CACTUS - Journal of tourism for research, education, culture, and soul

15-22

Authors: Oana-Diana Crismariu, Gabriela Tigu

The ambiance in the hospitality industry is represented by the material, social or moral environment, where customers can enjoy the facilities. The correct perception of this has a very important role in creating a truthful experience. In the actual context, the customers are not willing to compromise anymore, accepting some services of bad quality. Because they have a various scale of restaurants and hotels, they are looking for good experiences, which means serving excellent food, sleeping in great places, living unforgettable moments in an agreeable surrounding, this way benefiting by the best services. The present paper is made of four components synthetically presented. The first one, named "Outlooks of client experience in the hospitality industry" contains the main aspects about what experience means in hotels and restaurants, the second one ”Hotel and restaurant ambiance – a tool used to outline the client experience” explains what ambiance is in the hospitality industry. The third part contains “Main components of hotel and restaurant ambiance”. In the last part named "The impact of hotel and restaurant ambiance over Romanian tourists" the results of two quantitative investigations are presented, applied to find out what characteristics related to the restaurant and hotel surroundings are influencing the creation of a positive experience. The aim of this investigation is to discover the importance of the perception of a restaurant and hotel’s surroundings has in creating the experience of customers. The success in this meaning can come from a professional landing regarding a succession of surroundings factors, which can determine the improvement of the restaurants’ and hotels’ services

31-37

Authors: Andreea Fortuna Schiopu, Daniela Georgiana Zloteanu

This article takes a customers’ perspective approach to reflect on the importance of innovation in the restaurant industry. Innovation in restaurants is vital for the business to remain distinct, to attract new customers, and to differentiate themselves from competitors. The aim was to identify the main characteristics and habits of restaurants’ customers, to find out what customers value in a restaurant offer, and to identify the perspective of customers on new and innovative dishes from restaurants’ menus. The focus was on the innovations that the customers expect from restaurants. The authors conducted a survey which reveled that most people dine out for dinner and lunch and have a varied diet. Image is a significant feature in choosing a dish; the combination of ingredients is the most prominent innovative aspect of a dish. In terms of dishes that people want but could not find in restaurant menus, a special mention goes to desserts such as semolina/rice pudding, or plum dumplings, followed by vegetarian options such as cashew cheese and vegan broths. Modern dishes are associated with exotic ingredients such as avocado, Chia seeds, Matcha powder, or vegetable noodles. People seem to be ready to try new things and ready to take in new offers from operators. The likelihood of picking a new dish f