I have added more results from the original Addis Admass article. Enjoy!
Dear Addis Admass readers,
How was your recent visit of restaurants and hotels? Have you had any rude waiter who ruined your special date? Did you have food poison after eating salad? Was the hotel room free from cockroaches? Certainly, standards of restaurants and hotels have improved as a result of more competition and higher expectations of customers. However, do you say it is at the satisfactory level?
In 2002, I questioned 50 Japanese about restaurants and hotels in Ethiopia. Now after 3 years, I looked back the result of this survey and found out that this result could still be worth sharing. I think it will add in speeding up the improvement of this sector that will lead to happier faces of both customers, workers, and owners.
The following is the 36 valid results from the paper-form-survey. Most respondents live in Addis Ababa.
[ Profile ]
Sex: Male (56%) Female (44%)
Age: 20s (25%) 30s (47%) 40s (19%) 50s (3%) 60s and above (6%)
Length of stay in Ethiopia:
Less than 3 months (8%) 3-6 months (8%) 6months to 1-year (11%)
1-2 years (42%) 2-3 years (11%) More than 3 years (19%)
[ About the Restaurants in Addis Ababa ]
How often do you dine-out per month?
1-5 times/month (53%) 6-10 times/month (28%) More than 15 times (19%)
How often did you feel uncomfortable in restaurants?
(31%) Many time (56%) Sometimes (14%) Not at all
Check all the items regarding servers and their service, which dissatisfied or discomfort you
(61%) Inattentiveness of the server. Ex) The servers unavailable when you need them
(58%) Taking longer time before they bring bills
(53%) Mistake in ordered items
(50%) Taking long time to serve food
(47%) Not noticing the new customers
(42%) Chattering among servers
(39%) Impoliteness, unpleasant attitude, and the way of speaking of servers
(36%) Not knowing the menu
(36%) Not repeating the order orally for confirmation
(33%) Not taking note of an order
(31%) Taking long time to bring drinks
(31%) Depressing mood of servers
(31%) Server’s appearance lack of personal hygiene or a bad posture
(31%) Ways of carrying foods or drinks
(31%) Mistakes on bills
(31%) No farewell words to departing customer
(28%) Not greeting new customers
(22%) Not knowing the order of food to be served. Ex) Serve appetizer and main dish at the same time
(17%) Not taking away unnecessary items (like finished dishes) from the table immediately
(17%) The slow movement of servers. Ex) The way they walk
(17%) No service confirmation like asking “how is everything?”
(14%) Failing to refill drinks or removing dirty ashtrays
(11%) No up-selling like “would you like to have a coffee or tea?”
(8%) Mistakes in reservations
(8%) Having long nails or wearing a big ring
(6%) Impolite when handling telephone reservation
Others: Not apologizing or having too many excuses when making mistakes. T Server make mistakes in order and even worse, they charge the customer for that. Not saying “thank you” to the customers. Lack of business mindedness. Not being profit oriented. Persistently asking, “how’s the food?”, “drinks?”, etc. Asking higher price to the foreigners. Claiming for tip.
Check all the items regarding foods in restaurants, which dissatisfied or discomfort you
(28%) Foods look unappetizing
(25%) Stale ingredients(Ingredients are not fresh)
(17%) Unappealing garnish
(17%) Unsanitary foods
(14%) Wrong Food temperature.
(8%) Vermin (insect) in drinks
(8%) Greasy food
(8%) Overcooked pastas
(3%) Small portion
Others: The taste of the food changes every time I visit. Salads or vegetables are not washed properly. Meats are not well cooked. Sometimes, the breads are dried up.
Check all the items regarding a restaurant, which dissatisfied or discomfort you
(50%) BGM or TV volume
(44%) Dining room is dark
(42%) Dirty condiments on the table
(33%) Vermin in a restaurant
(31%) Wobbled tables and chairs
(31%) Dirty or torn interior decorations such as pops, posters, paintings
(28%) Dirty plates and glasses
(25%) Muddy road and inaccessibility of a restaurant
(22%) Unappealing interior decoration of the dining room
(22%) Dirty tables and chairs
(17%) Comparatively high price despite the quality of service and food
(17%) Dirty windows and walls in the dining room
(17%) Depressing ambiance
(17%) Not functioning light bulbs
(17%) Dark entrance
(14%) Insecurity around a restaurant
(11%) Dirty looking kitchen
(11%) Unnoticeable outside signboard of a restaurant
(8%) Stale flowers on the table
(6%) Not well maintained fresh plants in the dining room
Check all the items regarding menus, which dissatisfied or discomfort you
(42%) Limited number of items on the menu (Items not in variety)
(33%) Dirty or torn menus
(31%) No originality nor creativity of menu items
(22%) Misspellings
(19%) Not written in English
(17%) No description nor picture of menu items
(17%) Not being able to serve too many items from the menu
Others: Picture on a menu is different from the actual one. Better to introduce the daily menu or specials. Need to tell what’s unavailable on the menu when presenting. Take off the items, which is no longer served.
Check all the items regarding toilets / rest room, which dissatisfied or discomfort you
(92%) Not cleaned
(44%) No toilet papers
(33%) No soaps
(8%) Unable to flush or not a flush toilet.
Others: No toilet seats
What will you do when you have a complaint?
(47%) Will complain
(42%) Will not complain but will not come back again (meaning you will tolerate)
(19%) Will not complain but will tell friends and others about the restaurant
(11%) Will not complain and perhaps come back again
Others: Will not leave the tip. Will give advice. Depends on the restaurant
Why don’t you complain to the restaurants?
(47%) Even if I complain, they will not improve. I have already given up
(14%) Communication in Amharic or English is difficult
(8%) I don’t want to be an annoying guest for them
(6%) No opportunity to complain because the waiters seem busy
(6%) There is no form to fill out for complains
Others: Need to educate the owners first and let them know the importance of listening complains.
Do you think the restaurants in Addis Ababa take customers’ complaints seriously and strive to improve?
(50%) No
(11%) Yes
Others: Yes, but cannot continue consistently. Yes, in the restaurants with many international customers. Yes, but they easily forget.
What type of restaurant do you want to see in Addis?
(50%) Japanese
(17%) Fast food (KFC, McDonald’s)
(8%) Asian
(6%) Starbucks
(6%) Healthy / Vegetarian
Others ( Egyptian / Asian / Restaurant with entertainment / Family restaurant )
Have you ever had food poisoning after dining at the restaurant?
(44%) Yes
What was the reason?
(8%) Salad
(6%) Kitfo
(6%) Yogurt
(3%) Raw beef
(3%) Beef
(3%) Water
(3%) Cake
(3%) Kay wot
(3%) Doro wot
(3%) Steak
(3%) Fish
(3%) Fish goulash
(3%) Injera
(3%) Wot
(3%) Indian food
(3%) Chicken sandwich
(3%) Fruit
Other comments about the restaurants in Addis Ababa
Service standard is extremely low. There is a need to learn the restaurant service from Kenya. Service is improving through time. Customers need to know quality service and food. Need to emphasize on improving the sanitation. Addis Ababa should have more variety of restaurants. Need to introduce healthy food. Need to make the job manuals. I was served almost spoiled food. I am anxious about eating salads and raw beef “tre-suga”. Pastas are too greasy.
[ About the Hotels in Addis Ababa ]
How often do you make room reservations for yourself or for others such as clients, friends and relatives?
(53%) 1-5 times/year (11%) More than 10 times / year (22%) Do not make any reservation.
What are the important criteria for selecting a hotel? Please check as many as possible
(89%) Cleanliness of a guest room
(83%) Bathroom facility (hot water, cleanliness)
(50%) Reputation
(44%) Security within a hotel
(42%) Impression from the previous visit
(39%) Security around a hotel
(36%) Reasonable price
(33%) Convenient location
(31%) Recommended by Japanese
(28%) Hotel’s interior decoration
(22%) Friendly ambiance and staff
(17%) Recommended by friends
(17%) A swimming pool and other recreational facilities
(8%) Sauna and massage service
(8%) Hotel’s exterior appearance
(8%) Convenient location for a tour or attractions
(6%) The quality of food in the restaurants
(6%) By first checking a room
(3%) Availability of Internet access
(3%) Availability of satellite TV
What do you think of the non-resident / international guest rate?
(22%) I agree
(75%) I disagree
Check all the items, which dissatisfied or discomfort you in the mid-price hotels
(17%) Problem of the guest room key or door
(17%) Lack of hot water or water in the bathroom
(17%) Attitude of the front office clerk
(14%) Service in the restaurant
(14%) Mal-function of the TV
(14%) Inadequate towels and other amenities in the bathroom
(14%) Cleanliness of guest rooms
(14%) Cleanliness of the bed (vermin in the bed)
(11%) Mal-function of the guest room furniture and amenities
(11%) Lack of variety in the menu
(11%) Taste of interior decoration of the guest room
(11%) Cleanliness of the bathroom
(8%) Telephone operator’s attitude and efficiency
(8%) Room service
(8%) Reservationists attitude and accuracy
(8%) Hotel’s cleanliness
(8%) Mal-function of the elevator
(8%) Cleanliness of the restaurant
(8%) Inadequacy of handling emergency situation like terrorist attack, fire, etc.
(8%) Insufficient written general information or hotel rules and regulations
(6%) The ambiance of a hotel
(6%) Security around a hotel
(6%) Noise in the guest room (noise from the neighbors or hallways)
(6%) Bell person’s attitude
(3%) Swimming pool and other recreational facilities
(3%) Meeting room and banquet facilities
- Somebody used my room while I was out
- The hotel close the stairs at night to prevent robberies, Elevator do not work property
- Elevator stops often
Other comments on the hotels in Addis Ababa
Need to provide hotel information booklets. Need to provide free shuttle bus from the airport to the hotel. Why they set the “farenji” rate? Only Sheraton and Hilton meet the global standard. Reservation must be handled properly. Need to always make sure there is hot water in the bathroom. Need to make the membership system like Sheraton. Need to provide Internet reservation. Should not say “no problem” when customers complain.
