SERVICE QUALITY AND BRAND LOYALTY: EVIDENCE FROM CHAIN FAST FOOD COMPANIES IN SOUTHS EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

This study determined the influence of service quality on customer loyalty in chain fast food companies inSouth East Nigeria. It was a survey that was guided by three objectives and three research hypotheses.Consumers of chain fast food products and services served as respondents while the sample size was 323. A17-itemed questionnaire on a 4-point scale which reliability test produced a co-efficient of 0.79 served asresearch instrument and accessibility sampling technique was used in the administration of the instrument.Descriptive and inferential statistics on SPSS version 23 were used to analyze the data generated. Findingsrevealed that, reliability dimension has positive/significant relationship with brand loyalty(R = 0.504);responsiveness dimension has positive/significant relationship with brand loyalty (R = 0.245) whiletangibles dimension has a negative relationship with brand loyalty (R = -0.023). In view of the findings, thestudy concluded that reliability and responsiveness dimensions of service quality have positive /significantrelationships with brand loyalty while tangibles dimension has a negative relationship with brand loyalty inthe study area and therefore recommended that managers of fast food companies must among others ensurethat service promises are fulfilled, billings are properly done and training of service providers made toppriority in order to improve their speed and mitigate service defects and failures in service delivery