Introduction
For this assignment, I chose two different dining experiences that I had when I was on vacation with my parents in Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain. Spain is famous for its delicious food, including paella, seafood, and many others, and Barcelona is a touristic hub of Spain where there are plenty of places to eat from affordable brunch places to exclusive restaurants.
Foodservice operation dining: La Paradeta, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
First, I will describe my dining experience at regular foodservice operation, that is not fancy and expensive. I had the chance to dine at the place called “La Paradeta” which is famous for its fresh and affordable seafood at large quantities. Many people on the internet and my friends and relatives recommended this place. Before coming to La Paradeta, I expected to have fast service due to affordable prices, plenty of seafood and to experience something new. I was lucky and happy that the place definitely met my expectations in terms of great prices, great food, interesting place where the customer sees and chooses fresh seafood, and then seafood is cooked around in ten-fifteen minutes. The quality of the food was great, and the products were exceptionally fresh. Despite that there was self-service, the stuff were nice and welcoming. La Paradeta also had a very wide beverage choice, from tea to beer. I spent around an hour or even more while eating at La Paradeta, enjoying huge portions of mussels, shrimps, squids and cooked salad and soup according to the recipes that already exist for many years in a row. La Paradeta proves that not everything that is cheap and has a self sevice is bad, instead, affordable food is a must thing to try, especially if it is La Paradeta. La Paradeta brought me value thanks to fresh and tasty food, wide selection of drinks, welcoming stuff, affordable prices and unforgettable experience via seeing fresh seafood like in the markets.
Fine Dining: El Nacional, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
My second dining experience was at fine and fancy restaurant called “El Nacional” in Barcelona which was also beloved food destination both for locals and for tourists. The food was expensive; however, it was not that good according to the price of 35 euros per beef steak portion. The beverage choice was great; however, because of the beefsteak that was not ready enough, I could not enjoy the red wine that I chose. Overall, I spent more than one hour, around one hour and thirty minutes at El Nacional. The service was okay, it was not perfect according to the price and the interior. We were not asked about the quality of our food, if we needed something else or things like that. As a result, me, as the customer, did not had any value from El Nacional, in other words, it was a waste of money.
The Summary
In the conclusion, the customer must always gain a value while attending restaurants and cafes to eat. It is important for the customer to feel unique when he/she goes to fine and fancy places, it gives the value for the customer. For middle priced places, customer wants to get experience, along with fast and tasty food.
