The Effect of the Service Encounter Element in Korean Restaurants upon Customer's Emotion Feelings, Customer Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intention - Focused on Foreigners Living in Korea -

Abstract

The two purposes of this study were to understand service encounters in Korean restaurants by foreigners living in Korea and to examine the effect of service encounters on the customer's emotion feelings, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intention. Based on the reactions of a total of 614 foreigners obtained by empirical research, this study reviews the reliability and fitness of the research model, and verifies a total of 4 hypotheses using the Amos program. The hypothesized relationships in the model were tested simultaneously using a structural equation model (SEM). The proposed model provided an adequate fit to the data: 683.466 (df=216), CMIN/df 3.164, RMR 0.095, GFI 0.911, AGFI 0.886, NFI 0.933, CFI 0.953, and RMSEA 0.059. As a result of empirical analysis, the physical environment, interactions with employees, and interactions with other customers were quantified as service encounter factors in Korean restaurants. These factors were indicated to have an influence on customer's emotion feelings. Also, customer's emotion feelings had a positive influence on customer satisfaction and behavioral intent. Limitations and future research are also discussed.