TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page No.

- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

- TABLE OF CONTENTS

ONE - INTRODUCTION 1-3

TWO - STRATEGIC BUSINESS UNIT 4-5

THREE - PROBLEMS 6-7

FOUR - AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH 8

FIVE - MAKING OF MARKETING STRATEGY 9

SIX - IMPROVING MARKETING STRATEGU 10-16

SEVEN - COMPARING WITH THE COMPETITORS 17-27

EIGHT - ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION 28-29

NINE - BUSINESS CANVAS MODEL 30-32

TEN - CONCLUSION I AND II 33-34

- RESUME 35-38

- APPENDIX 39-43

1

ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates is a country located in the south east end of the Arabian

Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, Bordering Oman to the east and Saudi Arabia to the

south, as well as sharing sea borders with Qatar and Iran. In 2013, the UAE’s total

population was 9.2 million, of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizen and 7.8 million

are expatriates.

This federation consists of 7 countries. The countries are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai,

and Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. Each of the countries

has their kings which look after the working of the country. In between those kings

one is been elected as the president of the United Arab Emirates.

Islam is the official religion of UAE and Arabic is the official language, second

language used is English.

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United Arab Emirates is also well known for its oil reserves. UAE generates around

half of the profits from the oil reserves. UAE is one of the best in terms of hospitality

in the world. There are lot of Hotels and tourism organization in UAE. It is also one

of capital for luxury after Paris and Milan.

Ras Al-Khaimah:

It is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Its name could

be taken to mean “top of the tent”. The Emirates is in the northern part of the UAE,

bordering Oman’s enclave of Musandam. It covers an area of 1684 square km. the

capital city and home of most resident is also called Ras Al Khaimah. The emirate

had a population of 210,063 t 2005 census, of which 41.82 percent were Emirati

citizens.

The city consists of two min sections, Old Ras Al khaimah and Nakheel, other side is

the creek. The country has an international airport. This country also has some few

small islands on the northern part. Ras Al Khaimah has the most fertile soil in the

country, due to a larger share in rainfall and underground water streams from Omani

mountains.

It has a desert climate which is very hot and with mild winter. The average

temperature is 18 to 25 degree Celsius at night and 45 to 50 degrees during the day.

Not being a producer of oil, it has focused on developing its industrial sector as well

as the hospitality sector. Tourism and sports are also one of the best industries

famous in the country.

Tourism in the country is becoming a new destination on tourist maps. It is home to

five star hotels and beach resorts including Hilton hotels and resorts, Rotana or

banyan tree. It has a number of 4 and 3 stars accommodations. In September 2010,

the first water park Ice Land was opened to offer leisure opportunity for both

residents and visitors and more new tourism projects and under construction.

3

Introduction to the Brand:

It all started in 1919, when Conrad Hilton bought his first hotel. Since then, we’ve

led the industry with our innovative approach to products, amenities and service.

Today, Hilton Hotels & Resorts stands as the stylish, forward thinking global leader

of hospitality. Take a look at some of our most important, guest-focused firsts along

the way.

1.2 Introduction to the Hotel

Set in a charming beach-front location, and only 50 minutes form Dubai, the

luxurious Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah is ideal for leisure getaways. The multi-

award winning resort offers palatial rooms, stylish dining and an 18-hole golf course.

Surrounded by desert, mountains and sea, Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah promises

adventure and relaxation – a true all-in-one. The resort boasts an extensive size and

includes:

18-hole golf course and a tennis court

350 meters of private white sand beach

Water-sport activities

Spa, fitness center and a Kids Club

10 restaurants

Four meeting rooms, a boardroom and the adjacent Convention Center

This grand palace features 346 guest rooms and suites, all with Wi-Fi and HD plasma

TVs. Meal time is bliss at our hotel with intricate sushi plates, juicy steaks and an

array of Middle Eastern dishes. After sundown, 17Squared and Cigar Bar are the go-

to places for one of the best cocktails in the area.

Enjoy attentive service synonymous with Waldorf Astoria, and for a more personal

touch select our private Concierge service.

Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah is a 2015 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence

Award recipient.

4

TWO

STRATEGIC BUSINESS UNIT

What is a Strategic Business Unit?

In a business, a strategic business unit (SBU) is a profit center which focuses on

product offering and market segment. SBUs typically have a discrete marketing plan,

analysis of competition, and marketing campaign, even though they may be part of a

larger business entity.

An SBU may be a business unit within a larger corporation, or it may be a business

into itself or a branch. Corporations may be composed of multiple SBUs, each of

which is responsible of profitability.

It can also be defined as a relatively autonomous division of a large company that

operates as an independent enterprise with responsibility for a particular range of

products or activities.

In this research project I have been studying on one of the strategic business unit of

the hotel where I have worked. In Waldorf Astoria Ras al Khaimah there were a lot

of strategic business units like accommodation, sports activities, events etc. but the

most important SBU which played a very important part in the share of profitability

of the hotel were the restaurants.

Restaurants:

In Waldorf Astoria Ras al khaimah there are 10 restaurants which serves the guest

different kind of cuisines with a special kind of service. Marjan(Arabic cuisine), Qasr

al Bahr(buffet), UMI(Japanese), Azur(pool bar), Camelia(tea and dessert), Peacock

alley(the heart of the hotel) and Lexington Grill (American steak restaurant).

Lexington Grill:

With its theme taken from extravagant US steak houses and the famed street in New

York, this ground floor bespoke dining room is a refined eatery offering a delicious,

unassuming menu of celestial steaks and the freshest seafood flown in from around

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The world. Chef Lij heads up the team in the kitchen, showcasing his unique air-

dried beef cuts which cannot be found elsewhere in the Middle East. With an elegant

art-clad modern-style steak house restaurant and a selection of private dining rooms

and glorious open-air spaces, the atmosphere and food combination will leave taste

buds tingling. The restaurant houses over 350 labels of wine in its temperature-

controlled cellar. The extensive wine list is introduced by the experienced sommelier.

Why Lexington Grill as a subject for Research?

Lexington Grill is one of the well-known restaurants in the hotel. Lexington Grill has

been contributing a good share of profits to the hotel in the Restaurant division of

SBU. Lexington grill has been one of the top restaurants in Ras al Khaimah and

United Arab Emirates.

Lexington grill has been working hard on their purpose of satisfying the guest needs

as well as giving a first class five star luxury service to the guests. The staff are

highly professionals in their work. The ambience also plays a very important role in

making this restaurant successful than others. The quite, silent ambience helps the

guests to enjoy their dinner with a beautiful environment.

Lexington Grill bar that is also called as the bourbon bar also contributes a lot in the

daily operation of the restaurant.

The restaurant has been doing its best but lacks in terms of marketing and sales.

Being one of the number ones is not enough. The turnover and sales are going down

each month. The restaurant only gets good sales on few weekends and on high

seasons.

During my tenure I studied each and every thing about this restaurant, I carried on

with the market analysis, went through each channel of distribution, the key

resources and I came to a conclusion that this restaurant needs to have a better

marketing strategy which can help the restaurant to not only concentrate on service

but on marketing and getting more guests as well.

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THREE

PROBLEMS

High Sales only in on seasons. Hotel only has a high season once in a year

from the month of September to January. After the on season the hotel does

not get more than 25% occupancy. In this period of time Lexington Grill does

not get more guests and the turn over falls down.

Focusing only on service and quality. The restaurant is only focusing on

service and quality but what about marketing the restaurant. The restaurant

should use these plus points to promote itself in the market.

No proper marketing strategy. The team of the restaurant does not have any

marketing strategy. Due to this the restaurant has no idea where it’s standing

in the market and where it can improve.

Few distribution channels. Channels like Trip Advisor and Facebook are the

only two distribution and marketing channels for this restaurants. More than

half of the members of this restaurant in this group are the staff members or

the managers of the hotel and not the guests.

Day by day decrease in number of guests. No proper marketing, no proper

promotion, no proper strategy will anyhow directly affect the turnover of the

guests coming to the restaurant and the sales.

Does not know where to go and where it stands in the market. As it has no

proper strategy the team does not know and work on analyzing the market.

No idea of competition in the market. With only concentrating on the needs

of guests, the restaurant does not have any idea of competition.

Target segments are not fixed. The team focuses more only on VIP guests

and couples. What about other?

Turnover is not used properly. The profits from the restaurant are not used

properly for the operation and marketing of the restaurant.

Events are a flop. Restaurant only hosts one event in a year that is jazz night.

This event does not get enough guests and the sales are not high.

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Depends and only focuses on the guests who are staying in the hotel. No

proper marketing and promotion. Makes it an obligation for the restaurant to

depend on the guests of the hotel.

Lacks in advertising and promotion.

8

FOUR

AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH

First objective of the research would be to create a proper marketing strategy

for the restaurant.

To create a flow of plan. Starting from analysis to evaluation.

How to use the tools of marketing to improve the turnover.

Using marketing analysis.

Knowing the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities and threats for the

restaurant.

Evaluating the strategy.

The aim is to know where the hotel stands in the market.

To get more turn over and profits.

To be on the top of the best restaurant list in United Arab Emirates.

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FIVE

STEPS TO IMPROVE THE MARKETING STRATEGY

Evaluation

Bus iness canvas Model

Implementing

Advertising and promotion

Mission Media Measurement

Market analysis

SWOT Target SegmentsBoston Consulting

Group MatrixMarketing Mix 7 p's

Comparing with competitors

Porter's Five forces Matrix Porter's radar

Present positioning and environment

PESTEL Mapping market segments

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SIX

IMPROVING THE MARKETING

STRATEGY

Present Positioning and Environment

The first step in improving the marketing strategy would be to see the present

positioning and the situation of the restaurant in the market.

The Micro and macro environment factors will help to know more about the

environment.

The factors which will help us study more about the market position would be as

follows:

PESTELI

A PESTELI analysis is a framework or tool used by marketers to analyze and

monitor the macro-environmental (external marketing environment) factors that have

an impact on an organization. The result of which is used to identify threats and

weaknesses which is used in a SWOT analysis.

Let’s see the PESTELI for Ras Al khaimah,

POLITICAL FACTORS

All the political matters are handled by the King of Ras al Khaimah.

He supports the Hotels for the development of Ras al Khaimah.

Tourism, sports activities are all supported by the politicians of Ras Al

Khaimah.

Waldorf Astoria itself was kings palace few years back which was been

renovated and was been gifted by the king to Hilton Organization.

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ECONOMICAL FACTOR

Ras Al Khaimah is a vivid example of the successful economic model which

develops actively owing to the industrial sector, tourism and various direct

investments.

Not being a producer of oil, Ras al-Khaimah has focused on developing its

industrial sector. As of 1920, Ras al-Khaimah was mining iron ore.

Significant growth in new business licenses issued

A number of new infrastructure projects

Large choice of commercial and residential properties at affordable prices

Enormous growth of GDP

Exports/ Imports growth

A number of different businesses form very different countries being attracted

to the Emirate

Stable and clear legal framework for business and investments

SOCIAL FACTOR

The majority of mosques are Hanbali, Muwahhid Muslim or Salafi oriented.

Expatriates make up at least 80% of Dubai's population, and consist mainly of

Indians, Pakistanis and Filipinos, who take the emirate's low wage jobs. The

government is attempting to address this imbalance through "Emiratisation"

(replacing expatriates with local employees), but most native graduates prefer

well-paid work in the public sector. Expatriates from rich Western countries,

along with Iranians and Lebanese, are employed mainly in white-collar

capacities, and middle class Indians are increasingly influential.

Muslims make up about half the population, comprising UAE nationals

(mostly Sunni); expat Arabs and Pakistanis (also Sunnis), and expat Iranians

(Shi'ia). Most Indian expats are Hindu or Catholic.

The working population is between the ages of 18-50. More than 80% of the

population in the country is working.

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TECHONOLOGICAL FACTOR

RAK has seen lot of technological improvement in these 10 years.

The UAE region is composed of a large population of very young professionals

who are extremely technologically-knowledgeable. The IT industry relates to

the tourism, hotel, computer and IT service sectors. The number of Internet

users in the GCC region has increased ten-fold since 1998. The Internet and IT

software solutions industries in the Gulf region have doubled the rate of

Europe.

As it is on the sea shore there is are main ports in this country which helps it

strong in terms of fishing and export. For porting there is also manufacturing of

ships done. Yatch, jet ski, ships are manufactured in these companies.

The metro like in Dubai is also going to be launched in RAK in next few years.

Within Ras al-Khaimah city, the main mode of transport are metered taxis,

with public buses operating on long-haul routes and catering mainly to smaller

towns (e.g. Sha`am, Ar-Rams, and Al Jazirah Al Hamra). A cheap local bus

service in Ras al-Khaimah city was due to be launched by 15 June 2010 to ease

transport for low-income-earners.

The Emirates Road (E311 Highway) traverses the emirates of Umm Al

Quwain, Ajman (for 60 km (37 mi) of its length) and Sharjah (for 71 km

(44 mi) of its length) to finally end up in Dubai (for 87 km (54 mi) of its

length).

On 17 February 2006, Space Adventures announced its plans to develop a $265

million commercial spaceport in Ras al-Khaimah for space tourism.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR-

RAK is well known for its beautiful beaches.

Hot climate like Dubai makes it more famous for the sports activities it offers.

The calm and quite environment of this country is attracting more and more

investors.

There are lot of manufacturing companies, industries, Hotels and Ports.

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RAK is surrounded by dessert and one can normally enjoy the yellow sand and

the cool breeze of sea.

LEGAL FACTOR

No corporate taxation.

Possibility of the foreign ownership.

No restrictions on the transfer of the investments and profits out of the

jurisdiction.

No minimum threshold for the share capital of the registered company.

Stable and reliable legal base that ensures the protection of the investment

assets and private property.

Availability of the preferential access to the markets of the Persian Gulf

countries and no requirement for the legalization of the corporate documents.

MAPPING In this step looking at the geography of the country will help us to understand the

range of current marketing done by the restaurant.

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You can find lot of Hotels in Ras al Khaimah. The restaurant here is only

concentrating on marketing itself within the boundaries shown in the map above.

There are other competitors in the market who are doing much better marketing in

Ras al Khimah as well as in other countries of United Arab Emirates. The population

of Ras al Khaimah is less but they can be attracted by proper marketing. Due to lack

in quality of marketing only few localities are attracted who stay within this

boundary. The localities staying in other countries have no idea about this restaurant

as well as what they are serving to the guests. By expanding its area for marketing

this restaurant can get guests from different countries of UAE. As per the past

behavior of the localities, if they like what the restaurant is serving them they will

become a loyal customer and will be visiting the restaurant and hotel very often. The

restaurant only markets itself under the name of the hotel. The other qualities of the

restaurant are not marketed by the Hotel hence this act does not help to attract more

guests and here the restaurant loses money as well as sales.

MARKET SEGMENTATION

As per the current location of Waldorf Astoria and Lexington grill there are some

market segmentation explained below:

Geographic:

It is located in the south part of Ras al Khaimah. The main geographic advantage

here for this restaurant is that it is situated in the lobby of the restaurant facing the

beautiful view of the beach. It is located right in front of the main pool bar of the

Hotel which helps the guests to have a nice view of both the beach as well as the

pool. On enjoy the beauty of sunset. Dates trees all over the beach is an added value

to the hotel. Hot climate, warm water and cool shade of the tree makes it the best

place to relax and enjoy.

Advantage of focusing on geographic segments is more guests and sales. The guests

would like to enjoy the service as well as the outer beauty of the Restaurant. This can

help to create a good experience for the guests and can give us good business.

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Marketing more the quality and location of the restaurant that is destination will

attract more guests.

Demographic:

People between the age group of 20-45years are found more in this country. Most of

them are businessmen and entrepreneurs. This is a male dominating country like the

other countries of UAE. Locals are all Arabic but we can find people from different

religion and caste staying in the main city of the country. The family size in this

country is huge and also joint families consisting of minimum 6-7 members. Most of

the people staying in this country are not that educated but are bilingual and can

converse in international language that is English which is widely used in UAE and

their native language Arabic.

Advantage of focusing on the demographic segments is customer retention and

loyalty. When the hotel spends more time focusing on the customer and their wants

and needs, the customer will typically come back for repeat business. In the

Restaurant business the customer will come back or recommend their family and

friends if they were satisfied with their experience.

Behavioral:

In this country we will find people having sense with wanting a value for money.

The people staying here are rich but they will only spend and enjoy when there is a

value for money. If the dish is good and it costs more they will pay and come to have

it very often. The spending power of the country people is high and they are used to

luxury. The families in this country go out to the restaurants at least once a week to

spend some time with their family and loved ones.

The advantage of focusing on this segment is to make groups and choose a target

segment and market the restaurant. This method can give a lot of sales and turnover

to the restaurant as well as it will be very easy to attract the guests in this segment by

marketing the value for money and quality of food and service.

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Psychographic:

There is lot of people in this country with different psychology. There are people

who prefer more luxury, people who love food, people who love good service, and

people who have a value for money. The religion and the culture of the locals can

also be kept in mind while studying this segment of the market. Keeping in mind

these points there can be a marketing strategy planned.

Here we can break down the market along these interest and attitudes so that we can

market the restaurant in an appropriate manner to each segment of the market.

As per the research on this restaurant I think that it should focus more on

Demographic, Behavioral and psychological segment to market itself in a proper way

and to attract more guests. As it is one of the best in the service and quality of food it

can focus on attracting guests who have a value for money, who loves luxury and

target the guests as per their age groups and family size and behavior.

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SEVEN

COMPARING WITH THE COMPETITORS

In this second part of the plan we shall see the competitors in the market where they

stand and the other factors using Porter’s five force matrix and Porter’s radar.

Porter five forces analysis is a framework that attempts to analyze the level of

competition within an industry and business strategy development. It draws

upon industrial organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the

competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of an Industry.

COMPETITIVE RIVALRY:

In Ras al Khaimah there are lot of five stars and five star luxury hotels. Being the

best hotels also makes it an obligation for them to have a wonderful restaurant.

In this case we will be focusing more on the restaurants in the Ras al khaimah which

will help us know our competitors.

THREAT OF

POTENTIAL

ENTERANTS

COMPETITIVE

RIVALRY

BARGAINING

POWER OF

SUPPLIERS

BARGAINING

POWER OF

BUYERS

THREAT

OF

SUBSTITUTES

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THREAT OF POTENTIAL ENTERANTS:-

As per the research, new restaurants with a powerful strategy and marketing expense

can be a competition for Lexington Grill.

Meat Point. This restaurant is located in Hotel Rixos, Ras Al Khaimah. Few

meters away from Waldorf Astoria this restaurant also serves meat and is an

American steak house. The dishes served in this restaurant are also very similar

to that of Lexington Grill. At this time it stands the 3rd best restaurant in Ras al

Khaimah. The price offered to the guests is also very similar. It has also been

marked 5 on 5 on factors like ambience, food quality on TripAdvisor.

There are other restaurants like the Sho fee roof top restaurant (Double Tree

Marjan), Pura Vida (Hilton Ras Al Khaimah) which are new entrants in the

market but are getting lot of business because of what they are offering. The

marketing for these restaurants are also been done on a larger scale to have

business and to gain profits.

These kinds of new restaurants and their marketing strategy take away the

business from Lexington Grill.

The people staying in this country needs more than what they expect hence a

new restaurant near by Lexington Grill can also be a great competition.

To be sure if these entrants don’t change anything Lexington Grill has to plan a

good marketing strategy and have to keep a check on the quality of food served

and other factors.

THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES:

As being an American steak house there are lot of substitutes available in the market

which serves steaks and similar dishes and also offers similar kind of service in a

way cheaper way.

Restaurants like Hardees in Ras al Khaimah serve steaks and pizza.

Chilies which is one of the well-known fast food outlet in UAE also serves

steaks in different styles.

Steaks and similar dishes which are been served in Lexington grill can be a

substitute but if we take into account the behavior of the people staying in the

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country. Shisha bar which serves different kind of Kebabs are also a substitute

in the market for Lexington Grill.

Few of the banquets and pool bars can also be a substitute as they serve kebabs

(rolls in Arabic), different kind of grilled meat etc.

People who prefer steaks can would like to go for these kinds of dishes instead

of steaks as it is cheaper as well as it is a fast food which takes less time to get

ready.

BARGAINING POWER OF THE BUYERS:

Everything depends on the buyers in this case. It’s hard to know when the taste

and the trend of the buyers change will.

The dishes and the price also get affected if the bargaining power of the

customer changes.

People would love to eat steaks and grill a lot but with a cheaper price. These

days’ people do lot of research before visiting any restaurant. If they find that

there is a similar restaurant which is offering steaks and grill in a much cheaper

price, then they will be selecting the other restaurant.

Hence Lexington Grill has to be very focused on the price and the quality of

food. One mistake can land them into trouble.

Lexington Grill should be doing a time to time research on the market and the

prices which are been offered by the other firms and try to compete with them.

BARGAINING POWER OF THE SUPPLIERS:-

There are only few suppliers which supply Meat and meat products to Hilton

Hotels.

Waldorf Astoria being a part of Hilton group also gets delivered by the same

supplier.

The steaks are imported from Ireland and USA.

The steaks served in this restaurant are of 7th grade. There are total 9 grades of

steak available in this country. Hence Lexington Grill serves one of the best

steaks.

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It has to maintain a good relationship with the suppliers.

If the suppliers bargain more the restaurant has to agree with it. This will make

the restaurant spend money but still best grade of meats will still be delivered.

If Lexington Grill does not agree to the rise in price then this bargain will cause

a lot to the restaurant as well as the Hilton organization.

Hence here the market works on the bargaining power of the suppliers where

the buyer that is the restaurant has to agree to all the terms put up by the

suppliers.

PORTER’s RADAR:

In the above Porter Radar we can see that which factor is a threat to the Restaurant.

We have been given a scale from 2-10. 2 being the least threat and 10 being the

biggest threat to the restaurant.

According to the Porter’s Radar:

Suppliers-7.5

Buyers-8

Enterants-8.5

0

5

10suppliers

buyers

entrants

substitutescompetitors

environment

regulation

PORTER RADAR

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Substitutes-9.5

Compettitors-7

Environment and regulation-2

Hence per the porter’s radar and the porters five forces matrix we can see that the

biggest threat to the restaurant is the substitute and entrants.

Hence for this the restaurants has to work more on marketing and focus on New

entrants in the market and substitutes which can lead to loss of business.

MARKET ANALYSIS:

In this 3rd phase of the plan we are going to study the market environment and the

Restaurant and try to figure out what the restaurant can do to be the best in the

market.

STRENGTH WEAKNESS OPURTUNITIES AND THREATS (SWOT)

STRENGTHS WEAKNESS

Location can be a big strength. Sea

facing, greenery are a huge added

value to the restaurant.

The quality of food and service.

Ambience of the restaurant and the

bar serving the best bourbon

whiskey in the town.

Good image.

The technology and machinery

used in the restaurant.

Proven management.

Lack of staff.

Below average marketing skills.

Prices are higher than the other

restaurants.

Only few segments are targeted.

No clear strategic direction or

plan.

Plagued with internal operating

problems.

Poor track records.

Falling behind in research and

development.

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OPPURTUNITIES THREATS

Market consisting of different kind

of customer groups.

Faster market growth.

Less regulations and law.

Proper marketing can attract more

guests.

Likely entry of new entrants in the

market.

Threat of substitutes.

Growing competitive pressure.

Growing bargaining power of

buyers and suppliers.

TARGET SEGMENTS:

There are a lot of segments available in the country which can be focused more on

which will give the restaurant business.

Lexington Grill should be focusing on all the segments in the market.

Businessmen

Because of a quiet and silence ambience, most of the businessmen would love to talk

to their client in this kind of environment. Having a sip of wine with steaks would be

a great idea to fix in a deal with the client.

Young Adults

Citizens between the age group of 50-65 would love to enjoy the food quality with

the ambience and would also like to enjoy their privacy. Enjoying all these things

under one roof Restaurant Lexington Grill would be the best.

Couples

Lexington Grill will be a great place to celebrate any occasion like marriage

anniversary or birth anniversary. Privacy and great food will make their important

day very special.

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Families

Families in UAE are huge. They normally consist of at least 5-7 members each.

Focusing more on this segment will give good business to the restaurant.

BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP (BCG MATRIX)

Here in this case Lexington Grill would be a star in terms of quality and other

services. Proper amount of money is invested in the restaurant to look after the

quality hence it is one of the best in Ras Al Khaimah. The market growth is high and

market share is also high.

Here for this factor the management has to invest proper amount of capital to stay as

the star and one of the best in the market.

In terms of marketing Lexington grill is a question mark. Here it is a question mark

because restaurant has no idea where it is going in the market. As it is already on

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question mark a little bit more focus on the market and spending of capital can help

the restaurant to reach the star.

MARKETING MIX:

MONEY:

Budget constraints are everywhere in business, and nowhere are they more evident

than in small businesses. Advertising and marketing can sometimes be ignored

because they do not offer immediate results. However, in every business

environment, some resources must be allocated to building a brand and image.

Without this, the company will not continue to grow. Even during recessions,

marketing must be a priority to avoid losing market share. Having a suitable budget

is an important part of the process. Money can be a weakness in this case.

MACHINERY:

You’ve got to have the right tools for the job at hand. Tools need to be reliable,

durable, and flexible to provide the maximum efficiency for each process. The result

is a better finish, less processing, and increased cost efficiency. Lexington Grill has

MAN

MONEY

MACHINERY

MATERIAL

MARKET

25

one of the best machineries and tools to make the operation go smoothly hence I will

say that it is strength for the restaurant.

MATERIAL:

In the 5M’s of efficiency, materials play an important role in the 5M’s of efficiency,

often providing a multitude of benefits including:

Leaner material costs

Decreased processing time

Cleaner work pieces

More precise products

Not to overstate the obvious, but good materials make good products. Proper

selection of your materials from base material to tooling, to metalworking fluids, will

improve the quality of the work piece.

Sound material choices make effective products. You will prevent defective work

pieces; improve performance of the final product by selecting materials with the

proper strength, weight, and endurance. Eliminating Waste = Eliminating Expense.

Between wasted raw materials, worn-out tooling, and coating parts in contaminated,

oily coolant, traditional metalworking methods are far from efficient. Superior

tooling leads to better precision. Lean Manufacturing cannot be achieved with

inferior tooling. The quality, availability, flexibility of your tool assets relates

directly to how adaptive your business can be. Lexington Grill uses top quality of

materials like steak knives and plates but still there are some of them which are not

properly maintained hence the material factor goes down. Materials in this case will

be a weakness.

MAN:

As far as hospitality and restaurant, we should never eliminate the need for skilled

workers in this process. In fact, many restaurants are finding a shortage of highly-

skilled workers with enough experience to perform today’s complex work

conditions. In order to overcome this challenge, companies must focus on

maintaining the efficiency of their workforce if they hope to increase productivity.

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Workers need focused, timely, and frequent training in an environment where

efficiency and productivity is a common goal. Lexington Grill has educated as well

as highly trained staff. The expertise staff can also train the locals who are willing to

work in the restaurant as they lack in knowledge about the hospitality industry and

the standard operating procedures. They work with integrity and sense of team work

hence making this facto strength for the restaurant.

MARKET:

Market is also very important factor in marketing mix. Here the market is large. It

has lot of hotels but a proper marketing can lead it to grow higher and faster. The

market is open and is huge to grow. Hence it is an opportunity and strength for the

restaurant.

Hence for marketing and business canvas model we can see that:-

Man- Strength

Money-Weakness

Material-Weakness

Market-Strength

Machinery-strength

Their strengths and weakness and opportunities can be used in marketing the

restaurant and making a new marketing strategy.

7P’s OF MARKETING:

Product - The Product should fit the task consumers want it for, it should

work and it should be what the consumers are expecting to get. Here in this

country people love to eat meat and hence steaks and grill would be the best

product.

Place – The product should be available from where your target consumer

finds it easiest to shop. This may be High Street, Mail Order or the more

current option via e-commerce or an online shop. Here the place can play a

very important role in marketing of the restaurant. The location, ambience can

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be more focused on while marketing. The location of the hotel also is a big

strength in terms of marketing.

Price – The Product should always be seen as representing good value for

money. This does not necessarily mean it should be the cheapest available; one

of the main tenets of the marketing concept is that customers are usually happy

to pay a little more for something that works really well for them. Here as we

have already discussed above the people staying in this country have a value

for money hence they expect more out of less. Hence the management should

be much focused and should work on the price of the dishes and the menu.

Promotion – Advertising, PR, Sales Promotion, Personal Selling and, in

more recent times, Social Media are all key communication tools for an

organization. These tools should be used to put across the organization’s

message to the correct audiences in the manner they would most like to hear,

whether it be informative or appealing to their emotions. Promotion should be

done after focusing on the target segments. Their needs and their emotions can

play a very important role in promotion. Restaurant should also pay attention to

the latest trends in the market and social media.

People – All companies are reliant on the people who run them from front

line Sales staff to the Managing Director. Having the right people is essential

because they are as much a part of your business offering as the

products/services you are offering. Here the hotel is marketing the staff. And

these days Lexington grill has also started promoting their staff and service.

Process –The delivery of your service is usually done with the customer

present so how the service is delivered is once again part of what the consumer

is paying for. The process in this case is the best. The service is one of the best

in Ras Al Khaimah. Salad preparation, serving of drinks etc. are very special

service hence it has been marketed and should be marketed by the restaurant.

Physical Evidence – Almost all services include some physical

elements even if the bulk of what the consumer is paying for is intangible. In

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this physical evidence would be its location, the hotel and the staff. These

factors make it one of the best. Hence all these factors should be marketed

properly.

EIGHT

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION

In this phase we will see what should be done and how the restaurant can be

marketed properly. Setting up some missions and measurement can help in doing

this. It also depends how the advertising is done, on what field and is it going as per

the current trend or not.

Message

Advertising is a creative process. There are slogans, themes and gimmicks that try to

lure the customer in. The message of an advertisement is this creative aspect. Any

manner of theme can be implemented as long as it is in line with what the company

stands for. In this case we have to pass on the message of being one of the best in

terms of service and quality. But that is not enough as we have seen above all the

aspects they have to be marketed in a proper way. Proper message should be sent to

every segment in the market which has been targeted by the restaurant. The message

should be in such a manner that everyone should get it and will attract more and

more guests. It can simple or complex but the message should be easily passed on.

Media

This aspect of the program refers to the media that will be used to communicate the

message. This can include television, radio, mail, telephone and in person contact.

Most media has metrics to measure their efficiency and costs associated with those

metrics. Choosing the right media can make or break an advertising program. These

days the modern media that is Internet is working faster. A person can forget to read

his newspaper but will never forget to check his Facebook account or social media

sites. As per the trends everyone use social media. Hence marketing the restaurant on

social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and TripAdvisor will be very useful. All

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the discounts or events to be held in the restaurants can be marketed on this site. The

guests can be asked to join the social media sites as they will be able to keep a check

on future events. Making an account on these sites does not take any capital; it just

needs sometime and regular check. Banners can also do a lot of changes in the

marketing. These days mobile marketing is also in trend. They can use this trend by

just creating a group in Instagram and promote the Restaurant by posting some status

and photographs.

Measurement

Finally, the firm must measure the effects of the program on their intended audience.

This can be done by measuring sales or trying to gauge interest through research. It is

often very difficult to measure how much the advertisements actually impacted

customer interest and how much other external factors played a part. But it can be

also measured with the help of business canvas model which is the conclusion to this

research.

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NINE

IMPLEMENTING As per research made all the factors should be focused on like marketing analysis,

Advertising and promotion, competitors and comparison, Current position and

market.

This strategy plan and the study can help us improve the marketing strategy of the

particular SBU.

The evaluation of after implementing all these factors can be seen in Business

Canvas Model.

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EVALUATION BUSINESS CANVAS MODEL

KEY PARTNERS:-

Trip Advisor.

Booking.com

Roomkey.com

BSR Feeding America

Global fund for

children World Economic

Forum (WEF)

World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)

Hhonors.com

KEY ACTIVITIES:-

Food and beverage

As per BCG Matrix it is a star.

In terms of marketing it

is a question Mark

KEY RESOURCES:-

Man- Strength Money- Weakness

Market-Strength

Material-Weakness

Machinery-Strength

VALUE

PROPOSITION:-

Good quality Friendly service

A la carte

Bourbon bar

Good image in the market

4th best in Ras Al Khaimah.

CUSTOMER

RELATIONSHIP:-

Promotion Online campaign

Offers and packages

Jazz night

Dine around

Special events DISTRIBUTION

SYSTEM:-

Facebook TripAdvisor.com

Bookings.com

Twitter

Hhonors.com

CUSTOMER

SEGMENTS:-

Couples Families

Businessman

Young adults

Events

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COST STRUCTURE

There has to be more capital invested in marketing.

The most expensive resource would be man and material.

Beverages are most expensive activities in the restaurant as it serves the guest the best bourbon whiskey.

Employing some experienced human resource will be expensive.

Engineering cost is also high as the restaurant uses top quality of machinery.

REVENUE STREAMS

Revenue stream for the

restaurant are only the guest.

But it increases if there is any events

Revenue turnover can be increased by focusing

more on marketing of the restaurant

PROFIT/LOSS:-

It is neither loss nor

profit as the losses are covered during high season.

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TEN

CONCLUSION I

There has to be a certain way to create and to improve the marketing strategy of a

restaurant.

Here in this research we saw that there are different factors in the market which has

to be learnt first. Without doing it there is no solution. Lexington Grill few days back

was standing 1st in Ras Al Khaimah but due to its poor marketing strategy it was

been pushed to rank 4th. Here Lexington Grill has lost its rank as well as its sales.

The market is huge. It is an opportunity. When the opportunity is taken into

consideration at the right time and worked on then it can overcome the problems it is

been facing these days.

Positioning tells us where restaurant stands, Competition in the market and the

porter’s matrix and radar helps us to measure which one is a bigger threat to the

restaurant. Only focusing on quality of service and food will not increase the number

of sales and turnover. We have to invest some capital into marketing which will in

turn give us guests which will directly give us more sales.

I have made a simple plan in this research which is not complex and not into figures.

I have shown that without taking figures and getting into accounts there are some

steps which will help us to improve the strategy of the restaurant.

We can see in the business canvas model that after advertising and media

connections it will have a lot of channels through which it can promote itself.

Staff, location, target segments have to be more focused on while marketing.

Restaurant should focus on Strengths but also have to focus on the weakness.

Lexington Grill has to adapt this kind of strategy to rise up again to the 1st as well as

to get more sales and turnover.

It is never too late. The market is still growing and it’s an open invitation to the

Restaurant to prove itself in the market.

Hence this plan can be used by any hotel or restaurant if they would like to improve

their marketing strategy.

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CONCLUSION II

Through this research we have an answer to the question of HOW TO IMPROVE

THE MARKETING STRATEGY OF A PARTICULAR SBU (RESTAURANT)?

The strategic business unit has to follow a certain pattern of plan to reach the top and

be the best in terms of sales and turnover. Marketing is done usually by the unit to

attract guests. There has to be certain pattern which I have planned in this research

above that is the strategic plan. If the company goes step by step it will help the unit

to cover each section of the market, its internal and external environment and how is

the current position of the unit. We could see that when Lexington Grill was good

with the marketing strategy it was rank 1 in Ras Al Khaimah but from last few weeks

it has been going down day by day. The restaurants in the same hotel has crossed the

border made by Lexington Grill and because of the proper marketing they are

standing 1st and are more preferred by the guests.

They have to know their environment very well. They also have to take into account

all the points I have mentioned in the research above.

There are limitations in terms of people as you cannot judge the local people staying

in the country. I have not stepped into the accounts and the capital which will be used

for implementing this research solution in the restaurant as it was not disclosed to the

interns. Yes but I can say that money and capital can be a limitation for this research

as preparing advertisements and working on the plan will include investing of huge

amount of capital. The business canvas model in this research indicates the after

effect of implementing the research solutions. As per the current situation the

restaurant getting sales still is under profit. Implementing this can take them to the

level they always want the restaurant to stand on. The money which will be lost can

be covered in high season as the marketing would be at its high and the sales too.

This research solution will help the restaurant to gain profits in terms of low season

and high .Hence we come to the conclusion that the strategic planning for marketing

can turn out to be very useful for the restaurant and can help Lexington Grill to cope

up with the loss due to marketing and sales.

This research has also provided a way to successfully gain profits, sales and more

stepping in of the guests in the restaurant.

This idea from the research will be implemented soon in the management of

Lexington Grill soon.

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RESUME

Sanjit Vinayak Shinde

Address: 140 rue Vatel, Nimes, France

Telephone Number: +33 625192166

Best time of day to contact: Anytime between 9am to 6pm E-mail: ihmsanjit@gmail.com/macrosanjit@outlook.com

Date of Birth:19/08/1992

Place of Birth:Mumbai, India

Gender: Male

Country of Citizenship: India Country of Residence: France

Desired Field: Sales and Marketing

Date available to start training: March 2016

EDUCATION

Institution Name: Vatel International Business School Hotel and Tourism

Management, Nimes

Location: Nimes, France

Institution start date: 10/2014

Graduation/Expected graduation date: 02/2016

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Field of Study:Masters in International Hotel Management

Institution Name: Vatel International Business School Hotel and Tourism

Management, Nimes

Location: Nimes, France

Institution start date: 10/2014

Graduation/Expected graduation date: 02/2016

Field of Study:Masters in Travel &Tourism

Institution Name: IHMCTAN, Mumbai

Location: Mumbai, India

Institution start date: 07/2010

Graduation/Expected graduation date: 04/2013

Field of Study:Bachelors in Hospitality And Hotel Administration Classes Taken at School/University Relevant to Desired Training: Organisational

structure, E-commerce , promotion startegy, Designing and market analysis.

EXPERIENCE

Company Name: Hilton Waldorf Astoria

Position: Food and Beverage trainee

Location: Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates

Duration: From 03/2015 to 09/2015 Total Number of Months: 6

Tasks/Responsibilities:

To check the daily reservations and cross check with the guest.

Promoting the restaurant by explaining the guest about it.

Help in the setup pf the restaurant.

Working at the live counter.

Attending the weekly managers meeting.

Helping in the service.

Assisting the manager with his job.

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Working on the live counter.

Managing the bar.

Training and also check the new dishes on the menu.

To supervise if the quality and standards are maintained as per the standards

of the hotel and the restaurant. Company Name: Bell Pepper, Kappa and curry’s (family business)

Position: Restaurant Manager

Location: Navi Mumbai, India

Duration: From 01/2014 to 08/2014

Total Number of Months: 8 Tasks/Responsibilities:

Quality check of the food.

Planning the menu for the restaurant.

Planning marketing plans and strategies.

Inventing new dishes for the restaurant.

Company Name: ITC Grand Central

Position: Trainee Captain

Location: Mumbai, India

Duration: From 09/2013 to 12/2013 Total Number of Months: 4

Tasks/Responsibilities:

Looked after working of the Banquet staffs.

Preparing Duty roster for the staffs.

To check that the Standard Operating Procedures are been followed by the staff.

Company Name: Hotel Ramada

Position: Trainee

Location: Mumbai, India Duration: From 11/2011 to 04/2012

Total Number of Months: 6

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Tasks/Responsibilities:

Helping in the mise en place, mise en scene in the banquet and restaurant.

Pre preparation in continental kitchen, bakery, garde manger and butchery.

Checking the cleanliness of rooms and public area while working in Housekeeping department.

Working on the software and handling guest complaints at the reception.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS

Languages & Level: French (Beginner), English (Fluent), Hindi (Fluent).

Computer Skills: Web expression, Oprah (software used for room reservation in

India) and Micros (software used in Food and Beverage in India), MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel etc.

Special Awards/Honors/Certifications: Recommendation and appreciation certificate from the professors of IHMCTAN, Mumbai and managers of Waldorf Astoria.

ACTIVITIES & INTERESTS

To try various kinds of beverages.

To prepare strategies with the help of casual tools of marketing.

Designing websites.

Reading and analyzing the market for a random companies.

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APPENDIX

WALDORF ASTORIA RAS AL KHAIMAH

LEXINGTON GRILL

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FACEBOOK PAGE OF LEXINGTON GRILL

MARKETING THE UPCOMING EVENT JAZZ

NIGHTAND

ALSO MARKETING THE CHEF EXECUTIVE

MARKETING THE SIGNATURE DRINK

MONROE…..

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MARKETING THE STAFF STRENGHTS WITH

THE RESTAURANT LOGO

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STEAKS SIGNATURE DISH

PRESENTLY 3RD BEST IN RAS AL KHAIMAH

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FEEDBACKS AND RATINGS BY GUESTS ON

TRIPADVISOR

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THANK YOU

SHUKHRAN

MERCI