Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

Exploring the Issues and Challenges in Managing Themed Restaurant in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Farah Adibah Che Ishak, Norhabibah Mazlan, Nur Atiqah Lokman, Muhamad Shahrim Abd Karim, Siti Fatimah Mohamad

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i10/11490

Open access

Themed restaurant emphasizes the staging of the dining experience to attract its patrons. Its unique concept and décor excite patrons to explore new food consumption experience and make them a popular choice in the market. However, it appears that restaurants in this niche have shorter ‘shelf life’ due to various managerial issues that force them to close. These restaurants are also too dependent on trends and would slowly vanish when it is over. Therefore, themed restaurants are seen to have more potential problems and have a high risk of sustaining in the industry. Thus, this research aims to identify the internal issues in managing themed restaurants and explore the business operation's external challenges. A qualitative research approach was implemented through semi-structured interviews with ten managers of themed restaurants across the Klang Valley area. The interview sessions were recorded and then transcribed, coded, themed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results concluded that the managers' internal issues are financial, sales and marketing, design and layout, location, and staff. On the other hand, customers, competitors, price of good fluctuation, and suppliers are the external challenges in managing themed restaurants. The findings of this study contributed to the theoretical knowledge of themed restaurants within the Malaysia context and benefited the restaurant owners. It may assist the existing restaurants in improving the business strategy to overcome the challenges and maneuver the new entry owners in the beginning stage of their entrepreneurial journey.

Abdul-Mutalib, N. A., Abdul-Rashid, M. F., Mustafa, S., Amin-Nordin, S., Hamat, R. A., & Osman, M. (2012). Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding food hygiene and sanitation of food handlers in Kuala Pilah, Malaysia. Food Control, 27(2), 289–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2012.04.001
Adnan, A. M., Esa, A., Rahman, A., Ahmad, R., Adnan, A. M., Esa, A., … Ahmad, R. (2018). Factors Influencing Turnover Intention among Fast Food Restaurant Managers Factors Influencing Turnover Intention among Fast Food Restaurant Managers. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(17), 195–210. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i17/5225
Ali, N., & Abdullah, M. A. (2012). The food consumption and eating behaviour of Malaysian urbanites?: Issues and concerns. Malaysia Journal of Society and Space, 8(6), 157–165.
Al Mamun, C. A., & Hasan, M. N. (2017). Factors affecting employee turnover and sound retention strategies in business organization?: A conceptual view “ Factors affecting employee turnover and sound retention. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 15(April), 63–71. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.15(1).2017.06
Alonso, A. D., & O’Neill, M. A. (2009). Staffing issues among small hospitality businesses: A college town case. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28(4), 573–578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2009.03.004
Ariffin, H. F., Bibon, M. F., & Raja Abdullah, R. (2012). Restaurant’s Atmospheric Elements: What The Customer Wants. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 38, 380-387
Atef, G., Leithy, W. El, & Al-Kalyaubi, M. (2017). Factors Affecting Employee’s Turnover Intention. Medwell Journal, Vol. 11, pp. 118–130. Retrieved from http://docsdrive.com/pdfs/medwelljournals/ibm/2017/118-130.pdf
Batt, R., Lee, J. E., & Lakhani, T. (2014). A National Study of Human Resource Practices , Turnover , and Customer Service in the Restaurant Industry. 1–32.
Bennett, T. (2017). Marketing Strategies?: How Small Restaurant Businesses use Social Media. Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection.
Bufquin, D., DiPietro, R., Orlowski, M., & Partlow, C. (2018). Social evaluations of restaurant managers: The effects on frontline employees’ job attitudes and turnover intentions. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(3), 1827–1844. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-11-2016-0617
Chemistry Cafe. (2018). Chemistry Café+Lab. Retrieved May 31, 2019, from Facebook website: https://www.facebook.com/chemistrycafe/
Clemes, M. D., Mohi, Z., Li, X., & Hu, B. (2018). Synthesizing moderate upscale restaurant patrons’ dining experiences. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 30(3), 627-651.
Cresswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design. SAGE Publication Inc.
Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. (2011). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research (2 ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publication.
Department of Statistic Malaysia. (2020). Household expenditure survey report 2019. Malaysia: Department Of Statistics Malaysia.
Department Of Statistics Malaysia. (2017). REPORT ON HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY 2016. Malaysia: Department Of Statistics Malaysia.
Department Of Statistics Malaysia. (2018). SALARIES & WAGES SURVEY REPORT, MALAYSIA, 2017. Malaysia: Department Of Statistics Malaysia.
DeFranco, A. L., & Lattin, T. W. (2007). Hospitality Financial Management. In John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Dream Youth Cafe. (2015). D’Dream ????. Retrieved May 31, 2019, from Facebook website: https://www.facebook.com/DreamYouthCafe2014/
Elimimian, Jonathan U., Edevbie, N. (2013). Issues Management?: Managerial Tools for Effective Strategic Planning and Implementation Jonathan U . Elimimian Albany State University Manager Operational Definitions of Terms Used in the Paper?: International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 3(15), 34–39.
Enz, C. A. (2004). Issues of concern for restaurant owners and managers. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 45(4), 315–332.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0010880404270065
Eravia, D., Handayani, T., & Julina. (2015). The Opportunities and Threats of Small and Medium Enterprises in Pekanbaru: Comparison between SMEs in Food and Restaurant Industries. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 169(August 2014), 88–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.289
Gai, L. (2014). Dining at ethnic-themed restaurants: An investigation of consumers’ ethnic experiences, preference formation, and patronage. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of North Texas. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699898/
Gilmore, J. H., & Pine II, B. J. (2002). Differentiating hospitality operations via experiences:
why selling services is not enough. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly.43 (3), 87-96.
Hsu, C. C., & Powers, T. (2002). Marketing Hospitality, 3rd Edition. John Wiley and Sons Inc
Hsu, L. J., & Shawn, S. (2008). Advertising expenditure , intangible value and risk?: A study of restaurant companies. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27(July 2003), 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2007.07.012
Jalil, N. A. A., Fikry, A., & Zainuddin, A. (2016). E-Atmospheric Effects on Youth Intention to Revisit a Cafe. Procedia Economics and Finance, 37(December), 497–503. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(16)30157-5
Feinstein, A., Hertzman, J. & Stefanelli, J. M. (2017). Purchasing Selection and Procurement For Hospitality Industry (8th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Josiam, B. M., & Henry, W. (2014). Eatertainment: Utilitarian and Hedonic Motivations for Patronizing Fun Experience Restaurants. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 144, 187–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.287
Kaya, ?., Bezirgan, M., & Alamur, B. (2015). Minimum Turnover Analysis in Turkish Tourism Sector. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 207, 404–413.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.10.110
Kandampully, J., Zhang, T. (Christina), & Bilgihan, A. (2015). Customer loyalty: A review and future directions with a special focus on the hospitality industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 27(3), 379–414.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2014-0151
Khanfar, N. M., Loudon, D., & Mujtaba, B. G. (2010). Santorini Restaurant: One Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Adventure. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 1(2), 70–74.
Khairul Azman, K. (2019). 7 Aesthetically Pleasing Nature-Themed Restaurants & Cafes In Klang Valley. Retrieved May 31, 2019, from Says.com website: https://says.com/my/makan/7-nature-themed-restaurants-cafes-klang-valley
Khor, S. (2015). If You ’ ve Ever Thought Of Owning A Cafe , These 8 Realities Might Make You Think Twice. Says Lifestyle. Retrieved from https://says.com/my/lifestyle/if-you-ve-ever-thought-of-owning-a-cafe-these-8-realities-might-make-you-think-twice
Kim, D., Magnini, V. P., & Singal, M. (2011). The effects of customers' perceptions of brand personality in casual theme restaurants. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 30, 448-458.
Kotler, P., Keller, K. L., Ang, S.-H., Tan, C.-T., & Leong, S. M. (2018). Marketing Management, An Asian Perspective. Retrieved from https://www.worldcat.org/title/marketing-management-an-asian-perspective/oclc/1023552002
Lee, S., Lee, K., Chua, B., & Han, H. (2017). Independent café entrepreneurships in Klang Valley , Malaysia – Challenges and critical factors for success?: Does family matter?? Journal of Destination Marketing & Management Independent café entrepreneurships in Klang Valley , Malaysia – Challenges and. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 6(4), 363–374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2016.05.002
Leiper, N., & Stear, L. (2009). Tourism-related business failures: The case of the Spice Islands Restaurant. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 15(4), 367–380.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1356766709335836
Lim, T. P., Chye, F. Y., Sulaiman, M. R., Suki, N. M., & Lee, J. S. (2016). A structural modeling on food safety knowledge, attitude, and behaviour among Bum Bum Island community of Semporna, Sabah. Food Control, 60, 241–246.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.07.042
Maharjan, S., & Khadka, K. (2017). Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty. Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty, (November), 58+6. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/document/393361416/Customer-Satisfaction-and-Customer-Loyalty
Mattila, A. S., & Gao, L. (. (2017). Atmospherics and the touristic experience. Design Science in Tourism, 151-160.
MBA Skool. (2019). Customer Expectations Definition in Marketing Dictionary. Retrieved May 30, 2019, from https://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/marketing-and-strategy-terms/11513-customer-expectations.html
Meng, B., & Choi, K. (2018). An investigation on customer revisit intention to theme restaurants. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(3), 1646–1662. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-11-2016-0630
Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA). (1 June, 2018). Hospitality. Retrieved from Malaysian Investment Development Authority:
http://www.mida.gov.my/home/hospitality/posts/
Min, H., & Min, H. (2011). Benchmarking the service quality of fast-food restaurant franchises in the USA: A longitudinal study. Benchmarking, 18(2), 282–300. https://doi.org/10.1108/14635771111121711
Mohlisi, U., Asmawi, M., Norehan, A. A., Salikin, K., Ain, N., Rosdi, S., … Nor, N. (2018). Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science An Assessment of Knowledge , Attitudes and Practices in Food Safety Among Food Handlers Engaged in Food Courts. 06(2), 0–7.
Morse, J. M. (1994). Determining Sample Size. Qualitative Health Research 10(1), 3-5.
Mun, S. G., & Jang, S. C. (Shawn). (2018). Restaurant operating expenses and their effects on profitability enhancement. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 71(September 2016), 68–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2017.12.002
Namkung, K. L. (2018). The impact of restaurant patrons’ flow experience on SNS satisfaction and offline purchase intentions. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(2), 797–816.
Ng, W. (2015). Hello Kitty Gourmet Café Sunway Pyramid. Retrieved May 31, 2019, from Family Food and Travel Blog website: https://www.placesandfoods.com/2015/09/hello-kitty-gourmet-cafe-sunway-pyramid.html
Ng, W. (2017). Hello Kitty Gourmet Café Malaysia Officially Closed Down. Retrieved May 31, 2019, from Family Food and Travel Blog website: https://www.placesandfoods.com/2017/07/hello-kitty-gourmet-cafe-malaysia-officially-closed.html
Nicolopoulus, J. (2018). Top 5 trends for food and beverage industry businesses in 2018 (Video) - Boston Business Journal. Retrieved May 27, 2019, from Boston Business Journal website: https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2018/01/29/top-5-trends-for-food-and-beverage-industry.html
Noorkhizan, M., Radzi, S., Abdullah, F., & Adzel, A. (2012). Revenue Management Practices and Restaurant Performance: A Study on Theme Restaurants in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Current Issues In Hospitality and Tourism Research and Innovations, 117-120.
Openrice Group Inc. (2015). Dreams are made of Cotton Candies at These Themed Cafes in Klang Valley! Retrieved May 31, 2019, from Open Rice Web website: https://my.openrice.com/en/klangvalley/article/dreams-are-made-of-cotton-candies-at-these-themed-cafes-in-klang-valley-a1042
Parsa, H. G., Self, J., Sydnor-Busso, S., & Yoon, H. J. (2011). Why Restaurants Fail? Part II - The Impact of Affiliation, Location, and Size on Restaurant Failures: Results from a Survival Analysis. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 14(4), 360–379. https://doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2011.625824
Puspita. (2015). Physical Evidence of Small Theme Restaurant in Indonesia: A Case Study of Ramen House. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Science, 169, 289–295.
Robson, S. (2011). That ’ s the Spot?! Strategies for Finding the Ideal Restaurant Site That ’ s the Spot?! Strategies for Finding the Ideal Restaurant Site. 8, 24–29.
Ozdemir, B., & Caliskan, O. (2014) A review of literature on restaurant menus: Specifying the managerial issues. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 2(1), 3-13
Saari. (2017). Cost of Living expected to continue soaring in 2017 Faculty of Economics and Management , Universiti Putra Malaysia Email?: Retrieved from https://www.upm.edu.my/artikel/kos_sara_hidup_dijangka_terus_meningkat_tahun_2017-30199?L=en
Saber, J. M., Ibrahim, M. Z. F., Mustapha, R. I. P. R., Salim, A., Sandikau, E. N. R., & Lajis, N. A. A. (2017). The Effects of Parking Convenience Towards Customer Retention in Gurney Drive , Penang?: A Preliminary Study. International Academic Research Journal of Social Science, 3(1), 1–5.
Schaefer, M. (2021). Five trends drivivng the era of food on demand. Retrieved September 1, 2021, from the euromonitor website: https://www.euromonitor.com/article/five-trends-driving-the-era-of-food-on-demand
Simpson, R. J. (2003). Theme and Experience in Restaurant Design: A Theory. [Unpublished Master dissertation]. Washington State University.
Tanamas, P., & Hussain, K. (2012). Online Marketing Opportunities and Challenges for Restaurants. 9(1), 39–53.
Tay, K. (2015). 10 Themed Restaurants In Malaysia For A Dining Experience Like No Other. Retrieved May 31, 2019, from The Smart Local Singapore website: https://thesmartlocal.com/read/themed-restaurants-malaysia
Thapa, B. (2013). Themed restaurant. Retrieved from LinkedIn Slide Share: https://www.slideshare.net/binoythapachetri/themed-restaurant
Tüver, I. F., Güzel, B., & I?çi, C. (2018). Dinescape Factors Affecting the Satisfaction and Loyalty of Fish Restaurant Customers. Journal of Tourism and Gastronomy Studies, 6(2), 4–22. https://doi.org/10.21325/jotags.2018.199
Wan Nawawi, W. N., Wan Kamarudin, W. N. B., Mat Ghani, A., & Adnan, A. M. (2018). Influence of Theme Restaurant Atmospheric Factors Towards Customers’ Revisit Intention. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 3(7), 0–6. https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v3i7.1231
Walker, J. R. (2017). Restaurant Concepts, Management, and Operations 8th ed. Wiley.
Waters, M. (2017). Stories: Old Hollywood’s Best Theme Restaurants Specialized in Abductions and Dungeons. Retrieved from Atlas Obscura:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/los-angeles-theme-restaurants-jail-cafe-pirates-den
Whitaker, J. (2010). Birth of the theme restaurant. Retrieved from Restaurant-ing through history: https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2010/04/01/birth-of-the-theme-restaurant/
Zhao, S., Scott, K., Johnson, E., & Johnston, E. (2016). Experiencing ‘ Otherness ’ in Ethnic-Themed Restaurants.

In-Text Citation: (Ishak et al., 2021)
To Cite this Article: Ishak, F. A. C., Mazlan, N., Lokman, N. A., Karim, M. S. A., & Mohamad, S. F. (2021). Exploring the Issues and Challenges in Managing Themed Restaurant in Klang Valley, Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(10), 1121 – 1135.