Quality assessment of Brazilian fast-food business services

Abstract

This paper aims to measure the quality of service provided by fast-food companies from the Brazilian university students' perspectives. A questionnaire was conducted based on ServQual, and a five-point Likert scale was used to assess the expectations and perceptions of the items analysed. Multivariate analyses were applied to treat redundant items, eliminate those that briefly explain the data variability, and determine new categorisations. As a result, it was noticed that expectations were not met on any dimensions or items. The reliability and tangibility dimensions obtained the worst performance and need special attention since they can mostly negatively impact customer loyalty and overall satisfaction. The terms 'fast order delivery', 'quick table cleaning' and 'efficient supplying' were the worst assessed within these dimensions and might require more improvements. After the multivariate analyses, the proposed conceptual model remained with three previous dimensions (empathy, responsiveness, and reliability), and three new dimensions emerged (convenience, aesthetics, and assurance). This work contributes to the literature by identifying the most critical aspects and items and the integration of ServQual and multivariate analyses to treat and reorganise the items and dimensions of quality in fast-food services.