Food and Cafeteria: Insights into Dining and Service-Related Issues
We often ask questions such as: what food should we eat? Which restaurant should we eat from? How hygienic is the place we eat from? How much does it cost us to eat a good meal? These are all valid questions that students in universities ask.
Problem Statement
Despite being a crucial aspect of student life, students have consistently criticised the food quality and services provided in the cafeterias across the school campus.
Objective
This report investigates the underlying issues contributing to student dissatisfaction and proposes actionable solutions to enhance the dining experience.
Data Sourcing
The data was from a survey conducted through a Google form given to Redeemer’s University Students. The questions asked are below.
- What is your favourite cafeteria?
- Please describe why it is your favourite cafeteria.
- How frequently do you eat at the cafeteria?
- Which is your least favourite cafeteria?
The following questions referred to student’s favourite cafeterias.
- Please describe why it is your least favourite
- How satisfied are you with the quality of food offered at the cafeteria?
- How would you rate the variety of food options available in the cafeteria?
- What are the prices of food items in the cafeteria?
- Have you ever faced any issues related to food quality?
- If yes, please describe
- How hygienic and clean is the cafeteria?
- Is there adequate seating available in the cafeteria?
- How will you describe how long it takes to get attended to (waiting time)?
- Is the cafeteria staff courteous and helpful?
- Have you ever faced any issues related to cafeteria services?
- Would you recommend the cafeteria to other students?
- Is there any food you want added to the cafeteria’s menu?
- If yes, mention them (not more than three)
- Do you have any suggestions for improving the cafeteria’s services?
Data Cleaning
Power Query in Power BI was used to clean the data. The data had some columns empty, which were changed to null values. Values that were not important had to be deleted.
Data Visualisation
Power BI is an excellent tool for data visualisation. It provides various chart types that can be used to present data graphically to aid easy understanding.
Charts used in this visualisation include bar charts, pie charts, doughnut charts, word charts, tables and text cards. You can check out the visuals using the link below.
Results
We selected Five cafeterias for this study: National Kitchen, Mimi’s, Manna Palace, Numbers, Double Portion, and Divine Hands.
Results of favourite cafeterias
- Double Portion: It was Preferred by 50.21% (121) of participants, making it the most favourite cafeteria.
- Numbers(Alumni-owned cafeteria): Attracted 25.31% (61) participants, making it the second most favourite choice.
- Mimi’s: Chosen by 12.03% (29) of participants.
- Manna Palace (University-owned cafeteria): Only 8.3% (20) of participants chose it as their favourite.
- National Kitchen: Only 4.15% (10) of participants favoured it.
- Divine Hands: No participants selected it as their favourite cafeteria.
Results of least favourite cafeterias
- Manna Palace: 35.68% (86 participants) — A significant portion selected The university-owned cafeteria as the least favourite.
- National Kitchen: 34.02% (82 participants) — it came in as the second most disliked cafeteria; it garnered many participants expressing dislike.
- Mimi’s: 10.37% (25 participants) — This cafeteria had a moderate number of participants selecting it as their least favourite.
- Divine Hands: 7.88% (19 participants) — Though no participant liked this cafeteria, it still received a substantial percentage of negative votes.
- Numbers: 7.47% (18 participants) — Alumni-owned Numbers also received some negative feedback, albeit relatively less than others.
- Double Portion: 4.56% (11 participants) — Despite being a favourite for many students, a small percentage also chose Double Portion as their least favourite.
Food Satisfaction
- Average rating across all cafeterias: 6.69.
Hygiene and Cleanliness
- Average rating across all cafeterias: 7.24.
Food Variety
- Average rating across all cafeterias: 5.44.
Food Prices
- Ten (10) students described food prices as low.
- Fifty-six (56) students considered food prices to be high.
- Sixty (60) students thought food prices were slightly high.
- One hundred fifteen (115) students believed that food prices were fair.
Food Quality Issues
- One hundred forty (140) students reported experiencing food quality issues.
- Some issues students encountered included undercooked food, contamination, spoilt food, and cold food. These are just a few of the many problems.
Cafeteria Service
- One hundred and one (101) students stated they had yet to experience food quality issues.
- Eighty-four (84) students expressed the need for better cafeteria service.
- One hundred fifty-seven (175) students reported having had good service in past experiences.
- The quality of service provided by the cafeterias also influences overall satisfaction.
Reasons for Poor Cafeteria Service
- Issues cited included difficulties with payment transactions.
- Instances of rude staff behaviour were also noted.
- Inadequate management of queues during peak times was identified as a problem affecting service quality.
Recommendations
Focus Areas for Stakeholders
- Analysis suggests prioritising areas where students obtain food to optimise satisfaction and bolster the business’s reputation.
- Certain cafeterias fell below the average grade, indicating issues with food satisfaction, hygiene, sanitation, and variety.
- Some cafeterias face space constraints, necessitating expansion to accommodate student demand.
Key Issues Identified
- Students reported poor food and cafeteria quality, indicating a need for investigation into underlying causes.
- Students provided diverse reasons for dissatisfaction, including food quality, hygiene, sanitation, and variety.
Recommendations from Students
- Students suggested cafeteria improvements, emphasising the importance of considering and implementing their recommendations.
- Stakeholders should carefully examine student suggestions and incorporate relevant ones to enhance overall satisfaction.
The report can be viewed here!
Contributor: Stephen Abdulkadir Yusuf
