Restaurant customer satisfaction and return patronage in a Bloemfontein shopping mall

Hermanus Johannes Moolman

doi:10.4102/ac.v11i1.157

Abstract

Purpose: Restaurants form one of the core components of a mall's retail offering and its tenant mix. In order to successfully manage the tenant mix, research suggests that mall management continuously monitor their tenants' performance through customer satisfaction and return patronage surveys. The purpose of the study on which this article is based, was to gain insight into restaurant customers' satisfaction and return patronage in a shopping mall context. Research questions: The research was conceptualised with the following three research questions in mind: Which dining attributes are important for customer satisfaction and return patronage in mall restaurants? Is there a difference in restaurant customers' satisfaction and return patronage levels based on their demographic characteristics? Is there a difference in restaurant customers' satisfaction and return patronage in the respective mall restaurants? Design / methodology / approach: A mixed-methods research design was followed. The views of restaurateurs and mall managers were explored (qualitative) and 590 customers of eight restaurants situated in the mall successfully completed questionnaires (quantitative). Analysis of variance, t-tests, correlation analysis and regression analysis were performed to reach the objectives of the study. Findings: This research showed that food quality, quality service, restaurant ambience, the quality of facilities and the presence of management are important attributes in contributing to customers' overall dining satisfaction. Food quality and overall dining satisfaction are regarded as important attributes for restaurant customers' decision to return to a mall restaurant. Demographic characteristics of restaurant customers have little impact on customer satisfaction and return patronage levels. Mall restaurants were not equally successful in satisfying their customers in terms of service quality, quality of facilities and the presence of management. Implications: From a managerial perspective, it is important for mall restaurateurs to continuously strive to increase the levels of customer satisfaction and return patronage by emphasising the dining attributes identified in this article. Mall management needs to monitor customers' satisfaction in those restaurants that obtained significantly lower customer satisfaction ratings. Restaurateurs should address areas identified for improvement by this research. Originality / value: This article offers the South African restaurant subsector increased insight into customers' satisfaction and return patronage. The contribution of this article is unique in that, for the first time, customer satisfaction and return patronage are investigated from the context of restaurants situated in the same mall. The research findings supported the strategic responsible growth objectives of the National Tourism Sector Strategy.

Highlights

This article offers the South African restaurant subsector increased insight into customers’ satisfaction and return patronage
The research questions were conceptualised by taking into account the concerns raised by the mall management and restaurateurs, namely: Which dining attributes are important for customer satisfaction and return patronage in mall restaurants? Is there a difference in restaurant customers’ satisfaction and return patronage levels, based on their demographic characteristics? Is there a difference in restaurant customers’ satisfaction and return patronage in the respective mall restaurants?
The managerial implications pertaining to restaurant customers’ satisfaction, their return patronage, demographic characteristics, and the levels of customer satisfaction and return patronage in the different mall restaurants are discussed

Summary

INTRODUCTION

“South African shopping malls are a retail force to be reckoned with” (South African Tourism, 2010). The contribution of the research on which this article reports is unique in that, for the first time, customer satisfaction and return patronage were investigated from the context of restaurants situated in the same mall. The Tourism Satellite Account for 2005 (SSA, 2009:41,44) estimated that the subsector constituted 1.66 per cent of the tourism industry’s contribution towards the gross domestic product (GDP) of South Africa and provided for 68 705 jobs in the tourism industry in 2005. In order to address these challenges, and to accelerate the responsible growth of the South African tourism industry from 2010 to 2015, the Minister of Tourism (RSA NDT, 2011:17) identified the development of people and the provision of decent work to tourism employees; and the provision of world-class service to consumers as two of the eleven strategic objectives of the National Tourism Sector Strategy. The research questions were conceptualised by taking into account the concerns raised by the mall management and restaurateurs, namely: Which dining attributes are important for customer satisfaction and return patronage in mall restaurants? Is there a difference in restaurant customers’ satisfaction and return patronage levels, based on their demographic characteristics? Is there a difference in restaurant customers’ satisfaction and return patronage in the respective mall restaurants?

METHODOLOGY

FINDINGS

Results and discussion

CONCLUSION AND MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS

CONCLUSION

LIMITATIONS