The consumer decision-making process involves five steps, in which help consumers evaluate making a purchase decision. The five steps include: (1) need recognition, (2) information search and processing, (3) identification and evaluation of alternatives, (4) purchase decision, and (5) post-purchase behavior. The first three steps are very valuable for this assignment. Growing up always eating Filipino food; I’m not the biggest fan of Italian food, so I decided to do my research for Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City, Utah. If I’m going to eat Italian food, I would want a restaurant with good reviews about the food and service.

            Since I knew what to base my search on where to get Italian food from, I decided to do a google search on Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City. A bunch of restaurants popped up during my search, but I decided to look at the ones with high star reviews. Once I looked at the reviews, I decided to look at the menus of the restaurants. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of pizza, so this process was easy to eliminate some restaurants. I decided to click on Buca di Beppo, this restaurant offers online ordering for both pick-up and delivery which was very convenient. While looking at the resturant’s menu, the prices are reasonable with the reviews left by their customers online. They offer a range of Italian foods and desserts. This restaurant was the best choice for me since from the start of my research I wanted to base it off on good reviews, good food and good service. Buca di Beppo checked off everything that I was looking for.

            This wasn’t the easiest decision to make since there was a lot of choices to choose from, but using the consumer decision-making process to decide made it a lot easier. To make decision-making easier you have to know what you want or looking for then the rest just follows after it. Once you know what you’re looking for eliminating what doesn’t fit your needs makes the process faster.

When I started my research about Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City, Utah, I used search engines like Bing and Google. By searching for “Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City, Utah”, I found a list of restaurants in the area.

Also, if you notice, I haven’t mentioned anything about the restaurants being a “takeout” specific kind of kitchens. That’s because according to the given situation, I have just moved to Salt Lake City. Therefore, I would want to try out the food of restaurants that also have an aesthetic seating and dining experience, since I appreciate and enjoy fine/vibe dining (Step 1- Recognition of the problem).

After going through the menus, reviews and pictures of two dozen different Italian restaurants on Yelp in Salt Lake City (Step 2- Searching for Information), the two that caught my most attention were, “Modern Italian Graffiti Osteria” and “Valter’s Osteria”.

Since I was able to bring down my options to two restaurants, it was time for me to choose which alternative was going to be my takeout dinner for the night (Step 3-Evaluation of Alternatives).

Since I usually order something to enjoy as an appetizer with less calories, I started checking out the salads that the two restaurants had to offer. Valter’s Caeser Salad had a better rating than of the one that they had at Graffiti, even though in pictures Grafitti’s salad looked more tempting.

And since I’ve been consuming a lot of calories due to the increase in hunger because of the “moving-in” process, I felt like I should cut down some calories for dinner. Therefore, the place with the better salad got selected.

To decide what I wanted to order as an entrée, I had dived into the reviews. What I noticed was that people kept on repeating something about asking what pasta is “homemade”, and then getting it. So, that’s what I did. I got the “La Carbonara”, which with a creamy consistency and a deliciously smoky and peppery aftertaste, is the number one pasta dish both in the country and outside of Italy.

For Dessert, I went for the classic Cheesecake, since it had a fantastic rating on Yelp.

In conclusion, even though the city I was new to the location, as a responsible consumer, I knew what it was that I wanted and therefore, ended up ordering what I ordered. To add on to that, I feel that if every consumer understands the importance of knowing what’s best for them, the decision-making process will go way smoother.

If I were in Salt Lake City in Utah, I’ll make sure I go to one of the best restaurants there is in there. Technology helps me so much in looking for restaurants because all the pictures of the food, how the building looks, the ratings, and the price are in there. I can even filter down restaurants that matches my wants. I don’t even need to be in Utah to know which restaurants I would go to!

I searched “best restaurant” or “popular restaurants” in Utah and looked through the options. Some were pricy, some were modern, some were cheap, and some were a little old. I would want to go to the restaurant to see it for myself and enjoy the place, instead of using UberEats. This is because I just moved in Utah and want to experience Utah!

I read through the reviews that people left for the restaurants and I came down to three restaurants I want to try in Utah. They are Bambara Salt Lake City, Caffé Molise, and Valter’s Osteria. Bambara Salt Lake City offers gourmet-like foods, so there are a little pricier. Caffé Molise is the cheapest out of the three but still offers good food. Valter’s Osteria has a plain open restaurant which is a nice environment. Even though I like Valter’s Osteria’s environment and Caffé Molise being affordable, I’m definitely going for Bambara Salt Lake City. I don’t mind spending more on food, especially gourmet food.

Going through this process, it made me wonder how different all of our tastes are. Some people don’t really care eating gourmet and just want something to fill their tummies then move on. Some people are all about how the restaurant looks and want to see it for themselves. Some people would even just want to UberEats and call it a day. I believe the best thing people interested in business can do is to cater to as much people as possible.

Consumer behavior is a key component of marketing. We can better grasp a consumer’s wants and thought process when we learn to view a product from their point of view. with that knowledge, we can change how a product is advertised to raise the likelihood that someone will buy it.

Assuming I had recently arrived to Salt Lake City and was looking for an Italian restaurant, I would start by thinking about my own requirements and expectations. For myself, I want to eat at a restaurant that appears pricey but is affordable, serves good food, and offers comfortable seating. Knowing my own requirements, I can now try to learn more about Salt Lake City restaurants. I discovered my candidates through a simple Google search. These candidates included Brio Italian Grille, Stanza Italian Bistro, and Caffe Molise. Although I was torn between Caffe Molise and Brio for a while, I preferred Caffe Molise’s atmosphere for aesthetic reasons. While I think Molise looks beautiful both inside and out, Brio, in my opinion, has a gorgeous inside but a quite plain exterior. Brio is the least expensive of the three in terms of price, while Stanza is the most expensive. Caffe Molise has cuisine that appears to be pretty decent, while Stanza has the best-looking food in terms of presentation. After considering everything, I decided to go with Caffe Molise because it met my expectations more frequently than the other two selections. It offered the kind of upscale-looking ambiance I was hoping for, was not overly pricey, and had nice food.

I started to understand how challenging it is to cater to a specific section of customers after witnessing how I managed my own consumer experience. Everyone has their own preferences, but if you can combine multiple preferences into one, you can produce a product that appeals to a wider range of customers. Others, unlike me, might want a more costly restaurant or a setting that is older and more rustic.

As a customer I begin starting with myself, i started to think about what i wanted to eat, after narrowing down multiple options, i finally decided that i want to eat pizza, my next step is that i went on the internet and started my research to find the best tasting pizza, i begin my research by going on tiktok, i looked up best pizza in salt lake city Utah, i looked what the video is saying, then i looked at the comments to see what others, might have to say, next i go on google and look up the restaurant with most positive review, i then look at the google reviews and if the reviews are positive i then look at the services they offer do the offer delivery, if i dont feel like eating can i get my foo deliver if i don’t want to eat out, whats their refund policy like? how long is the delivery wait time? whats there menu like? and the most important question is whats the cost, as a customer, i am looking for the best tasting pizza, with the best prices, that wont, hurt my pocket. I think generally speaking everyone wants the best quality pizza, for the lowest cost, What did you realize about the consumer decision-making process? i realize that consumers generally will look at the reviews and prices when buying a product, they will tend to make a purchase at the place that have the best reviews and prices, i realize consumer will also consider other options when buying a product so as a business you need to make sure you are offering the best prices on the market, also you need to have to best quality, because based on Research consumers generally go with product that have the best Quality, regardless of the price. Because if the Quality is not good a consumer may not return to make a purchase at your business. my overall pick is the restaurant that offer me the best quality pizza that will get my money worth.

I have taken on the task of researching the city of Salt Lake City in Utah. While this is a place I have never been to. This research will give us an understanding on how Consumer Decision Making plays a big role in a buyer’s thought process when choosing products or services. To this process, there are 5 stages which are, Problem Recognition, Information Search, Alternatives Evaluation, Purchase Decision, and Post-Purchase Evaluation. 

I began by googling Italian restaurants in Salt Lake City in Utah. This is where Information search comes into play. Because this was a place I have never visited and wasn’t familiar with, I also went to Google Maps to help me look at the reviews and photos of the area. My top options were Bucca di Beppo Italian Restaurant, Caffe Molise, and Olive Garden. This is where the Alternatives Evaluation comes into play. 

Starting with Bucca di Beppo which had a rating of 4.2 which is not bad at all. That is nearly 5 stars. It was also pretty affordable as it only had two dollar signs next to it ($$). Caffe Molise had a rating of 4.5 which compared to our first option it is higher. It is also pretty affordable and has only two dollar signs. Our third option which is Olive Garden, has a rating of 4.4 which is also not bad and only one point lower than our second option. In finding the perfect dining that fits my standards, I am looking for a restaurant that offers not only great food, but also great customer service and scenery as I want my experience to be enjoyable.

Ultimately I had decided to go with Caffe Molise. This is where the Purchase Decision stage comes into play. The reason I chose this as the restaurant I would like to dine at is because most of the reviews were positive about people talking about how the food was great but also about how their customer service was up to par. If there so happened to be a bad review, they always replied and offered to make it up to them which is a good business ethic to take note of. They also had an outstanding interior which really gave the feeling of a cafe, yet provided italian food which I thought was pretty cool. In addition to that, they also had beautiful outdoor dining. 

Who knew there were so many stages of just coming to a decision on something. Personally I feel like it is good to recognize these stages as it gave me a better understanding on Consumer Decision Making and made me realize the things I should take into consideration when deciding on a product or service. 

This week in Marketing 100 we discussed the importance and the different steps of “Consumer decision making. The different steps include identifying a need, searching for options, evaluating alternatives, deciding on what to purchase, and often we reflect on our purchase and decide whether or not we will stick this place or item.

Being in a new State, I need to find my boyfriend and I a fancy Italian restaurant in Salt Lake City Utah. Whenever we are visiting a new State, we love to go out every night and try new places although we had not seen targeted ads around our hotel. I am searching for a place with a nice ambience, good music and price does not matter. I would like for the place we choose to have a nice variety of drinks.

After I established my needs and wants for tonight’s dinner, I decided to run to google, Instagram, and yelp to do some searching. Google gave so many options. I narrowed the options down to 4, by checking how many stars they had. The first being Caffe Molise (4 ½ stars), Stanza Italian Bistro (4 ½ stars), Valter’s Osteria (4.6 stars), and lastly Italian Graffiti (4 stars).

After picking 4 restaurants that stood out to me, I began evaluating what these restaurants had to offer to my boyfriend and I. Caffe Molise offers live Jazz with the John Flanders’s on Friday nights. Caffee Molise is also reasonably priced. Stanza Italian Bistro offered a five course, prix-fixe dinner for &120 per person. Valter’s Osteria gave a very homely feel from the website and also mentioned that “Valter’s old favorites honed from his mother’s cooking to inventive new dishes highlighting seasonal specialties await you.”. The last restaurant to research was Italian Graffiti, Italian Graffiti was highlighted for their outdoor seating, romantic vibe, fine dining, and for their locally sourced ingredients. Pictures of the restaurant and food were very appealing.

That Night for dinner we decided to go with Italian Graffiti. From the pictures on Instagram and google, the ambiance was magnificent. The place was a little pricey but worth it. Their cocktails were amazing, my favorite was the Italian Ice Cocktail.

While doing this assignment I realize we use this process way more then we think. I am interested in purchasing a new Louis Vuitton bag and I can honestly say I have been doing the first 3 steps almost every other day, because I want the perfect bag. It is likely that my preferences may be the same as other consumers when looking for a good restaurant, or a new bag.

Consumer Decision Making Writing Assignment

For this assignment I am going to discuss Buyer Behavior and my consumer decision making process. I will focus more specifically on the 4th stage (purchase) in the context of my decision in selecting an Italian restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah for dinner.

Consumer decision making is a 5-stage process that we all as consumers employ daily to make a final purchase decision. The 5 stages as it relates to my choice of restaurant are:
1. Recognition of a problem or need – my need to eat dinner and where to go.
2. Search for information – using online platforms such as google reviews and services such as
yelp to assist in my brainstorming.
3. Evaluation of alternatives – reviewing various Italian restaurants to see which closely match
my desire.
4. Purchase decision – after weighing the options, deciding on a restaurant and meal.
5. Post purchase evaluation – did the restaurant and food consumed satisfy my wants and needs.

As previously stated, I will delve further into stage 4 – my consumer decision making process. After going through the motions of stage 1 and 2, without any previous knowledge of the area or targeted ads, I hopped online and onto google and yelp. Upon reviewing various restaurants and looking at external factors such as proximity, affordability, ambience, and the menu I narrowed my choices to 3 restaurants:
1. Caffe Molise on 404 S W Temple Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (4.5 stars/2911 reviews)
2. Stanza Italian Bistro & Wine Bar on 454 E 300 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (4.4 stars/853
reviews)
3. Cucina Toscana on 282 300 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (4.3 stars/547 reviews)

I used a combination of ratings and reviews from fellow consumers along with the descriptions provided of the restaurants on google and the menus offered to further influence my decision.
The use of reviews, as an external factor, helped to paint a picture of what appealed to consumers of Salt Lake City

I then turned my attention to the description of each restaurant and the illustrative words such as “art-filled” for Caffe Molise, “classy, multilevel, sophisticated…” for Stanza and “trendy, upmarket” for Cucina Toscana. This along with imagery provided by both consumer and establishment helped to provide a better sense of the ambience and overall vibe of each restaurant.
While all the factors mentioned above played a role, my ultimate decision rests in the menu offered. At this point I also utilized descriptions and pictures of each dish to get a sense for which resonated with me the most. I decided on Stanza Italian Bistro & Wine Bar which offered the duck breast entrée – cooked medium rare, ravioli with duck confit, goat cheese, roasted leek & fennel, chestnut honey, and ginger glazed heirloom carrots, creamed sweet corn, pea shoots, candied oranges, and leek confit for $42. This restaurant and menu/dish were able to effectively use, in that moment, all the factors such as proximity, price ambience etc. to solve and satisfy my initial problem – what to eat in Salt Lake City.

After evaluating and ultimately deciding on a restaurant and meal which came down to my personal preference and palette, other consumers may have similar taste which would drive decision making in terms of meal choice. With respect to restaurants, I personally fall on the more adventurous side and tend to choose places with a more eclectic menu. In this case I would be willing to overlook price if the product offered fits my desire. Whereas other consumers may choose to take a more conventional route, given the lack of knowledge of the Salt Lake area, and go with a chain restaurant such as Olive Garden which offers a more standardized product and affordable price.

Prior to my choosing Stanza, I would have thought the consumer decision making process to be complexed with terms such as “Recognition of problem or need” simply meaning what do you desire in that moment or “Post purchase evaluation” – did you enjoy after selecting then using/consuming.

In conclusion I have come to realize this is a process that we as consumers undertake several times a day. The frequency of this process makes it understandable why marketers would assemble teams (decision making units) to influence buyer behavior and contribute to the decision-making process. However, while this may be true, in this instance, in my selecting a restaurant, the purchase decision was influenced more by peer review and my personal taste vs product offered.