INTERNATIONAL FOOD & BEVERAGE

MANAGEMENT - FOHO1024

JOURNAL READING AND COFFEE SHOP

Assignment 2 – Individual assessments

Lecturer: Oanh Vu Thi Kim

INTRODUCTION

In today's living, cafes require nice and friendly atmospherics that promotes a great customer
experience and satisfied visitors who are prepared to spend for the shop's offerings. The service
quality is the surroundings of a place it encompasses a variety of elements such as decoration,
architecture, fragrance, and coloring. Therefore, analyzing the servicescape is crucial in
evaluating ideal consumer behavior at Starbucks Vietnam.

BACKGROUND

In Vietnam, Starbucks began operations by launching their first coffeehouse in HCM Metropolis,
a bustling city in the South with bright and dry weather most of the year and a population that
also enjoys caffeine drinks. In the beginning, Starbucks exceeded the visitor's expectations by
offering a quality coffee sweetness along with an ideal environment to relax. Gradually in short
amount of time, city dwellers became aware of the uniqueness of this international brand and
grew to love it.

Follow up with Starbucks' journey of conquering the Vietnamese, the famous coffee shop
expands its market to Northern Vietnam. However, this demographic seems to have been picky
and difficult to attract. As the general manager of Starbucks in Vietnam, Mrs. Marques stated
that Hanoians were habituated to their classical way of sipping coffee and so that adopting their
pattern seems to be more challenging (Bich 2015). As a result, Starbucks needed to encourage
consumers by creating a welcoming and inviting environment. This has been the goal Starbucks
aimed for the Hanoian demographic.

Seizing the consumer's habit of the locals, Starbucks continues to launch stores with comfortable
ambiance in surrounding areas. The establishments of new stores in Hanoi were styled in the
sentimental manner of Northern people. For every coffee shop, Starbucks featured distinct
elements that reflected Hanoi's vitality and modernism, as well as Vietnam's time-honored coffee
tradition. Notably, the interior and furnishings were produced via skillful local artisans and
purchased through retailers to highlighted Hanoi's heritage. The key takes away of Starbucks
coffee is a specialized recipe tailored to the tastes of Vietnamese consumers. With expectations
that the special creamy cappuccino coffee with a robust flavor and a milky mouthfeel would
delight many local visitors.

ANALYSIS
According to Venkatraman and Nelson, Starbucks can be seen as an open space not only for
people who seek relaxation and connection but also for office employees who are tired of the
intensity during the workplace (Venkatraman & Nelson 2008). From many people’s perspective,
Starbucks is more than coffee, nor a regular coffee shop, but it is an open space where people can
find their personal world where people can enjoy quality time with friends, colleagues, or
sometimes by themselves.

Based on Venkatraman and Nelson's study (2008), the "Servicescape" is the purposeful aspect of
the buying environment to generate distinct reactions in a consumer that improve their
consumption likelihood. Furthermore, the paper implies that a singular store's manager should
utilize the appealing traits of several themes to the interface of design: architectural style,
decoration, and storefront. As an example, Starbucks built environment boost desired purchasing
behavior. To begin with, Starbucks' furnishings and pieces of equipment bring a pleasant and
friendly environment. Whereas tables with just one or two seats provide for additional solitude
and provide comfy space for workgroups that allows for discussion in open space without
interfering remain customers. Moreover, the use of aromatic woods shaped to circle and
rectangular tables provide a conventional style which thus creates a comfortable environment.
Starbucks' aroma has a significant impact on consumer behavior. The smell of Arabica fresh
beans as well as other types can be smelled when guests arrived. Moreover, the distinct aroma in
Starbucks is strengthened also by a variety of beverage and coffee products which is easily found
at the entryway, a correlation that is not by chance. As coffee is the business's core product, the
scent of coffee-soaked in the air is its mainstay highlight and distinguishing trait. As much as
fragrance is an important element for coffee shops to lure guests, the selection of music is also
vital to Starbucks. When audio records are constantly open at each Starbucks store. At Starbucks,
the music does not deviate significantly but always remain melodious and gentle. Together with
the powerful aroma of Arabica beans and wooden furnishings, contributes to the establishment of
a comfortable, minimalist design that is comforting to all clients. Starbucks has successfully
differed its theme from its competitors, such as Highlands Coffee. Finally, it is worth mentioning
the amazing lighting system which Starbucks provides. Customers will never be dazzled by the
light at Starbucks coffee shops since the lighting is always gentle and pleasant. Nevertheless,
when bigger light bulbs were opened, this could impair people's vision, causing follow-up
dissatisfaction and aversion tendencies. In addition, timber seats made from timber also
contribute to consumers feeling more comfortable in Starbucks. As customers, people would be
less likely to stay at Starbucks if the seats were hardened and made of steel.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, although due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 I have not been able to visit
Starbucks coffee recently, the coffee shop has always been my number one choice whenever I
want to have a drink. Even though Starbucks is a top-knot coffee shop with aesthetic design,
high-quality furniture, beautiful lighting, and sweet music… Another element that has made
Starbucks favorable to customers is the professional and dedicated staff. They are all well-trained
with discipline and contain high work ethics. In my opinion, behind the success of Starbucks'
dazzling-built environment, it was the employees who keep Starbucks alive. It is evident that
these individuals have joined hands to enhance the servicescape of Starbucks and gained
popularity as the best customer service that a coffee store can provide. Finally, the distinction
space at Starbucks is an ideal location for people to meet up with friends, couples to date,
partners to discuss business, or simply to just enjoy the coffee in a pleasant atmosphere.

Reference:

Bich, V 2015, ‘The story of Starbucks in Vietnam’, Vietnam Pictorial, April 20, viewed 13
August 2021,

<https://vietnam.vnanet.vn/vietnamese/cau-chuyen-starbucks-o-viet-nam/183763.html>

Venkatraman, M & Nelson, T 2008, ‘From servicescape to consumptionscape: a photo-