Measuring service quality of the computerized Food and Beverage Cost Control System in Hong Kong hotels using a gaps model approach

Computerized food and beverage cost control systems have evolved rapidly during recent years. These computerized systems are designed to remove much of the calculation drudgery in manual cost control systems, such as budgeting, inventory control, and recipe costing. However, many users complain that these systems do not meet their needs. This suggests that there is a gap in the performance of computerized systems compared with users' actual needs. This article explores the expectations and experience of users of the computerized Food and Beverage Cost Control Systems (FBCCSs) in some Hong Kong hotels. With the application of the Information System (IS) Service Perception Gap Model borrowed from the marketing discipline, the major problems in the areas of data/information, hardware/software environment, operational procedures, technical support, and security are identifted. A number of suggestions are proposed for system developers to improve the existing computerized FBCCSs.