Fast Food Service Research Articles

Health Implications of Adults' Eating at and Living near Fast Food or Quick Service Restaurants.

Background:This paper examined whether the reported health impacts of frequent eating at a fast food or quick service restaurant on health were related to having such a restaurant near home.Methods:Logistic regressions estimated associations between frequent fast food or quick service restaurant use and health status, being overweight or obese, having a cardiovascular disease or diabetes, as binary health outcomes. In all, 2001 participants in the 2008–2009 Seattle Obesity Study survey were included in the analyses.Results:Results showed eating ⩾2 times a week at a fast food or quick service restaurant was associated with perceived poor health status, overweight and obese. However, living close to such restaurants was not related to negative health outcomes.Conclusions:Frequent eating at a fast food or quick service restaurant was associated with perceived poor health status and higher body mass index, but living close to such facilities was not.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ПОЗИЦІОНУВАННЯ НА РИНКУ РЕСТОРАНІВ ШВИДКОГО ОБСЛУГОВУВАННЯ

The article focuses on the importance of positioning in the restaurant business. Customized to fast food market restaurants method of positioning is developed in the article. The proposed method consists of four stages: information, research, analytical and the implementation. At the first stage the desk research have place with emphasis based study of the behavior of consumers, competition structure, specific of fast food services. The main objectives of the second phase is to collect data on pre-selected parameters of services and competitors as a result of consumer surveys. In the third stage the main tasks is to build maps of perception and analysis, statistical data processing, transforming them into information. At the last stage a strategy and tactics of positioning have to be developed. The article gives examplee of development strategies and tactics positioning for one of the operators of fast food restaurants in Kyiv using the reduced method.

ENCOUNTERING AND COUNTERING WORK STRESS: A MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF THE OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AND COPING MECHANISMS OF FAST FOOD RESTAURANT PERSONNEL IN THE PHILIPPINES

Food is always viewed as an indispensable household necessity. Based on the 2009 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES), 42.6% of the total expenditure of a typical Filipino household is solely being allocated for food (Limtingco, 2012). As the growing demand for food continues to escalate, fast food providers had proliferated both in the metro and rural provinces to help augment the need. In effect, the demand for human workforce for these companies had also escalated. However, at present, no available literature had yet explicated on the current psychological condition of the working personnel of these companies. Thus, this research is an exploratory attempt meant to delve on the various typologies and severity of stressors currently experienced by the food service personnel in the Philippines. Furthermore, this study statistically accounted for the coping mechanisms used by the fast food service personnel in treating their work related problems.

Effect of gender on fast-food consumption habits of high school and university students in Tekirdag, Turkey

In this research, the effect of gender on fast-food consumption has been studied to determine fast-food consumption habits with a survey given to 900 people including Tekirdag city centre high school students and Namık Kemal University students. Also, the relationship between fast-food consumption and overweight, and whether the students have trust for hygiene applications of fast food producing and service enterprises has been studied. 900 people in total were involved in this research (459 females and 441 males). According to the results of the survey, a significant relationship between gender and fast-food choice type, portion size, consumption frequency, trust for complying hygiene rules, the need of being informed about food security, being affected by commercials, food poisoning and the reaction to it, and not consuming fast-food has been found.Many Turkish adolescents are becoming increasingly more westernized and have greater convenience when they eat out. Fast-food type nutrition which is popular among children and teenagers contains deficient or excess nutrients. High schools and universities are appropriate establishments for students to gain correct nutritional habits. This research has been planned to determine fast-food preferences of different gender.

종업원의 고객에 대한 배려행동이 서비스 충성도에 미치는 영향: 미용실서비스와 패스트푸드서비스의 비교적 접근

본 연구의 목적은 고객에 대한 배려가 전반적인 서비스품질, 서비스 만족과 서비스 충성도에 대한 영향력을 검증함으로서, 서비스에서 종업원의 고객에 대한 배려 행동이 충성도 형성 과정에 미치는 영향을 설명하였다. 또한 고객에 대한 배려의 전반적인 서비스품질과 만족에 대한 영향이 서비스 접촉수준이 높은 미용실 서비스와 낮은 패스트푸드 서비스 사이에 차이가 난다는 것을 검증하였다. 본 연구는 미용실 서비스와 패스트푸드 서비스를 이용한 경험을 가진 소비자를 대상으로 자료를 수집하였으며, Amos 18.0 통계패키지를 이용한 구조방정식 모형분석으로 연구가설을 검증하였다. 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 고객에 대한 배려는 전반적인 서비스품질과 서비스 만족을 통해 충성도에 영향을 주며, 또한 직접적으로 서비스 충성도에 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 접촉수준의 차이에 따라 접촉수준이 높은 미용실 서비스에서 고객에 대한 배려의 만족에 대한 영향이 더 크게 나타나는 것을 확인하였다. 즉, 종업원과의 접촉수준이 좀 더 빈번한 서비스에서 종업원의 고객에 대한 배려 행동이 고객 만족을 향상시키는데 중요하다는 것을 확인하였다. This paper examined the influence of employees' social regard toward the customers, such as, overall service quality, service satisfaction, and service loyalty. The paper proves that the high contact beauty services and the low contact fast-food services have different customer satisfaction level depending on the employees' social regards. A survey study was conducted to collect the data with the actual service purchasers at domestic beauty services and fast-food services. Analysis of structural equation modeling with Amos 18.0 was performed to test the research hypothesis. The results of the study are as follows: First, social regard has positive influences on service quality, service satisfaction, and service loyalty. Second, Social regard has more effect on service satisfaction in a high contact beauty services than in a low contact fast-food services. This paper contribute to identify the effects of employees' social regard on service satisfaction, by comparing the effects on service satisfaction between high and low contact services.

Ultra‐processed products are becoming dominant in the global food system

The relationship between the global food system and the worldwide rapid increase of obesity and related diseases is not yet well understood. A reason is that the full impact of industrialized food processing on dietary patterns, including the environments of eating and drinking, remains overlooked and underestimated. Many forms of food processing are beneficial. But what is identified and defined here as ultra-processing, a type of process that has become increasingly dominant, at first in high-income countries, and now in middle-income countries, creates attractive, hyper-palatable, cheap, ready-to-consume food products that are characteristically energy-dense, fatty, sugary or salty and generally obesogenic. In this study, the scale of change in purchase and sales of ultra-processed products is examined and the context and implications are discussed. Data come from 79 high- and middle-income countries, with special attention to Canada and Brazil. Results show that ultra-processed products dominate the food supplies of high-income countries, and that their consumption is now rapidly increasing in middle-income countries. It is proposed here that the main driving force now shaping the global food system is transnational food manufacturing, retailing and fast food service corporations whose businesses are based on very profitable, heavily promoted ultra-processed products, many in snack form.

Mensuração da satisfação de clientes com serviços de Fast Food

A satisfação dos clientes tornou-se um dos aspectos mais relevantes para as empresas devido ao aumento das exigências dos consumidores que passaram a usufruir de uma crescente oferta de produtos e serviços. Nesse sentido, vários estudos foram realizados visando a criar e aperfeiçoar modelos, como o Swedish Customer Satisfaction Index, American Customer Satisfaction Index e European Customer Satisfaction Index, para identificar o nível de satisfação dos clientes. O presente artigo tem como objetivo mensurar o nível de satisfação dos clientes com o serviço de fast food, considerando as variáveis referentes a expectativas dos clientes, qualidade percebida, imagem, valor percebido, reclamações e lealdade, que fazem parte do Índice Europeu de Satisfação do Consumidor. A pesquisa realizada é de caráter descritivo e a coleta de dados foi obtida por meio de questionário, composto por 30 questões, aplicado a 210 universitários na cidade de Santa Maria/RS. Para análise dos dados, foi utilizado o método PLS-PM. Os resultados encontrados evidenciam que a variável valor percebido foi a que mais influenciou na satisfação dos clientes, seguida das variáveis qualidade percebida, imagem e expectativa dos clientes. A maioria das hipóteses da pesquisa foram comprovadas, dessa forma, o modelo utilizado demonstrou ser adequado para verificar a satisfação dos clientes em relação aos serviços de fast food.

패스트푸드 레스토랑의 서비스 환경과 대기시간이 고객의 품질인지에 미치는 영향

본 연구는 경제적인 가격에 간단하고 신속한 음식을 제공함으로써 전략적으로 포지션닝하고 있는 패스트푸드 유형의 레스토랑에서도 고급레스토랑이나 패밀리 레스토랑의 경우와 마찬가지로 서비스 환경이 고객들의 품질인지에 유사한 영향을 미치는지 알아보고자 하였다. 또한 종업원의 외재적 속성인 복장과 청결의 정도와 서비스 대기시간이 품질인지에 어떤 영향을 미치는지 파악하고자 하였다. 연구의 방법은 SPSS 18.0을 이용하여 요인분석, 신뢰분석을 통하여 연구의 타당성을 입증하였고, 영향정도를 파악하기 위해서는 다중회귀분석을 이용하였다. 연구 결과 서비스 환경과 종업원의 복장 및 청결, 그리고 대기 시간은 서비스 품질인지에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 파악되었으며, 종업원들의 복장 및 청결성이 패스트푸드레스토랑에서 중요한 요인으로 알려져 있는 시간적 요인보다 품질인지에 더 많은 영향을 미치는 것으로 파악되었다. Service environments are known to have effects on quality recognition in fine-dining and family type restaurants. The current study explores that the effects are also likely in the fast-food type ones. To verify the research method factor and reliability analysis of SPSS version 18.0 are applied. The program is also used to test the influences among variables. With multiple regression analysis the study finds that there is a significant effect of service environment on quality recognition in fast-food type restaurants. The study also finds that employees' uniform and cleanliness are more influential than waiting time which is generally known as a key factor in fast food service restaurants.

Possible causes of variation in acrylamide concentration in French fries prepared in food service establishments: An observational study

Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen, and its presence in a range of fried and oven-cooked foods has raised considerable health concern world-wide. Dietary intake studies observed significant variations in acrylamide concentrations, which complicate risk assessment and the establishment of effective control measures. The objective of this study was to obtain an insight into the actual variation in acrylamide concentrations in French fries prepared under typical conditions in a food service establishment (FSE). Besides acrylamide, frying time, frying temperature, and reducing sugars were measured and the actual practices at receiving, thawing and frying during French fries preparation were observed and recorded. The variation in the actual frying temperature contributed most to the variation in acrylamide concentrations, followed by the variation in actual frying time; no obvious effect of reducing sugars was found. The lack of standardised control of frying temperature and frying time (due to inadequate frying equipment) and the variable practices of food handlers seem to contribute most to the large variation and high acrylamide concentrations in French fries prepared in a restaurant type of FSE as compared to chain fast-food services, and institutional caterers. The obtained insights in this study can be used to develop dedicated control measures in FSE, which may contribute to a sustainable reduction in the acrylamide intake.

Child body mass index, obesity, and proximity to fast food restaurants

Objectives. Using a sample of elementary and middle school students, we examined the associations between body mass index (BMI), obesity, and measures of the proximity of fast food and full service restaurants to students' residences. We controlled for socioeconomic status using a novel proxy measure based on housing values. Methods. We used BMI and obesity measures based on height and weight data collected as part of a school health assessment along with geocoded data on addresses of residences and food establishments. We constructed a proxy measure of socioeconomic status from public records of residential property assessments. These data were used to estimate logistic regression models of overweight and ordinary least squares models of BMI. Results. Students residing in homes with higher assessment values were significantly less likely to be obese, and had significantly lower BMIs. Upon controlling for socioeconomic status and other characteristics, the associations of BMI and obesity with proximity to food service establishments were reduced. Nonetheless, students who resided within one-tenth or one-quarter of a mile from a fast food restaurant had significantly higher values of BMI. The proximity of full service restaurants to residences did not have a significant positive association with either BMI or overweight. Conclusion. Public health efforts to limit access to fast food among nearby residents could have beneficial effects on child obesity. Public data on property value assessments may serve as useful approximations for socioeconomic status when address data are available.

Impact of culture on dissatisfied customers: An empirical study

In multicultural societies, service firms have to pay more attention to the impact of culture on the ways how dissatisfaction is felt and expressed by customers. Based on a theoretical framework derived from the Cognition–Affect–Behavior (C–A–B) model ( Lazarus, 1991), this research investigates the moderator effects of culture. The study takes place in the field of fast-food services, where negative critical incidents (NCI) are frequent. The sample is made of 300 customers originate from 39 countries. Results support that culture moderates significantly emotional and behavioral responses following a NCI: collectivist customers believe that the service provider is more receptive to their complaints, are less affected emotionally, complain less but use negative word-of-mouth (NWOM) more often than individualistic customers do. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed along with future research avenues.

The effects of two kinds of corporate publicity on customer-brand relationship

In the recent marketplace, corporate brands are exposed to a variety of corporate publicity, which may elicit unexpected consumer responses and requires more academic attention. This study explores how two kinds of corporate publicity (ability-related vs. social responsibility-related) influence customer-brand relationship. We propose that both kinds of publicity influence customer-brand relationship strength through brand trust and brand affect. In addition, the interaction pattern between the two kinds of publicity is further examined. Two competing hypotheses predicting divergent patterns of the interaction effect are proposed. A 2×2 between-subject experiment is conducted in the context of fast food service industry. Results show that, after controlling the existing customer-brand relationship, social responsibility-related publicity has significant influence on the strength of customer-brand relationship, while ability-related publicity has no such effect, given the fact that consumers probably have developed well-established perceptions on the focal company’s ability. Furthermore, the specific interaction pattern between the two kinds of publicity is consistent with the prediction based on fairness heuristic theory. In addition, brand trust and brand affect play mediating roles in the mechanism through which corporate publicity influences customer-brand relationship.

Calorie and Gram Differences between Meals at Fast Food and Table Service Restaurants

Concerns about the calorie content of restaurant food have focused on fast food. However, there is no specific evidence that fast food is worse than other food eaten away from home (FAFH). We use the Continuing Survey of Individual Food Intake to compare fast food and table service meals. We find that both are larger and have more calories than meals prepared at home, with table service exceeding fast food, possibly due to different pricing methods. However, for the full day, both result in similar calorie increases relative to no FAFH, with fast food perhaps somewhat worse.

Finding beauty in the banal: An exploration of service work in the artful classroom

AbstractArtists derive inspiration from daily life. According to John Dewey (1934), common experiences are transformed into works of art through a process of compression and expression. Our paper adopts Dewey's frame to demonstrate that experience in the artful classroom plays a valuable role in management education. We asked students to reflect on their work experience and then to provide an artful expression of their reflections. For this exercise we defined artfulness as a process which relies on the discursive practices of satire, and in particular irony and parody. Offering a service management class as an exemplar we demonstrate the use of these rhetorical techniques as reflective learning tools. A class of students were first prompted to consider their common experiences as both customers and service providers, and were then asked to create an ironic artefact. Our paper, which analyses a cartoon sequence produced by students in response to this assignment and in which they parody the fast-food service experience, illustrates how a business studies classroom can be transformed into an artful space.

Finding beauty in the banal: An exploration of service work in the artful classroom

AbstractArtists derive inspiration from daily life. According to John Dewey (1934), common experiences are transformed into works of art through a process of compression and expression. Our paper adopts Dewey's frame to demonstrate that experience in the artful classroom plays a valuable role in management education. We asked students to reflect on their work experience and then to provide an artful expression of their reflections. For this exercise we defined artfulness as a process which relies on the discursive practices of satire, and in particular irony and parody. Offering a service management class as an exemplar we demonstrate the use of these rhetorical techniques as reflective learning tools. A class of students were first prompted to consider their common experiences as both customers and service providers, and were then asked to create an ironic artefact. Our paper, which analyses a cartoon sequence produced by students in response to this assignment and in which they parody the fast-food service experience, illustrates how a business studies classroom can be transformed into an artful space.

A comparison of two types of price discounts in shifting consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions

This study focuses on consumer responses to two different types of price discounts: 1) a price discount with and 2) a price discount without a minimum purchase requirement. The effects of the discounts are examined to the extent that they may change consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions regarding a particular brand, by moving it from consumers' hold set to consideration set. A three-phase study on fast-food services in China was conducted. The results of the study provide new empirical insights regarding how to use a brand categorization model to predict the effects of different types of price discounts on consumer purchase behavior. More specifically, this study demonstrates that when a price discount with and without a minimum purchase requirement is applied to a brand in a hold set, the brand moves from the consumers' hold set to the consideration set. However, the effects of the two types of price discounts on consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions are not significantly different. The results are discussed in relation to brand management and marketing strategies in consumer goods industries.

Gender Differences in Service Quality Expectations in the Fast Food Industry

Services marketers can influence the evaluation of service quality by “managing” customer expectations. Expectations can also provide insights into market segmentation strategies. Gender is often used as a segmentation variable since it is easily identifiable, accessible, and profitable. The purpose of this study was to examine if there are any gender-based differences in the expectations of service quality in the fast food industry. Hypotheses on gender differences in expectations were tested by an ANOVA, where the composite scores of each of the five dimensions of fast food service were used as dependent variables. The expectations of women were significantly higher than men in four of the five dimensions of fast food service quality.

The Relationship Between the Supply of Fast-food Chains and Cardiovascular Outcomes

To examine the extent to which inter-regional differences in fast-food concentrations account for variations in all-cause mortality and acute coronary syndromes throughout Ontario, Canada. Nine distinct fast-food chains were selected based on top sales data in 2001. The per capita rate of fast-food outlets per region was calculated for each of 380 regions throughout Ontario. Outcome measures, obtained using 2001 vital statistics data and hospital discharge abstracts, included regional per capita mortality rates and acute coronary syndrome hospitalization rates; head trauma served as a comparator. All regional outcomes were adjusted for age, gender, and socio-economic status, and were analyzed as continuous and rank-ordered variables as compared with the provincial average. Mortality and admissions for acute coronary syndromes were higher in regions with greater numbers of fast-food services after adjustment for risk. Risk-adjusted outcomes among regions intensive in fast-food services were more likely to be high outliers for both mortality (Adjusted Odds Ratio (OR): 2.52, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.54 - 4.13, p < 0.001) and acute coronary hospitalizations (Adjusted OR: 2.62, 95% CI 1.42 - 3.59, p < 0.001) compared to regions with low fast-food service intensity. There was no relationship between the concentration of fast-food outlets and risk-adjusted head-trauma hospitalization rates. Inter-regional cardiac outcome disparities throughout Ontario were partially explained by fast-food service intensity. Such findings emphasize the need to target health promotion and prevention initiatives to highest-risk communities.

Compositional characteristics and sensory quality of biscuits, prawn crackers and fried chips produced from beadfruit

Breadfruit was processed into three unconventional food forms, namely into biscuits, prawn crackers and chips. The novel snack food items comprised of four biscuit samples made from wheat flour substituted with 33, 50, 67 and 100% breadfruit flour, one sample of prawn cracker made from breadfruit starch and one sample of fried breadfruit chips. These food items were subjected to proximate analyses and also comparative sensory evaluation alongside their respective commercial equivalents produced from the traditional or conventional foodstuffs. The panel of 24 people evaluated each category of sample for crispness, flavour, colour and overall preference on a 9-point hedonic scale. The proximate analyses showed that all the experimental products could contribute appreciable amounts of principal nutrients to the daily nutrient requirements of would-be consumers. Although there were statistically significant preferences ( P≤0.05) between the test products and their commercial equivalents with respect to some quality attributes, all the experimental products except the biscuit from the 100% breadfruit flour were adjudged to be acceptable in terms of overall quality. The data presented in this study have demonstrated the potential for the industrial exploitation of breadfruit through processing into snack food items suitable for production in fast food service systems.

Interactions between operational and relational capabilities in fast food service delivery

The research confirms previous results in marketing, operations management, and logistics that show that both operational and relational capabilities are key drivers of customer satisfaction. Contrary to recent research on the topic, however, this paper considers not only direct effects but also interactions and potential covariates to present a more complex and rigorous investigation of the constructs. The research suggests that operational and relational capabilities do not complement and enhance each other’s impact on performance. Instead, there seems to be a strategic fit, which requires either a high–low or a low–high combination of the two capabilities to achieve superior performance. Based on resourced-based theories combined with the notion of capacity limitations from operations management, we propose a theoretical explanation of the trade-off between operational and relational capabilities in the logistics service context.