Introduction
Leisure is very important to individuals and the society in general. According to Stebbins and Graham (2004), leisure is the best way to fight boredom, especially after several months of office work or class work. It refreshes the mind and as Stebbins (2007) says, after taking leisure time, one is always able to approach his or her tasks with greater zeal and the business sector has realized the importance of having leisure. According to Lillard (2013), the need for leisure has seen many public, private, and non-profit making organizations established in this country to meet the growing demand. In this paper, the researcher will compare the leisure services offered by Panorama Restaurant, Royal Ontario Museum, and OutSport Toronto.
Leisure Service Providers
Panorama Restaurant is one of the leading private restaurants in Toronto, Canada (Best, 2010). This private entity offers leisure services both to the local and international customers who regularly visit the city. Goodson (2002) says, “Panorama lounge is a famous downtown Toronto restaurant voted as best Toronto restaurant, best cocktail Toronto, best sky view, and best romantic restaurant” (p. 57). It has a team of management that is committed to understanding the customers’ needs. Its number of users and employees fluctuate based on seasons. It gets its funds from the earnings it gets from its operations.
Royal Ontario Museum is a public museum located in Queen’s Park, Toronto (Stanwick, 2002). It offers natural history and world culture. The current director of this institution is Janet Carding, and the institution currently employs over one million people. Most of the findings for this organization come from the collection fees when people visit the facility (Walden, 2007). There are cases where extra sources of funding come from the government and other corporate institutions willing to support this public facility to enhance its services to the people.
OutSport Toronto is a non-profit making organization operating in Toronto, Canada (Harding & Healy, 2013). The organization is managed by a team of wellness experts who are trying to improve the health status of the adults and the aging population in this country. The main services offered at this facility include hiking, gym services, and other sporting leisure. The number of employees keeps fluctuating because most of them work voluntarily (Stebbins, 2012). The organization is currently serving over 1500 people within the city.
Function and Structure of Recreation and Leisure Service Providers
Similarities
There are striking similarities between these three organizations. It is clear that all aim at offering some form of pleasure away from the regular schedules of work. Their services are flexible based on the needs of the clients, and they all offer a great variety of products. All these organizations offer products that can be consumed by the entire family members. This means that leisure seekers can visit the facilities with their families.
Differences
One of the main differences is in the products offered by these three institutions. Panorama restaurant offers hospitality services, Royal Ontario Museum offers historical and nature artifacts, while OutSport Toronto offers wellness services. While Outsport Toronto mainly focuses on the adults and the aging population within Toronto, Panorama Restaurant and Royal Ontario Museum targets people of all ages from across the world.
Conclusion
From the discussion above, it is clear that leisure is becoming one of the main focuses of both public and private institutions. Panorama Restaurant focuses on hospitality services. On the other hand Royal Ontario Museum focuses on the natural and historic artifacts, and OutSport Toronto’s main focus is on the wellness services.
References
Best, S. (2010). Leisure studies: Themes and perspectives. London: SAGE.
Goodson, M. (2002). Gadsden, city of champions. Charleston, S.C: Arcadia Pub.
Harding, J., & Healy, F. (2013). A Neolithic and Bronze Age Landscape in Northamptonshire: The Raunds Area Project. London: English Heritage Pub.
Lillard, D. (2013). Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Hikes in the Virginias : 2nd Edition. Stackpole Books.
Stanwick, P. E. (2002). Portraits of the Ptolemies: Greek kings as Egyptian pharaohs. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Stebbins, R. A. (2007). Serious leisure: A perspective for our time. New Brunswick, N.J: Transaction Publishers.
Stebbins, R. A. (2012). The idea of leisure: First principles. New Brunswick, N.J: Transaction Publishers.
Stebbins, R. A., & Graham, M. (2004). Volunteering as Leisure/Leisure as Volunteering: An International Assessment. Wallingford: CAB International.
Walden, K. (2007). Becoming Modern in Toronto: The Industrial Exhibition and the shaping of a late Victorian culture. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.