Peoples and Organization

What are the connections between theatre and T.G.I. Friday’s? Is the dramaturgical analogy a good one?

TGI Fridays aims to be a newfangled dining experience a world away from the poor service processes of typical fast food joints. The cynosure of Thank Goodness its Friday is casual American dining. The all American and theatrical ambience to the restaurants, stem from the fist branch which opened in New York City. The main connection between theatre and TGI Fridays is the interior designs and various photos from motion pictures decorating the walls of each establishment. The first restaurants employed an antique picker to locate memorabilia that was unique as well as idiosyncratic to the new location. The red and white stripes are at the foundation of the theme of TGI with the transformation from what would have been another restaurant space to a theatrical stage, through the use of interior design. All restaurants have a sign above the door which reads in here it’s always Friday. The antiques incorporated in most restaurants are a propeller and a skull containing a pair of saddle shoes and a bottle of champagne portraying the staff ethos revolving around teamwork and the marking of success. In Interactive Services marketing Fisk pointedly quotes Shakespeare All the world is a stage (222, 2004) Fisk observes that the best received and most successful service organizations learn to stage their performances. This requires managing the front stage and backstage areas, their actors (employees) and their audience (customers). Teams of service workers deliver most service experiences. Such teams must cooperate to create a single impression to which the audience responds (Fisk, 222, 2004) The Dramaturgical approach applies the principles of social psychology to best understand the interaction between the service provider and the service consumer. This approach sees people as actors whose roles differentiate from their own personality. Roles can differentiate due to...