Analysis and prediction of customer behaviors for restaurant management

Abstract

An important task for restaurant managers is the prediction of customer behaviors. A restaurant manager must predict the number of customers coming in several days in advance and prepare foods based on the estimated sales quantities of their products. Based on those estimations, the manager’s most important job is purchasing foods and ingredients and preparing for the necessary staff members in advance. However, the job is not always easy for several reasons. An important task for restaurant managers is the prediction of customer behaviors. A restaurant manager must predict the number of customers coming in several days in advance and prepare foods based on the estimated sales quantities of their products. Based on those estimations, the manager’s most important job is purchasing foods and ingredients and preparing for the necessary staff members in advance. However, the job is not always easy for several reasons. This chapter discusses the problem structure of restaurant management related to customer behaviors. Then it presents some research examples for demand forecasting and menu design through analysis of customer behaviors using big data. Moreover, it describes the customer satisfaction mechanism based on survey data and presents discussion of how service productivity can be enhanced based on customer behavior characteristics.