Promoting Indian Restaurants through word of mouth marketing: A Case Study of Dishoom - An Indian Restaurant in UK

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

This study explores the concept of word of mouth in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on ethnic Indian foods and its relation with UK food market. It research also analyzes many aspects of word of mouth and tries to gauge its effect on Indian restaurants in UK. The case of a famous Indian restaurant Dishoom is taken to show the ways through which the Indian restaurants promote their business through Word of mouth Marketing. Finally, the research describes various factors which are responsible for Indian restaurant success in UK and the overall effect of word of mouth on ethnic Indian food restaurants in the UK.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the study1

Aim of the research2

Significance of the study2

Research Questions2

Ethical Considerations3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW4

The Restaurant Industry of UK4

Ethnic Foods5

Ethnic Food Market in the UK6

What is the word of mouth?7

Outcomes of Word Of Mouth9

Antecedents of WOM11

Word Of Mouth Motivation12

Word Of Mouth as a Decision13

Current WOM Literature Identifying “Who Talks”14

Benefits of Word Of Mouth16

What are personal values?17

Personal Values and Helping Behaviour18

Personal Values ??and Word Of Mouth21

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY23

Introduction23

Philosophical Framework or Paradigm24

Rationale for a Qualitative Study28

Research Design29

Literature Search29

Keywords30

Research Method30

Literature Selection Criteria30

Search Technique31

Theoretical Framework31

Researcher Bias31

Data Analysis Procedures31

Quality and Verification32

Reliability/Dependability33

Validity35

Ethical Considerations36

CHAPTER 4: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS38

Dishoom - An Indian Restaurant Based in London, United Kingdom38

Service Quality at Dishoom40

Customer Satisfaction at Dishoom41

Customer Loyalty at Dishoom43

Consumer Personality and Store Image Congruence as Related to Expectations45

Survey Analysis46

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION48

Contribution of the Research52

REFERENCES54

APPENDIX64

Survey Questionnaire64

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

There are a lot of marketing concepts in the marketing sector to promote a particular product, service or a whole business. WOM marketing is one of the most common sources of marketing a particular segment. It is the most common as well as most easily approachable source of marketing from the production point to the final point i.e. to the consumers. WOM marketing is that type of marketing in which an individual promotes a particular business through his own will, based on his personal experiences. He is neither paid nor is he provided any kind of monetary benefit to market that particular business. This dissertation helps to give a proper understanding of the term WOM marketing in business. The focus of the study is to evaluate the impact of WOM marketing in the Ethnic Indian restaurants in the UK.Moreover; it explains the utilization of WOM marketing in one of the most famous ethnic Indian restaurants in the UK called ...