Shortage of Employees At Nasi Kandar Restaurant in Penang: Expectations and Customer Satisfaction

Abstract

Several Nasi Kandar establishments have hired foreign workers. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, many foreign workers have returned to their respective countries of origin. However, only a small number returned after the pandemic subsided and the government began allowing reentry into the country. According to the President of Indian Muslim Community Organization Malaysia (iMcom), Mohamed Rizwan Abdul Ghafoor Khan, the number of workers in Nasi Kandar restaurants had already been reduced to 20,000 prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. iMcom has tried to recruit local people, but their response to work in this field has yet to be well received, even though they offer reasonable wages and other benefits. The operator of Nasi Kandar Restaurant began to worry that they may need help to achieve the level of quality needed to satisfy customers. This study aims to see whether quality attributes affect consumer satisfaction with Nasi Kandar restaurants by relying on Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT) as the basis of this research. This paper will uncover some of the three factors related to this area: food, service, and ambience. Three hundred eighty-four questionnaires were distributed, answered, and collected from the Georgetown area in Penang and then analysed using descriptive statistics. This paper uncovers that all three variables that have been tested affect the level of satisfaction of customers who evaluate each Nasi Kandar restaurant they dine. This paper can give an impression to Nasi Kandar restaurant operators that the quality of food, service and ambience are essential in their operations to satisfy customer expectations. This paper suggests that Nasi Kandar restaurant operators must be more creative and innovative in their operations to be more competitive with other modern restaurants.