Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ade ORIADE
University of Wolverhampton Faculty of Social Sciences
Paul FALLON
Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Business School
ABSTRACT
This study investigates customers perception of Chinese fast food restaurant service
quality and its relationship with customer satisfaction. Employing modified DINESERV
scale, the study uses both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Qualitative
data collection consisted of face-to-face interviews and group discussion. A questionnaire
was developed using three sources: interview responses of the customers, the
restaurants survey and the literature. A total of 205 completed questionnaires were used
in the analysis. The new measurement scale, Chinese Fast Food Restaurants Service
Quality Scale (CFFRSERV), contained 28 items across six dimensions: assurance and
empathy, food, cleanliness, responsiveness, reliability and tangibles. The findings from
the study revealed that service quality variables have positive influence on customer
satisfaction except reliability dimension. The findings provided a useful tool for service
quality improvement in Chinese fast food restaurants. Validating the scale in other
restaurants in various cities in China is an area for further research.
Key words: Service quality, Satisfaction, Fast food restaurant
INTRODUCTION
Organisations over the years have regarded perceived service quality as a
strategic tool for positioning as well as means of achieving operational
efficiency and improving business performance (Mehta, Lalwani and Han,
2000). Service quality has been seen as critical for the success of
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Human
Interactions
Core product
Lehtinen and
Lehtinen (1982)
Process Quality
Outcome Quality
Grnroos (1984)
Functional Quality
Technical Quality
Parasuraman,
Zeithaml, and Berry
(1988)
Physical
Environment
Tangibles
Reliability
Responsiveness
Assurance
Empathy
Firm
Soft
Lehtinen and
Lehtinen (1991)
Physical Quality
Interactive Quality
Service Environment
Service Delivery
Dabholkar, Thorpe,
and Rentz (1995)
Physical Aspects
Personal Interactions
Reliability
Tangibles
Tangibles 2
Reliability
Responsiveness
Assurance
Empathy
Tangibles
Reliability
Employee
Armistead (1990)
Tangibles
Reliability
Responsiveness
Confidence
Communication
Tangibles
Reliability
Responsiveness
Assurance
Empathy
Recovery
Service Product
Food
Outcome Quality
33
34
35
36
37
%
58
42
13.25
31.7
37.6
9.3
6.3
2.0
38
39
Mean
DS
AS
19
138
47
13
165
27
T :3.92
Z :4.91
4.13
T :4.02
Z :4.09
4.07
T: 3.90
Z: 4.06
4.01
20
162
23
T: 3.73
Z: 4.10
4.00
28
147
29
T: 3.80
Z: 4.07
3.99
27
153
25
T:3.63
Z:3.87
3.91
34
153
17
T:3.75
Z:3.90
3.85
39
157
T:3.66
Z:3.88
3.81
44
152
T:3.63
Z:3.87
3.80
55
130
18
T:3.58
Z:3.88
3.78
54
137
12
3.76
57
125
18
T:3.58
Z:3.81
3.74
59
125
16
T:3.81
Z:3.68
3.72
56
136
T:3.66
Z:3.73
3.71
60
139
Food is fresh
T:3.71
Z:3.58
3.62
78
117
T:3.49
Z:3.64
3.60
83
118
T: 3.25
Z: 3.69
3.57
82
109
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Table 3. Continues
Variable
Mean
DS
AS
T:3.49
Z:3.60
3.57
109
T:3.42
Z:3.59
3.54
95
103
T:3.42
Z:3.58
3.54
94
106
T:3.49
Z:3.53
3.52
88
100
T:3.25
Z:3.48
3.41
11
101
90
T:3.58
Z:3.18
3.29
32
81
89
T:3.92
Z:2.96
3.23
30
102
56
14
T:3.03
Z:3.30
3.22
28
104
72
T:3.03
Z:3.29
3.22
24
113
67
T:3.58
Z:2.92
3.11
35
103
64
T:3.02
Z:3.13
3.10
30
124
48
235
1822 3267
Total
321
41
.861
.844
.711
.683
.650
.644
.631
.600
42
Table 4. Continues
Factor and Variables
F2 - Cleanliness
The FFR has clean restrooms
.770
.763
.762
.736
F3 - Food quality
Food tastes good.
.815
.658
Food is fresh
.637
.610
.601
Facto
r
4
F4 - Reliability
The staff serve your food exactly as you
ordered it
.718
.716
.673
.521
Facto
r
5
F5 - Responsiveness
The staff shifts to help each other
maintain speed of the service during
busy times.
.699
.575
.569
.520
Facto
r
6
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Table 4. Continues
Factor and Variables
F6-Tangibles
The FFR has a dining area which is easy
to move around in.
.760
.695
.635
Eigenvalue
9.535
2.769
1.976
1.266
1.236
1.096
34.054 9.888
7.057
4.522
4.415
3.914
0.847
0.731
0.771
0.789
0.723
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R Square
Adjusted R
Square
.723(a)
.523
.509
df
Sig.
.425
32.248
.000
Regression coefficients
Variables
Beta
Sig.
Food
.470
9.586
.000*
.414
8.441
.000*
Cleanness
.233
4.555
.000*
Responsiveness
.212
4.330
.000*
Tangibles
.173
3.250
.001*
Reliability
.077
1.570
.118
p<0.01
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CFFRSERV within the Chinese fast food restaurants context and to explore
new dimensions of perceived service quality in the fast food industry in
China. Some attributes of service in China perhaps have not been captured
by the CFFRSERV model. For instance, some Western fast food chains
such as KFC have launched online order and delivery service in Beijing,
Shanghai and other cities. Future research should examine the quality of
these new services vis--vis Chinese fast food.
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APPENDIXES
Appendix 1. Responses to Open-ended questions (number of responses in
parenthesis)
Question 1: What do you like best about the restaurants?
TaibeiDoujiang Restaurant
There were many kinds of food to choose from (2)
The staffs were friendly and welcoming (2)
The service is convenient (5)
I appreciate the environmental cleanliness (6)
The location of the restaurant is near to where I am working (6)
I like the taste of the food (27)
Zhengongfu Restaurant
I like the taste of the food (1)
Take away service is efficient. (1)
The price is reasonable (1)
I enjoy the decoration of the restaurant (3)
The environment is comfortable (3)
The staff members are friendly and welcoming (3)
The service is convenient (7)
The location of the restaurant is near to where I am working (8)
I appreciate the healthy food in the restaurant (21)
The service speed is fast (27)
I appreciate the environmental cleanliness (29)
Question 2: How could this restaurant be improved?
TaibeiDoujiang Restaurant
Provide a more comfortable dining environment (1)
Improve take-away service efficiency (1)
Improve the food quantity (4)
Improve the staff attitude (4)
Improve the environmental cleanliness (5)
Improve the service speed (7)
Improve the food variety (8)
Enhance staff professional skill (15)
Improve the taste of the food (38)
Zhengongfu Restaurant
Improve take-away service efficiency (1)
Improve individual attention (1)
Improve the environmental cleanliness (1)
Provide a more comfortable dining environment (1)
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