Blog 16: Answer 2

1) What is your EQ?

          "What factor most influences a customer in returning to a Thai restaurant?"

2) What is your first answer?

         Making customers feel at home is one of the factors that influences a customer in returning to a Thai restaurant. The customers are essential to making your restaurant business move forward. There are five ways to help customers feel at home in your restaurant, such as greeting and welcoming them, being constant with your food, having a reasonable price, creating a good environment, and meeting sanitary standards. All of these elements play a role in making the customer feel comfortable to dine in at your restaurant.

3) What is your second answer?

          My second answer to my essential question is you should have passion for and be responsible to the restaurant industry. These two things will always go together. Passion is falling in love in what you do. It's important to follow your own heart. Passion is also the willingness to improve your working habits. Customers can often feel how much effort an employee puts into their job. If the employees don't want to work or serve, how will they provide satisfactory service. Only passion isn't enough. That's where responsibility comes into play. A restaurant owner must have focus and be on top of his responsibilities. Passion is a motivation but responsibility is concentration.

4) List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

• When I was working on my first component, I learned that passion in baking kept me inspired to do better all the time. Sometimes, I would cry and almost give up in creating Thai Tea cupcakes but responsibility helped me to complete my work.
• I have been observing and helping in a Thai restaurant for about three and a half years. I was willing to do anything that they needed me to do because I wanted to learn everything. I didn't mind going to work every day of the week. I even wash dishes in the restaurant as well.
• Being responsible can be about updating the inventory, being organized, and being flexible. 

5) What printed source best supports your answer?

          My best resource is DiFillippo, Steve. "Chapter 1: Passion." It's All about the Guest: Exceeding Expectations in Business and in Life, the Davio's Way. 10th ed. United State: Copyright, 2013. 1-20. Print.

6) What other source supports your answer?

• DiFillippo, Steve. "Chapter 2: Set The Tone." It's All about the Guest: Exceeding Expectations in Business and in Life, the Davio's Way. 10th ed. United State: Copyright, 2013. 21-37. Print.
• Bourdain, Anthony. "Chapter 2: Food Is Sex" Kitchen Confidential. 1st ed. New York: Bloomsbury, 2000. 19-24. Print.
• Fickenscher, Lisa. "Thai Town Grows on Ninth Avenue." Crain's New York Business, 25.34 (2009): 1.
• Rowe, Megan. "Restaurant GM Inspires Passion for Excellence." Restaurant Hospitality, (2013): .
• Sanson, Michael. "Strategic Moves, Passion Build Strong Restaurants." Restaurant Hospitality, (2014): .

7) Tie this together with a concluding thought.

          Most restaurant owners understand how to move their own business forward but sometimes they do not realize that "Passion" can play an important role in inspiring them to move in a positive direction for their own career.  If you have passion but don't take action, your dream will not go any where. That's why passion and responsibility always go along together.