Third Stage of Observation (Session 9 - 10)

This is the final stage of my observation. This observation was conducted during lunch hour in order to obtain data on the outlet's afternoon sales.

An Indian customer was ordering his sandwich. 

The details of the observation,

Date: 26.11.2012 (Monday)

Time: 1.30pm - 2.00pm
Sub of The Day Menu: Italian B.M.T

The table below show the data of 2 sessions which i have conducted,

After i have did the last 2 sessions, all the 10 sessions is successfully conducted. I will conclude the data which i have collected on the next post. Stay tune!

Second Stage of Observation (Session 6 - 8)

After i had done my first 5 sessions of observations on yesterday, i went to the Subway outlet again for the second observation today in order to complete my 10 sessions observation.

These 3 sessions of observations were conducted during tea time.

The details of the observation,
Date: 25.11.2012 (Sunday)
Time: 4.35pm - 4.50pm
Sub of The Day Menu: Chicken Teriyaki 

Tables below show the date which i obtained,

The another 2 sessions will be conducted on other day.

The little notebook which i used to record the data. 

First Stage of Observation (Session 1 - 5)

I have conducted 5 sessions (15 minutes each) of observations during dinner hour.

As what had agreed before, i was standing beside the counter to record down every single data which i wanted. According to what the staff has told me earlier, there was quite a number of customers during my observation period especially during the first session which conducted from 8.25pm to 8.40pm.

The details of the first stage of my observation,
Date: 24.11.2012 (Saturday)
Time: 8.25pm - 9.40pm
Sub of The Day Menu: Seafood & Crab

Here are the results i obtained,

Here are some photos which i took "illegally" in the outlet in order to show a clearer picture on what is actually happen in the outlet,

The fresh ingredients

The staff was preparing a sandwich. 

Surprisingly, the staff of the outlet gifted me a free sandwich, some "Buy 1 Free 1" coupon as well as a calender after i did my 5 sessions of observations in the outlet.

Another 5 sessions will be conducted on the next day.

Research Methods

After i had communicated with the staff of Subway (Brem Mall), i have decided to conduct my 10 sessions of observations on the following days.

They allowed me to stand either beside or in front of their counter during my observation process so that i am able to record down the data that i wanted. However, i was been prohibited to take photo or record video in the outlet by them. Moreover, they also do not allow me to conduct survey in their outlet as they afraid i might disturb their customers.

Besides, i also have a short interviewed with them in order to design the best method to obtain my data. The following Q&A is the questions which i asked and the answers which i obtained from them.
Q: When is the peak hour of your outlet?
A: It will be during breakfast hour, lunch hour and also dinner hour. 

Q: What do customer normally buy?
A: Normally our customers will buy Sub of the Day. There are different menus from Monday to Sunday. Each sandwich is only sold on RM7.50++. But now most of them will purchase Fresh Combo as the price even more reasonable if compare with Sub of the Day.

Q: Does Subway launches any other promotions besides Sub of The Day?
A: Yes, we are now serving Fresh Combos which cost RM10.90++ which i have mentioned in the previous question. Customer can choose either Chicken Slice or Chicken Teriyaki. Each sandwich will serve together with a 16oz drinks and a cookie. Every morning which is from 10am to 11am, we will be serving four types of breakfast sets. Each set of breakfast will be served together with a cup of free coffee as well. Besides, we are now giving "Buy 1 Free 1" coupon to our customer as well.

Q: What is the "Buy 1 Free 1" coupon? How can customer obtain it and how can it be use?
A: The coupon will be given together with each bill. Customers will need to purchase one regular 6" sandwich and one 22oz drink in order to redeem a free 6" sandwich which is equal or lower value of a regular sandwich. However, this coupon is not applicable on "Sub of the Day" or other offer and discounts.

After the short session of conversation with the staff and gone through some considerations, I have planned to observe on several things which are,

• Customer number who visit Subway in each bill,
• Race of customer,
• Number of sandwich which purchased in each bill, 
• Are they purchase the normal price sandwich, Sub of The Day, Fresh Combos, or redeem the "Buy 1 Free 1" coupon,
• Will they purchase side foods such as beverages, cookies or snacks, and
• Either they dine in the outlet or take away. 

My initial plan is to break the 10 sessions of my observations into three stages which are
(i) lunch hour,
(ii) tea time, and
(iii) dinner hour
in order to obtain more variety of data instead of only focus on one period.

However, I have planned not to carry out my observation during morning session because Subway do offers morning breakfast set which only available until 11am daily. Thus, if i conducts my observation during morning i will get different set of data when there are customers who choose to buy breakfast set.

Products of Subway

Before i start my observation, i would like to briefly introduce the products that Subway is offering.

The main product of Subway is sandwich. However, besides sandwich, Subway do sell other side products such as cookies, soup, snacks and drinks.

The goal of Subway is to offer quality made-to-order sandwiches that are specially customize based on what customers have ordered in order to fulfill each of their tastes.

Sandwiches in Subway are been classified into three types which are classic, favorites and premium.

For classics sandwiches, there are Spicy Italian, Steak & Cheese, Chicken Teriyaki, Meatball Marinara, Seafood & Crab and Veggie Delite. Each a la carte classic sandwich costs Rm10.90++. A set of classic sandwich which come together with a sandwich, a beverage and a cookie/snack costs Rm15.40++.

For favorites sandwiches, there are Roasted Chicken, Roast Beef, Turkey Breast, Tuna, Turkey Breast & Chicken Slice and Chicken Slice. Each a la carte favorites sandwich costs Rm11.50++. A set of favorites sandwich which come together with a sandwich, a beverage and a cookie/snack costs Rm16.00++.

For premium sandwiches, there are Subway Melt, Italian B.M.T and Subway Club. Each a la carte premium sandwich cost Rm12.50++. A set of premium sandwich which come together with a sandwich, a beverage and a cookies/snack costs Rm17.00++.

Besides 6-inch of sandwich, customers are also offer "Make it a FootLong" and "Make it a FootLongMeal"(a sub, a cup of drinks and a piece of cookies/snack) sandwiches.

Customers are allowed to pick the bread, the veggies and the sauces of their sandwich according their personal tastes.
Bread choices,
1. Hearty Italian
2. Wheat
3. Honey Oat
4. Italian
5. Parmesan Oregano
6. Wrap

Veggies choices,
1. Lettuce
2. Tomatoes
3. Cucumber
4. Peppers
5. Red onion
6. Pickles
7. Olives
8. Jalapenos

Sauces choices,
1. Yellow mustard
2. Sweet Onion
3. Mayonnaise
4. Olive oil blend
5. Chili
6. Ketchup
7. BBQ
8. Ranch
9. Thousand Island

Besides sandwiches, Subway is also selling some side foods which include soup(mostly is chicken soup), cookies, salad, chips and beverages.

Cookies choices, (1 piece Rm1.50, 3 pieces Rm4.00 & 12 pieces Rm15.00)
1. Oatmeal Raisin
2. Chocolate
3. Double Chocolate
4. White Chocolate Mocha

Beverages choices,
1. Bottled Water - Rm2.50
2. Can Drinks - Rm2.50
3. Hot Drinks - Rm3.00
4. Cappucino Mocha - Rm3.90
5. Flavour Tea - Rm3.90
6. Bottled Juice - Rm3.90

Subway is currently having four types of promotions which are

1. Sub of the Day, 
2. Buy 1 Free 1 Coupon
3. Fresh Combo, and 
4. Breakfast Set. 

1. Sub of the Day
From Monday to Friday, there are different menu available for customers. Each menu is giving customer an offer to purchase a 6-inch of sandwich by paying Rm7.50++ only.

● Monday - Italian B.M.T
● Tuesday - Tuna
● Wednesday - Meatball Marinara
● Thursday - Turkey Breast & Turkey Ham
● Friday - Smoked Turkey 
● Saturday - Seafood & Crab 
● Sunday - Chicken Teriyaki

2. Buy 1 Free 1 Coupon
By presenting the original copy coupon as well as purchase one regular 6-inch sandwich and one 22oz drink, all Subway outlets in Malaysia is giving a 6-inch sandwich for free. The promotion is until 15th January 2013. However, this coupon is not valid with "Sub of the Day" or any other offer & discounts.

3. Fresh Combo
Fresh combo costs only Rm10.90++ which include a sandwich, a cookie and a 16oz drink. There are two types of menu which include,

  ● Chicken Teriyaki + Cookie + 16oz drink
      (Originally Rm14.90)

  ● Chicken Slice + Cookie + 16oz drink
       (Originally rm15.50)

4. Breakfast Set
Subway breakfast set costs only Rm6.30++ which include a sandwich and a hot beverage(coffee, white coffee and Milo). There are four types of menus available until 11am daily.

The menus include,
 ● cheese & egg,
 ● turkey ham & egg,
 ● breakfast strips & egg, and
 ● tuna & egg.

Introduction

Hi, welcome to my blog.
I am going to record down all the research activities which i am going to conduct as well as the collected data on this blog.

I have picked the food franchise, Subway as my research target.

Let me briefly discuss on the background of Subway. 

Subway was founded in 1965 by Fred DeLuca together with his partner, Dr. Peter Buck. The first store of Subway was located in Bridgeport, US. The foundation of Subway was built on serving well-made and high quality product, providing excellent customer service, keeping operating costs low and finding great locations. 

The two partners started their franchise business policy in 1974 when they realized their goal, which to open 32 stores was unable to reach in time. 

Today, Subway has been ranked as the world's largest submarine sandwich chain with more than 37,000 locations around the world. 

The question which would be ask on Subway is "How is the sales of Subway that has successfully assist this company to be ranked as the world's largest submarine sandwich chain?" 

The aim of this research is to identify the Subway's customer group and their buying behaviors. 

In order to get the data for my research, i'm going to conduct my research on the Subway's outlet which located at Brem Mall, Kepong. 

Brem Mall, Kepong

Subway Outlet which located at Bream Mall, Kepong