Adapting Dining Experiences in India Post Pandemic

Abstract

Amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, food businesses have faced significant impacts. The series of lockdowns and concerns surrounding virus transmission have led to a substantial decline in customer visits to dining outlets. The study gathered 1,275 customer reviews from 38 foodservice establishments across four major capital cities in India. Qualitative analysis, facilitated by R programming, was employed to scrutinize reviews written by customers and explore prevalent elements. Bigram analysis was used to assess recurring phrases, enabling researchers to measure the factors influencing customers' dining experiences. The results highlight that guest satisfaction is primarily determined by factors such as food quality, food variety, behavior of staff, ambience, and social distancing and safety norms. The findings underscore the importance of crises management, including staff training to ensure a normal operation and creating a secure system.