Service quality, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in fast‐food restaurants

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to explore the potential dimensions of service quality, and examine the relationship among service quality, food quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions in fast‐food restaurants (FFRs).Design/methodology/approachThe construct reliability and validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modeling was employed to estimate the relationship among service quality, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intentions.FindingsResults indicated that five dimensions were significant: tangibles, reliability/responsiveness, recovery, assurance, and empathy. Service quality and food quality were two main determinants of customer satisfaction. The insignificance of perceived value is potentially due to the homogeneous nature of the construct within the FFR group rather than the importance of the perceived value construct within food service.Originality/valueThe FFR success model, using the original five in the SERVPERF scale and another new dimension “recovery” to measure service quality, was empirically examined in the fast food industry. Several potential antecedents of satisfaction, including service quality, food quality and perceived value were also tested.

The Effect of Service and Food Quality on Customer Satisfaction and Hence Customer Retention

“…As a result, five aspects of food quality were adopted from Ryu et al (2012), namely: the food is fresh, the food is delicious, the food is nutritious, there is a variety of menu items and the smell of the food is enticing. Qin and Prybutok (2009) explored the potential dimensions of service quality and examined the relationships between service quality, food quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions in fast-food restaurants and pointed out that food quality has a positive and direct influence on customer satisfaction.…”

“…Service quality is measured using Parasuraman et al (1988) five attributes: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Food quality consists of five dimensions: the food is fresh, delicious and nutritious, there is a variety of menu items and the smell of the food is enticing (Qin & Prybutok, 2009;Ryu et al, 2012). Customer satisfaction is measured using self-reported satisfaction, customer mood www.ccsenet.org/ass Asian Social Science Vol.…”

Impact of a Mediating Role of Repurchase Intentions on Customer Retention

“…There are many academic studies that address service quality and customer satisfaction [4], [5]. Examination of mutual relationships among tourist-perceived service quality, value, satisfaction, and intentions to repurchase packaged tour services from tour operators received substantial attention [6].…”

Importance and the Zone of Tolerance of Customer Expectations of Fast Food Services

“…The use of a group of university students as a sample is convenient from the point of view of their homogeneity-young people with values associated with those held by fast food service providers, regarding efficient service, and also university students being in a category of subjects with formal education, and a sharpened critical sense (JOHNSON and MATHEWS, 1997;LEE and UGALDO, 1997;NILSSON-WITELL and FUNDIN, 2005;MACHADO et al, 2006;QIN and PRYBUTOK, 2009). Most likely, people of different social status, ages and backgrounds, would present different hierarchies of service attributes related to fast food.…”

“…Goyal and Singh (2007) con-ducted research about fast food in India, consulting 171 university students, having as its objective the identification of factors that influence them in the choice of a restaurant, they found the following hierarchy: variety, quality and flavor of the food, environment and hygiene, speed, price and location. Qin and Prybutok (2009) investigated the relationship among service quality, food quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions in fast-food restaurants. They surveyed 305 USA college students in USA.…”