Reference no: EM133284973

Case - KING ITAL VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

In 1961, King Ital Kitchen opened in Cross Roads, and did well with the casual roots and Rasta youth culture of the late 1960s to late 1970s, helping to ensure a steady stream of customers. Eventually the restaurant opened several branches in the major towns in the tri-parish area of Kingston, St. Andrew, and St. Catherine. Restaurants were also opened in the major towns of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay due to their high tourist visits and high concentration of Indians and Chinese who were regular eaters of vegetarian meals and were ideal prospects for vegetarian meals.

King Ital tries to offer a variety of vegetarian options. Meals Were created in a novel style to appeal to kids. Popular Jamaican recipes such as pepper pot soup and vege steak run dung as well as turn cornmeal with raisins are prepared for elderly and "patriotic cultural" Jamaican who loves old time Jamaican cooking.

In 2014, King Ital Kitchen started to realize that some of the products/dishes, such as its Vege Steak dish and turn cornmeal, that were once major sellers were beginning to slow in sales. Research suggested that the downturn in sales was a result of increased competition.

As a result King Ital decided to focus on the upscale market. It opened an outlet in Liguanea, within the UTech vicinity and named it Delectable Bites. This outlet's image was different from the usual King Ital Restaurant. and got very modern furniture and décor. The restaurant offered a very up-market and middle eastern style menu. Popular Asian menu such as falafel, tahini sauce and hummus were on the menu. The meals were beautifully presented and although certainly not cheap, even non- vegetarians were unlikely to have problems with the food or to miss meat.

Advertisement, and satisfied customers are used to show an image of "your health is your wealth" and "Food as sweet without the meat".

Question 1 - Outline the consumer buying process that a prospective customer would go through when buying a meal at Delectable Bites.

Question 2 - 1. Identify three (3) possible bases and corresponding variables that King Ital is using to segment its market.

2. State three (3) requirements that are necessary for effective segmentation.

Question 3 - 1. Outline the four stages of the Product Life Cycle (PLC) and state at which stage of the PLC are the vege steak and turn cornmeal dishes.

2. Recommend three (3) strategies that King Ital could use to extend the life cycle of these two products/dishes.