Cornell University
Library
Cornell UniversityLibrary

eCommons

Help
Log In(current)
  1. Home
  2. Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
  3. Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration
  4. School of Hotel Administration Collection
  5. SHA Articles and Chapters
  6. How Long Should Dinner Take? Measuring Expected Meal Duration for Restaurant Revenue Management

How Long Should Dinner Take? Measuring Expected Meal Duration for Restaurant Revenue Management

File(s)
Kimes32_How_long.pdf (746.55 KB)
Permanent Link(s)
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/72272
Collections
SHA Articles and Chapters
Author
Kimes, Sheryl E.
Wirtz, Jochen
Noone, Breffni M.
Abstract

Restaurants have two strategic levers for revenue management: duration control and demand-based pricing. Reducing dining times, especially during peak periods, can add considerable revenue for the restaurant. Managing meal duration, however, can be far more complex than manipulating the price. This paper examines dinner duration expectations for a casual restaurant using an adaptation of a price sensitivity measurement tool, naming it 'Time Sensitivity Measurement' or TSM. TSM is then used to derive the expected dining time, the optimal and indifference duration points. The results show that there is a relatively wide spread of acceptable dining duration times. Furthermore, the optimal and indifference points were significantly shorter than the mean expected dining time, suggesting that many restaurants may be able to shorten dining duration significantly (some 20 per cent in this present study) without compromising customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the paper explores whether demographic variables have an impact on time preferences and finds only nationality effects to be significant. Specifically, North Americans and Asians have similar duration expectations, while Europeans preferred a significantly longer dining time.

Date Issued
2002-01-01
Keywords
service duration
•
expected service duration
•
revenue management
•
restaurant management
Related DOI
https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.rpm.5170026
Rights
Required Publisher Statement: © Palgrave Macmillan. Final version published as: Kimes, S. E., Wirtz, J., & Noone, B. M. (2002). How long should dinner take? Measuring expected meal duration for restaurant revenue management. Journal of Revenue & Pricing Management, 1, 220-233. doi: 10.1057/palgrave.rpm.5170026 Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
Type
article

Site Statistics | Help

About eCommons | Policies | Terms of use | Contact Us

copyright © 2002-2026 Cornell University Library | Privacy | Web Accessibility Assistance