The meeting aspect and the physical setting: are they important for the guest experience?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe some aspects of the restaurant experience with a service and hospitality perspective. These are illustrated by means of a case, which describes how a restaurant employee / host acts and interacts with guests. The case shows an unusual situation in a restaurant context because the host joined the guests at the table, had lunch with them and also joined in the conversation. At the same time, he also managed the service. This case shows that there are many different ways to design and develop a meal experience. The importance of the physical setting and the social interactions within the guest experience is examined. One of the most important questions is how the guests could be involved in an exciting way and whether one aspect is more important than another. In the case described, the most important aspect for the guests was the social interaction; the physical setting seemed less important and less perceptible for the guests. This is interesting because many new restaurant settings are designed with a strong focus on the physical environment, but is the aspect of the social interaction concerned in restaurant experience design?