Answer

Executive Summary

A menu plays a very critical role in the communication between the customers and the seller of particular products or services. Cafes have menus that display the products, services they offer, and the corresponding costs. This study focuses on the relationship in the list of items of Elk Espresso Cafe’s menu and the actual practice of the café. Notably, the café offers mostly Australian cuisines and targets the families that visit the Gold Coast Sunshine. Mostly, it offers fine dining, as well as a place for meeting for old friends. However, the menu produced by the café does not reflect the actual practice. Specifically, the lists of items in the menu are not actually offered; as such, customers are offered substitute foods. As a result, some of them have got annoyed and never came back to the café. Therefore, the café should review its menu and write it down afresh. Specifically, it should include the true items in the menu and ensure that the menu reflects what happens in real practice.

Elk Espresso Cafe’

1.0 Introduction

This café is located just a few meters from Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Queensland State. The location is ideal for the clients from the central Broadbeach (Cravegoldcoast.com.au., 2016). Due to its location, the café has become a popular local destination for many surrounding families. Indeed, opens seven days a week from 6:30 AM to 4PM.  I have lived around the area close to the café for quite some time and I have taken several meals including breakfast, lunch and early supper. As the hotspot for meeting friends over a cup of tea, the macaroons are terrific while the nearness to the Gold Coast Sunshine makes the place wonderful. The café has a menu that contains information on the products and services that are offered. Specifically, it contains different cuisines that range from breakfast to lunch and even supper. Customers have to make an order that is found on the menu. The relationship between the menu and the actual products and services offered is very close. Specifically, they do not necessary serve what they have listed in the menu without deceit to their esteemed customers. As such, in some instances, they have served similar foods, an act that has angered many clients who do not wish to take the substitute meals. The items listed in the menu should, as far as possible, match with the actual ones that are served (Dumanovsky et al., 2010, p.2520).

2.0 Discussion and Analysis

2.1 Type of Cuisines

In the Elk espresso cafe’, many Australian cuisines are offered. These range from the Byron Bay Pork to the Macaroon Lollipops. These cuisines display cultural diversity as people from different cultures frequent the café. The Kentucky Fried Rabbit with Aioli as well as the various desserts offered are very attractive to people from different cultural orientations. Concisely, apart from the Australian cultural foods, the café is also rich in other foods that fit other people’s cultures and tastes.

2.2 Type of Foodservice

Although they have an excellent food service- consisting of homemade fine dining foods, they are rich in calories. Therefore, if one is not careful with the type of meals that they order, they might end up being affected by the presence of a large amount of calories. The menu does not enlist the percentage of calories found in the meals alongside the items of the menu. As such, it is for the customer to make a choice on the food that they deem safe for their consumptions. Elk Espresso Cafe’ does not distribute any foods apart from the products that are offered in its premises. Therefore, it does not require the services of intermediaries in their catering department.

2.3 Market Targeted

Elk Espresso Cafe’ targets those families visiting the Gold Coast Sunshine areas for their relaxation and holidays. However, the café also targets people working in the nearby streets of Broadbeach; and who have to take breakfast and lunch in the café. More importantly, the targeted markets are those friends who may want to talk over a cup of tea. All these are major clients and Target Markets for the Café.

2.4 Elk Espresso Cafe’ Actual Business Practice and the Contents of the Menu

Although the menu is the source of the orders that customers make in the café, there are instances where the menu is rendered invalid (Auchincloss et al., 2013, p.710). In this regard, customers do not look at the contents of the menu and, therefore, order meals that are not even in the menu. According to Auchincloss et al. (2007, p.383), this becomes a great concern in the amount of pay that they will give at the end of their stay. The menu ought to offer correct and justifiable information on the products and services offered by a café. If the menu contains any element of dishonesty and lies, then the customers will feel aggrieved by the management of the café (Choi, Lee, and Mok, 2010, p.68). This is the case in Elk Espresso Cafe’ where the meals that are provided rarely match with those that are stipulated in the menu. As such, the menu provisions do not reflect the actual practice. Additionally, when they have not prepared a certain cuisine that is listed in the menu, they will, nevertheless, provide another cuisine that is similar to the one listed. This angers many customers who do not believe in substitute foods (Tian, 2015, p.8). The menu does not show the corresponding calories present in their cuisines. Being true in practice to what is listed in the menu will attract the trust of customers, as they will have knowledge of the honesty of the café (Dayan, and Bar-Hillel, 2011, p.383).

3.0 Conclusion

In conclusion, Elk Espresso Cafe’ is located near the Broadbeach streets of Gold coast. It provides a variety of cuisines to the families living and visiting the Gold Coast Sunshine areas. As a fine dining café, it offers opportunities for friends to catch up and take a cup of coffee. The target markets are the families and visitors that frequent the area. Although it has a menu on the products that it offers, the menu does not always match with what is provided. As such, customers are sometimes served with substitute foods, which is sometimes annoying. Additionally, some of the meals served are not found in the menu hence having differences in pricing. The effect of this different between the menu and the actual practice is mistrust from the customers.

4.0 Recommendations

To ensure that the products that are sold at the café are the actual ones that are listed in the menu, the management of Elk Espresso Cafe’ should consider reviewing their menu. In this regard, they should delete any misleading information of the products and services offered. Afterwards, they should prepare a list of items in the menu that are truthful as to the products offered and their prices. More importantly, they should stipulate alongside the items, the percentage of calories contained, so that customers can have sufficient information on the food products that they expect from the café