'Waffle House'. In the Netherlands waffles are only sold at stalls (on fairs) and at supermarkets. They can hardly be found in restaurants. We think the Dutch like waffles very much, so it could be very successfull in the Dutch market.
We are group one and would like to introduce ourselves and our subject.
Tamara Pleiter and Jelle Verhoeven are both upcoming 2nd year students Tourism Management (Dutch). Tamara is 20 years old and lives in Breda. Jelle is 17 years old and lives in Oisterwijk.Sanne van Pinxteren and Evelien van Raan are upcoming 4th year students Function-oriented Bachelor Tourism and Recreation (Dutch). Sanne is 22 years old and lives in Rosmalen. Evelien is 23 years and lives in Oosterhout (NB).
We're now participating in a Summer Course of NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, which takes place in the state of Arizona, USA. Here we shall fullfill a assignment called 'Branded Customer Experience'.
The company we chose for this assignment is 'Waffle House'. In the Netherlands waffles are only sold at stalls (on fairs) and at supermarkets. They can hardly be found in restaurants. We think the Dutch like waffles very much, so it could be very successfull in the Dutch market.
vrijdag 23 juli 2010
Group 1 has chosen for...
...the Waffle House!
Evelien, Sanne, Tamara and Jelle take part in group one!
Our introduction will follow a.s.a.p.!
See ya!
Group One
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