Employee Service Quality at Uzbekistani Halal Restaurants Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Zoirova Shokhsanam,Young-Joo Ahn

doi:10.3390/su13105712

Abstract

In this study, we examined the employee service dimensions which are associated with satisfaction and customers’ intention to revisit among Uzbekistani customers who visit halal restaurants in Korea. We also investigated the situational factor of the pandemic outbreak and the moderating role of the restaurant locations. A total of 264 respondents participated. The results revealed that behavior quality and appearance were important employee service quality dimensions for halal restaurants. However, interaction quality and expertise quality were not associated with satisfaction. The results may indicate that consumers did not prefer human interactions at the restaurants because of the risk of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The results affirmed that customers who positively evaluated their restaurant experience showed a higher intention to visit again. Finally, the findings showed a moderating effect of the location (the capital city vs. others). The customers visiting restaurants in the capital city were likely to be satisfied with employees wearing masks and wearing clean uniforms. These findings could enrich the literature on the multidimensional aspects of service encounters at Uzbekistani halal restaurants considering the tangible and intangible service qualities of employees during COVID-19.

Highlights

We focus on multidimensional aspects of service encounters at Uzbekistani halal restaurants, considering the tangible and intangible service quality of employees based on the existing model [34]
As the previous research has highlighted the important aspects of service encounters [1,34], we explore the employee service quality at halal restaurants
This study focused on people from Uzbekistan who had visited Uzbekistani ethnic restaurants in South Korea within the last 6 months

Summary

Introduction

Many studies have discussed the role of service encounter quality using the existing service quality models [1,2,3,4,5]. Customers have a pleasant experience at restaurants when trained employees provide a warm welcome and personalized service through communication and attentive care [6]. The functional and personal roles of service employees are considered key for the delivery of excellent service quality [6,7,8]. Service encounter failures lead to customer complaints, dissatisfaction, negative brand image and low performance [9], whereas excellent service quality is crucial for positive customer evaluations and their patronage of restaurants [8,10]. Service encounter quality is a crucial concept in the restaurant industry [6]

Methods

Results

Conclusion