Evaluating lean service principles in restaurants: a data-driven approach with fuzzy logic

Abstract

Customers' perceptions of a restaurant and their overall satisfaction level can be significantly improved by investing in and improving its physical environment. Applying Lean Service Principles in restaurants enables the identification of areas for enhancement and proposes solutions to achieve exceptional outcomes efficiently, using minimal time and resources. Restaurant management needs more information about customers' preferences to overcome existing weaknesses. The research aims to improve a restaurant's service quality using fuzzy logic by examining the data attributes provided within a service quality leanness assessment. Ten physical environment data attributes were collected from data attributes within a leanness assessment of quality service for use in this study. Recognizing the weaker attributes would assist restaurant management in improving the physical environment of their restaurant so that they could capture more customers in the future and positively impact loyal customers. The result shows three attributes with the lowest ranking scores: the visually appealing dining area, the restaurant's décor typical of its image and price range and the easily readable menu. The study revealed that parking lots with visually appealing features and well-functioning parking management systems obtained a maximum score. In response, the restaurant must take the appropriate actions to improve them. Based on the findings of this study, evaluating a restaurant's physical attributes may enhance customer happiness. The restaurant management would only be able to resolve the current challenges faced by their company with access to the findings of this survey, as they would need an in-depth knowledge of their consumers' preferences.