SWAT analysis for Victoria Station Restaurants Essay -- essays researc

Victoria StationStrengthsConcept uniqueness- Concept based restaurants rely on dcor and novelty themes, which argon appealing tolerable to the customers to draw in business. For example Hard Rock Caf, Applebees, Rolling Rock Caf, or Outback Steakhouse. The Victoria Station utilized the English depot appurtenance to support the theme gas lights, a red English telephone booth, and a London taxi.Quality lock- The beef was cut to specifications, used controlled- portion fillets/ pass off sirloin butts, and a computerized checking system to verify that unapproved vendors would be brought to managements attention should any items be purchased off of the approved purveyor list. Appearance, food preparation and service, beverage, atmosphere, equipment, safety, and inventory control were set in detail with complete job descriptions for all managers.Financial control detailed reports and daily inventories.No advertising or paid promotion- they were sure-fire in the beginning with just rel ying on word of mouth.Promotions- one of the more profitable promo was the rib promotion.WeaknessesOver expansion- Victoria Station went against its own polity bases on building in areas with population of 1million or more. Even with expansion with the hopes of creating more volume, Victoria Station was still unable to finish off the fixed-cost percentages. They had roughly degree centigrade restaurants in more than 50 markets. ()Inflexible concept design- The boxcar, compared to traditional restaurants created high occupancy costs due to its expensive building and the maintenance. It also hindered the liquidation of assets to cover debts. Limited menu- Did not leave any allowances for customer change, dietary developments, or market swings for beef industry. Poor reaction skills- When V.S. sales started to lessen their reaction was to inscribe prices which ended up going against the original concept of prime rib at a good price.Identity crisis- When change was necessary they en ded up only to created confusion for their market segment is it casual, family, fine dining, steak/burger, etc.. Opportunities&n... ... the mercy of the beef industry and their prices and a at the same time not relaying the prices to the customers, whos tastes are changing as well. But overall, no these problems correspond with the initiation of this chain.4) To save Victoria Station eating places, they should have either stuck to their business plan or at the point of decline in the life cycle, just cut their losses and start completely fresh, including the building. Otherwise, I would have moved away from concept- type merchandising to a value based marketing system on service, quality, and cost.Bibliography1) Lewis C. Robert. Cases in Hospitality Marketing & Management. John Wiley & Sons. New York. 1997.2)Martin, Richard. Victoria Station Seeks Survival Options countrys Restaurant News. Sept 10, 1984.3)Kochak, White Jacque. Running out of Lives. Restaurant business. July 20, 1 987 v86 p1044)Strenk, Tom. Bets on Bonkers Restaurant Business. October 10, 1984 v83 p176 5)Bernstein, Charles. The Classic lesson success breeds failure. Nations Restaurant News. June 16, 1986