All Sense Impressions Influence the Experience of a Meal 

12/07/07 Research carried out by associate professor Kai Victor Hansen at the University of Stavanger, Norway shows that dirty menus and waiting for the check may harm the enjoyment.

For several years now Hansen has been researching what factors influence our experience when we have a meal in a restaurant. The main conclusion is that a meal is a complex phenomenon.

Hansen's research model consists of five factors which together influence the customer's experience. The first is the product, the taste of food and drink. Secondly the look of the premises, like furniture, decorations, lamps and napkins play a role.

And of course Hansen found service to be of great importance for the enjoyment of the meal.

But what surprised the UiS researcher was the importance of the situation when the customer wants to pay.

- Many guests find that they have to wait a long time before they get the bill settled which is detrimental to the experience because the meal ends in annoyance, says Hansen, who is a member of faculty at the Norwegian School of Hotel Management – Department of Business Administration.

Hansen explains that the encounters between the members of the staff and the staff and the guests influence also influence our experience.

- In some restaurants the waiters are responsible for certain tables. But the guests don't always notice this and may find the service bad if a waiter doesn't want to assist the guests at a table that doesn't belong to him, he says.

The company of guests and the atmosphere are the last two factors in Hansen's model. While restaurants have little influence on who we associate with, the staff can contribute to creating a good atmosphere, Hansen claims.

Kai Victor Hansen wants the restaurant staff to realize that a meal is a comprehensive experience for the customers. Even if the kitchen should make a mistake with the food, the meal can be a good experience if the staff provide good service and correct the mistake.