Table A1. Individual understandings... | Emerald Publishing

Table A1.

Individual understandings about the purpose of the routine

Category	Quotations
ASTONISHMENT	“The welcome entrèè is something more that you can offer to the guests in order to add something new and original to their consumption experience. It is something more that the restaurant offers to distinguish itself from the competitors and it is something more that in the clients’ view can make the difference in a positive way. It is a value adding experience that the restaurant offers to the guests” (Silvia, waiter) “It can enhance the curiosity of the guests about the other courses. In addition, from the restaurant perspective, it is a good tool to influence in a positive way the first impression of the client” (Mirella, waiter) “It can make the client surprised and, consequently, it can increase the personal expectations about the whole meal” (Giuseppe P., chef)
COMFORT	“The welcome entrée let the guests feel at ease, as they are at their home. I think that it contributes to instill the spirit of “welcome home” that a restaurant should provide to the guests. It represents a good starting point to build up a pleasant relationship with the guests” (Giuseppe M., maitre) “Restaurant guests expect a warm and sincere welcome. They want to feel welcomed, to be called by name whenever it is possible, to be hosted like to feel at ease in their own place. So the guests’ welcome at the restaurant should be customized. The welcome entrée responds to the logic of offering a customized warm and sincere welcome to the guests” (Tatiana, waiter) “Offering a warm welcome to the guests through the welcome entrée is the best way to implicitly say to them “welcome home!” (Antonio, pastry chef)
EXPERIENCE	“Offering a welcome entrée aims at preparing the guests to a better approach of the whole meal. Since in general the welcome entrée is appreciated by our guest, this activity contributes in increasing the positive expectations that the guests have in regards of the following courses and the guests will immediately expect to eat tasty food at our restaurant” (Mauro, line cook) “The welcome entrée is an important part of the culinary experience that the guest is going to achieve. Through serving the entrée the guest begins to visually imagine and mentally taste his/her food consumption experience” (Francesco, intern) “The welcome entrée can influence in a positive way the guest’s evaluation of tastiness of the whole meal” (Giuseppe M., maitre)
FAMILIARITY	“For me serving clients is like hosting the clients in our big family. For a couple of hours I feel like I am a friend of my guests and the initial service of the welcome entrée helps me in creating this atmosphere with my guests” (Christian, vice maitre) “The welcome entrée represents a way to instill a sense of familiarity as I need to take care to my guests. I feel like be a mum with my children” (Francesca, waiter) “Generally the restaurant guest is very sensitive to the degree of attention paid by the waiters to his/her table. The welcome entrée is important to communicate to the client that “I care about you” and to instill an immediate perception of waiters’ kindness” (Rachid, waiter) “The offering of an entrée allows to create a nice atmosphere of closeness not only between guests and the waiters but also with the kitchen staff as it emphasizes the fact that the chef has prepared the entrée as a sign of welcome you [nd the clients]at our restaurant” (Alessandro, line cook)
LOGISTICS	“The offering of a welcome entrée is useful for logistics reason because it psychologically decreases the waiting time of the guests. By serving an entrée – that consists in a simple food preparation always ready to be served- we have more time to prepare the main courses that will be ordered by the clients. So, I have the perception that we can prepare the main courses in a more relaxed way without the anxiety that everybody outside is waiting for our food preparations. I feel more relaxed even if in an extremely stressful environment and I am more focused on what I need to prepare and on coordinating the staff without having too many external pressures and worries” (Giuseppe P., chef) “It allows to have a greater time management ability within the kitchen staff regarding the different food preparations” (Mauro, line cook)
SATISFACTION	“The needs of today’s customers must be met immediately because in our society people are used to find the answer to what they are looking for with a click on the web. Restaurant clients are similar in terms of their impatience, so you need to offer a precise and timely service to be able to satisfy them and to increase their loyalty. The welcome entrée service represents a little piece that can contribute to the guests’ overall satisfaction” (Elisa, waiter) “I noticed that many clients are sensitive to the food presentation because, firstly, the clients “eat” with the eyes instead of with the mouth. Since we offer the welcome entrée in an elegant way by serving two different little items in suitable dishes, I think that it can contribute to instill directly the perception of well-created food preparation and, in turn, it can increase the client’s satisfaction experienced at our restaurant” (Muriel, waiter)
SAVOR	“The welcome entrée aims at preparing the customer’s palate for savoring the following course. Through the welcome entrée, the guest starts to prepare himself/herself to the savoring of the following course in terms of its mental imagination as well as in terms of the guest’s dool toward the following course that his/she has ordered” (Giuseppe P., chef) “The welcome entrée enhances the guest’s desire to savor the following course. It is a way of opening the guest’s stomach and preparing his/her taste papilla” (Giovanni, line cook)

Category	Quotations
ASTONISHMENT	“The welcome entrèè is something more that you can offer to the guests in order to add something new and original to their consumption experience. It is something more that the restaurant offers to distinguish itself from the competitors and it is something more that in the clients’ view can make the difference in a positive way. It is a value adding experience that the restaurant offers to the guests” (Silvia, waiter)“It can enhance the curiosity of the guests about the other courses. In addition, from the restaurant perspective, it is a good tool to influence in a positive way the first impression of the client” (Mirella, waiter)“It can make the client surprised and, consequently, it can increase the personal expectations about the whole meal” (Giuseppe P., chef)
COMFORT	“The welcome entrée let the guests feel at ease, as they are at their home. I think that it contributes to instill the spirit of “welcome home” that a restaurant should provide to the guests. It represents a good starting point to build up a pleasant relationship with the guests” (Giuseppe M., maitre)“Restaurant guests expect a warm and sincere welcome. They want to feel welcomed, to be called by name whenever it is possible, to be hosted like to feel at ease in their own place. So the guests’ welcome at the restaurant should be customized. The welcome entrée responds to the logic of offering a customized warm and sincere welcome to the guests” (Tatiana, waiter)“Offering a warm welcome to the guests through the welcome entrée is the best way to implicitly say to them “welcome home!” (Antonio, pastry chef)
EXPERIENCE	“Offering a welcome entrée aims at preparing the guests to a better approach of the whole meal. Since in general the welcome entrée is appreciated by our guest, this activity contributes in increasing the positive expectations that the guests have in regards of the following courses and the guests will immediately expect to eat tasty food at our restaurant” (Mauro, line cook)“The welcome entrée is an important part of the culinary experience that the guest is going to achieve. Through serving the entrée the guest begins to visually imagine and mentally taste his/her food consumption experience” (Francesco, intern)“The welcome entrée can influence in a positive way the guest’s evaluation of tastiness of the whole meal” (Giuseppe M., maitre)
FAMILIARITY	“For me serving clients is like hosting the clients in our big family. For a couple of hours I feel like I am a friend of my guests and the initial service of the welcome entrée helps me in creating this atmosphere with my guests” (Christian, vice maitre)“The welcome entrée represents a way to instill a sense of familiarity as I need to take care to my guests. I feel like be a mum with my children” (Francesca, waiter)“Generally the restaurant guest is very sensitive to the degree of attention paid by the waiters to his/her table. The welcome entrée is important to communicate to the client that “I care about you” and to instill an immediate perception of waiters’ kindness” (Rachid, waiter)“The offering of an entrée allows to create a nice atmosphere of closeness not only between guests and the waiters but also with the kitchen staff as it emphasizes the fact that the chef has prepared the entrée as a sign of welcome you [nd the clients]at our restaurant” (Alessandro, line cook)
LOGISTICS	“The offering of a welcome entrée is useful for logistics reason because it psychologically decreases the waiting time of the guests. By serving an entrée – that consists in a simple food preparation always ready to be served- we have more time to prepare the main courses that will be ordered by the clients. So, I have the perception that we can prepare the main courses in a more relaxed way without the anxiety that everybody outside is waiting for our food preparations. I feel more relaxed even if in an extremely stressful environment and I am more focused on what I need to prepare and on coordinating the staff without having too many external pressures and worries” (Giuseppe P., chef)“It allows to have a greater time management ability within the kitchen staff regarding the different food preparations” (Mauro, line cook)
SATISFACTION	“The needs of today’s customers must be met immediately because in our society people are used to find the answer to what they are looking for with a click on the web. Restaurant clients are similar in terms of their impatience, so you need to offer a precise and timely service to be able to satisfy them and to increase their loyalty. The welcome entrée service represents a little piece that can contribute to the guests’ overall satisfaction” (Elisa, waiter)“I noticed that many clients are sensitive to the food presentation because, firstly, the clients “eat” with the eyes instead of with the mouth. Since we offer the welcome entrée in an elegant way by serving two different little items in suitable dishes, I think that it can contribute to instill directly the perception of well-created food preparation and, in turn, it can increase the client’s satisfaction experienced at our restaurant” (Muriel, waiter)
SAVOR	“The welcome entrée aims at preparing the customer’s palate for savoring the following course. Through the welcome entrée, the guest starts to prepare himself/herself to the savoring of the following course in terms of its mental imagination as well as in terms of the guest’s dool toward the following course that his/she has ordered” (Giuseppe P., chef)“The welcome entrée enhances the guest’s desire to savor the following course. It is a way of opening the guest’s stomach and preparing his/her taste papilla” (Giovanni, line cook)