Effects of work status congruence and perceived management concern for employees on turnover intentions in a fast casual restaurant chain

The current study examines a proposed turnover intention model on hourly employees in a large fast casual dining restaurant chain located in the United States. High levels of turnover have been a consistent and costly issue in the restaurant industry. The study was developed to help restaurant owners and managers determine how relationships between variables influence the turnover intentions of their employees, in order to overcome the economic hardship that organizations face when their turnover rates are high. Many factors were found to influence employee turnover intentions, including work status congruence, perceived management concern for employees, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Hence, it is important for fast casual restaurant operators in the United States to develop their managers' human resource skills, in order to have satisfied and committed hourly employees, who should as a result develop lower turnover intentions. Managerial and academic implications are discussed in detail.     

Retention Factors of Tipped Hourly Employees in the Casual Dining Restaurant Segment: Exploratory Research in Central Florida

ABSTRACT

Hourly employee retention has been a major area of concern for casual dining restaurant operators. The current exploratory research employed a self-administered questionnaire asking 96 tipped casual dining restaurant hourly employees from 12 different restaurants in the Central Florida region of the United States to rate the importance of 21 employment characteristics of their job and their actual experience with these employment characteristics. The findings revealed that the most important employment characteristics were: flexible working hours, consistent working hours, and nice people to work with. These findings differed from a similar previous study done in 2004 with quick service restaurant employees who rated nice people to work with, humane approach to employees, and hourly wages as the most important employment characteristics. The current study showed statistically significant differences between the level of importance and actual experience attached to 18 of the 21 employment characteristics, which could explain some potential areas of misperception between hourly employees and managers in the industry. These variations can consequently help to explain the high turnover and low retention of employees in the tipped positions in the casual dining restaurant industry. Implications for management are discussed.     

Diners’ responses to talent vs. effort of restaurant employees

When presenting employees’ laudable performance, shall restaurant managers emphasize effort or talent of their employees as the source of such performance? This study is proposed to answer this question. We suggest that diners’ responses to employees’ effort vs. talent hinge on diners’ need to belong and restaurant type. Study 1 shows that diners’ need to belong moderates their responses to effort- vs. talent-focused messages. Study 2 finds that restaurant type (casual vs. fine dining) moderates diners’ responses to effort- vs. talent-focused messages. Diners’ perceptions of fit with employees (Study 1) and persuasiveness of a message (Study 2) are mechanisms underlying the proposed moderating effects. Restaurant managers may benefit from tailoring their messages conveying employee performance on the basis of diners’ need to belong and restaurant type.     

Matching visitation-motives and restaurant attributes in casual dining restaurants

This study empirically examines the relationship between the visitation motives and attributes evaluation in the casual dining restaurant context. Based on the focus group discussions, the visitation motives and the restaurant attributes that are considered relevant by the patrons in evaluation of restaurant experience were identified. Data on restaurant visitation motives and attributes importance was collected from 316 patrons of casual dining restaurants in India. A nonlinear canonical correlation was performed to examine the relationship between visitation motives and attributes importance. The results reveal that the attribute importance varied across the visitation motives. Managerial implications, limitations and future research directions are also suggested.     

The antecedents and consequence of consumer attitudes toward restaurant brands: A comparative study between casual and fine dining restaurants

This study examined a theoretical model examining interrelationships among three service qualities (i.e., physical environment quality, interactional quality, and outcome quality). In addition, this study investigated the effects of three service qualities on utilitarian and hedonic attitudes toward restaurant brands and the mediating effects of such attitudes in forming brand preference in full-service restaurants. To further understand unique differences, this study conducted a multi-group analysis comparing the proposed relationships between 318 casual and 303 fine dining patrons (621 full-service restaurant patrons in total). In the full-service restaurant setting, the results of data analysis indicated significant interrelationships among three service qualities. Physical environment quality explained a large amount of variation in both interactional and outcome quality. In turn, interactional quality had a positive effect on outcome quality. Physical environment quality had a significant effect only on hedonic attitude. Interactional and outcome qualities had significant effects on utilitarian and hedonic attitudes toward restaurant brands. Finally, utilitarian and hedonic attitudes toward restaurant brands enhanced brand preference. When separately analyzed, the effect of physical environment quality on hedonic attitude became not significant in casual dining segment. Further, the effect of outcome quality on utilitarian attitude became not significant in fine dining segment. Both theoretical and managerial implications of the results are discussed.     

Does offering an organic food menu help restaurants excel in competition? An examination of diners’ decision-making

This study aims to examine whether the presence of an organic food menu can positively influence diners’ decision-making. A 3 (restaurant segment: quick service vs. casual dining vs. fine dining) by 2 (price discrepancy between competing restaurants: small vs. large) scenario-based experiment was conducted with 405 U.S. consumers. MANCOVA results indicate that using organic ingredients offers a greater advantage for the quick-service segment regarding perceived food quality, attitudes towards the restaurant, and willingness to select, compared to casual and fine dining segments. The magnitude of a premium price of organic ingredients negatively influences such advantage in the process of consumers’ decision-making. When a large (vs. small) premium price is charged for using organic ingredients, customers’ preferences for the restaurant (over its rival) significantly drops to such an extent that customers are more willing to choose the competitor (i.e., rival restaurant with a conventional menu). Discussions and implications are further elaborated.     

Customer perceived control and the moderating effect of restaurant type on evaluations of restaurant employee performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of customer perceptions of control within the dining experience on their perceptions of employee performance. The moderating influence of restaurant type on the relationship between perceived control and evaluations of employee performance was also examined. Results indicate that high perceived control leads to higher perceptions of employee performance than low perceived control. Results also suggest that increased control has a greater positive effect on employee performance ratings in fine dining restaurants than in more casual restaurant environments.     

The moderating effect of restaurant type on hedonic versus utilitarian review evaluations

Online reviews from consumers are critically important to the restaurant business. This study identified a heuristic processing of content richness and source credibility and applied both for utilitarian and hedonic evaluations. Furthermore, we analyzed the moderating effect of restaurant type (casual, luxury fine dining restaurant). A total of 2629 online reviews were used, with 1323 reviews for three casual restaurants and 1306 reviews for three luxury restaurants. To collect the data, web harvesting and web content mining were conducted to extract useful information by employing an R program. which automatically extract online data. The results reveal that the effect of content richness and source credibility on utilitarian evaluations are greater for a casual restaurant than for a luxury restaurant, whereas only the number of content-rich images had a higher effect on hedonic evaluations of a casual restaurant. The implications of the findings can contribute to the development of marketing strategies.     

Revisit and satiation patterns: Are your restaurant customers satiated?

This study was designed based on the notion that when people visit a restaurant repeatedly their overall enjoyment of the dining experience may decrease due to the nature of satiation. Thus, this study set out to understand the effect of repeated experiences on consumers’ affective responses. Specifically, this study examined whether or not repeated visits contribute to diners’ satiation and, if so, to identify patterns of satiation. To fulfill these objectives, this study randomly distributed questionnaires to customers of upscale and casual dining restaurants in the U.S. The results of this study suggested that consumers’ satiation levels increase according to the frequency of visits over both two- and six-week periods. However, satiation patterns differ over the two periods. Upscale restaurant customers feel satiated more quickly than casual dining restaurant customers when they revisit the same restaurant more often. Further, customers with more self-control feel less satiated after repeated dining experiences than customers with less self-control. However, customers with different optimal stimulation levels did not show a difference in satiation patterns after repeated dining experiences. Detailed findings and implications are provided in the main body of this study.     

Supplier selection and partnerships: Effects upon restaurant operational and strategic benefits and performance

This study focused on identifying strategic criteria involved in selecting suppliers of restaurant products/services specific to casual dining, full service independent restaurants to obtain operational and strategic benefits for those managers operating in this highly competitive marketplace. A total of 765 responses were obtained from managers at independently owned restaurants throughout the U.S. Results revealed that ‘product’ and ‘financial/technical’ criteria had significant and positive effects upon operational benefits, while ‘product’ and ‘service’ had positive effects upon strategic benefits. When the sample was segmented into low and high supplier partnership groups, the positive effects of ‘financial/technical’ and ‘cost/price’ were significantly greater for the ‘high’ partnership group pertaining to operational benefits. ‘Product’ and ‘service’ and their effects upon strategic benefits were greatest for the high partnership group. Based on our findings, implications, limitations, and recommendations for future studies have been provided.     

The impact of personal and functional aspects of restaurant employee service behaviour on customer satisfaction

Employee behaviour plays a significant role in satisfying restaurant customers, however, there is a paucity of research highlighted personal and functional aspects of employee behaviour and their influence on customer satisfaction. Accordingly, this study aims to bring a deeper insight of the impact of restaurant employee service behaviour on customer satisfaction. Using survey approach, the current study collected data from 212 tourists who had a dining experience in Jordan. The results of data analysis showed that both functional and personal aspects of service behaviour where able to explain customer satisfaction, with higher contribution of personal aspects over the functional ones. Depending on study’s findings, some implications were suggested including a recommendation to foodservice managers to adopt reinforcement programs that improve functional and personal aspects of their employees. A further recommendation was proposed to marketers, to give a higher attention to personal aspects of foodservices in their marketing activities.     

A model for wine list and wine inventory yield management

Fine dining restaurants with extensive wine lists often have high-value wine inventories and low inventory turnover ratios that reduce the owner's return on investment. The restaurant management literature does not provide fine dining restaurant managers with the tools that enable them to evaluate and make changes to wine list selections, pricing and inventory levels in order to improve the returns from the investment in wine inventory. This paper contributes to the literature by drawing concepts from yield management, retail science and menu engineering to develop a yield statistic and analytical model for managing wine list and wine inventory productivity. WINSPID (wine sales per inventory dollar) is the product of wine mark-up and inventory turnover ratio. Graphs of wine sales and inventory data, mark-up and inventory turnover ratio enable the restaurant manager to analyse, improve and monitor the wine list, wine inventory and wine supplier performance.     

Understanding the relationship between food experiential quality and customer dining satisfaction: A perspective on negative bias

This research explores how food experiential quality of consumers affects their overall dining satisfaction. Drawing on negative bias theory, we propose a nonlinear relationship between food experiential quality and customer dining satisfaction. Moreover, we investigate how restaurant price moderates the nonlinear relationship between food experiential quality and customer dining satisfaction. Results of the threshold model using 10,950 online reviews of 219 restaurants on Dianping.com provide support for the proposed hypotheses. The results suggest that a curvilinear relationship is found between food experiential quality dining satisfaction, and the turning points of nonlinear returns decreases for restaurants that belong to high-priced groups. Theoretically, our findings contribute to the existing literature by considering the nonlinear effect of food experiential quality on customer dining satisfaction in the hospitality area through the lens of negative bias, as well as considering the boundary condition. Practically, our findings suggest that restaurant managements can improve customer dining satisfaction through focusing on the food experiential quality of their customers and enhancing their response to customers who have low-level food experiential quality. In addition, if the restaurant price is high, restaurant managers should provide high-level of food experiential quality.     

The research design used to develop a high performance management system construct for US restaurant managers

Studies suggest that when organizations place a higher value on their employees, through the implementation of high performance management systems (HPMSs), their business performance improves. Those that have conceptualized the HPMS construct in the service sector have limited validity for the restaurant industry. To fill this gap this paper presents the research methods used to develop a construct for a HPMS within the casual restaurant sector of the US hospitality industry. The exploratory qualitative methodology that combines a variety of data collection techniques including interviews for the pilot study, the Delphi method and secondary data collection to establish the most salient dimensions of a HPMS in the casual restaurant industry, are discussed. Thirteen key HPMS dimensions are identified; training and skill development, employer of choice, information sharing, selectivity in recruiting, measurement of HR practices, promotion from within, quality of work/life, diversity, incentive pay based on performance appraisal, participation and empowerment, employee ownership, self-managed teams and high wages. In addition, an overarching HPMS construct is developed as a first step in identifying the link between HR practices and restaurant performance.     

The indirect impact of casual dining on low-end gaming in destination and local casinos

The role of casino amenities is an important issue for casino operators and developers seeking to maximize gaming revenues, space utilization, and return-on-investment. The indirect impact of casual restaurant covers on low-denomination slot volume and cash table drop was investigated using daily data from two casinos. One casino primarily served local repeat customers while the other catered to a drive-in tourist business. Using estimates from time-series regression analysis, restaurant covers were significantly related to gaming volumes. The impact of dining volume on low-end slot play was especially strong in the local market casino, resulting in a substantial financial contribution.     

Drivers and resources of customer co-creation: A scenario-based case in the restaurant industry

The aim of this study was to build and test a model that explores customer co-creation by integrating drivers and resources that promote customer co-creation. This study used a scenario-based survey that combines respondents’ personal experiences of dining at a full-service restaurant and their responses to the hypothetical scenario of the co-creation experience. The population of the study was restaurant customers in the United States who visited any full-service restaurant within the previous three months before the survey date. Using convenience sampling, respondents were recruited from the Amazon Mechanical Turk. A total of 501 responses were used for data analysis using a two-step approach of structural equation modeling. This study found that customers with a higher level of knowledge, self-efficacy, and motivation are more likely to participate in the co-creation experience. In addition, the results supported the role of the customer as a resource integrator during the co-creation experience.     

Why do you use Yelp? Analysis of factors influencing customers’ website adoption and dining behavior

The number of review websites has increased within the past years since more people rely on online reviews to help their decision-making process. Previous studies have either focused on the attributes of the content posted on review websites (i.e., reviews) or customers’ behavior concerning their selection of review website on which to post reviews. This study, however, extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate the factors that influence individuals’ restaurant review website adoption behaviors to read reviews and make dining decisions. In addition, this study will look at the differences in individuals’ perceptions of various restaurant review websites (i.e., Yelp vs. others). The findings revealed the role of influential factors on individuals’ review website adoption and dining decisions as well as the differences in proposed structural relationships among various restaurant review websites.     

Restaurant Customers’ Perceptions of Noise and Their Satisfaction and Loyalty Behaviors

This exploratory study expands the current literature on servicescapes by examining the total noise environment in restaurants and the impact of ambient noise levels and general restaurant attributes on customer satisfaction and loyalty behavior, defined as the customer's willingness to return to a restaurant and motivation to recommend it. The researchers surveyed guests at one casual dining restaurant in the Southwestern United States. The results showed that services, physical attributes, and quality of food and beverage had significant impact on overall satisfaction, overall atmosphere, and loyalty behaviors. Noise level factors such as effects of noise and appropriateness of noise levels, influenced overall satisfaction, but not loyalty behaviors.     

Study on the Utilization of Restaurant Services by the Disabled and their Demand for Better Access in Korea

This study is on disabled peoples' utilization of and demands for better access to restaurants, which are a social and cultural activity. A survey was conducted on 172 physically or mentally challenged persons regarding their utilization of restaurants, criteria for choosing a restaurant, inconveniences while visiting restaurants and requests for improvements. For dining to be more accessible to the disabled, mobility within restaurants, accessibility to restaurants and improvements in their facilities are urgently needed. A change in attitude by the people in the restaurant industry and encouragement at the government level are also needed.     

The impact of the social servicescape,density, and restaurant type on perceptions of interpersonal service quality

The purpose of this study was to investigate how density in the servicescape affects the three interpersonal dimensions of Stevens et al., (1995) DINESERV conceptualization of service quality (responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) across various restaurant types. Using the framework of information processing theory, it was predicted that when a customer uses density to evaluate anticipated service quality, the information processing style will vary depending on the restaurant context. For fine dining restaurants and sports bars, it was predicted that customers will use heuristic processing, but would use systematic processing when evaluating a family casual restaurant. A 3 (contextual service norms) × 2 (built density) × 2 (human density) between subjects factorial design was employed. The results identified a three-way interaction between human density, built density, and restaurant type, suggesting that the type of restaurant does indeed matter when considering how density impacts potential customers’ perceptions of a restaurant.