Impact of Extended Marketing Mix of Casual Dining Restaurants on Customer Experience and Customer Satisfaction

Abstract

Hospitality industry is one of the most customer centric industries as it involves direct interaction of the company with the customers. Traditionally, the term ‘restaurant’ was used to refer to the places that provided tables where one can sit down to eat the meal, typically served by a waiter. Over the past few years there has been an incredible rise of fast-food and takeaway restaurants. Therefore, a retronym for the older standard restaurant was created, ‘sit-down restaurant.’ Generally, ‘sit-down restaurant’ refers to a casual dining restaurant, which provide table service, rather than a fast food restaurant where one orders food at a counter. Restaurants could be classified as high-contact services as the service is produced in the presence of the customer [1] as well as the interactions between customers and the other parts of the restaurant offering are important. Going to a restaurant is not about having good food at reasonable prices, it has now become an experience. Customer service experiences are defined as the lasting personal impressions that customers receive upon first encountering a product, service, and/or company, which they hopefully take with them and communicate to others [2]. People go out to eat with their family, friends, and colleagues to have a nice experience which includes fairly priced good food, nice ambience, music, lighting, etc. They now seek a ‘dining experience.’