Full-service Restaurant Industry Research Articles

Restaurant employees emotional intelligence and adaptive behavior as predictors and consequences of job engagement

This study seeks to investigate the fundamental role of restaurant employees’ job engagement, which is related to their emotional intelligence and adaptive behavior at work. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data from frontline employees working in the full-service restaurant industry. The results presented that employees’ ability to appraise others’ emotions and use their own emotions is positively related to job engagement whereas their ability to understand and regulate their own emotions is not. Employees’ job engagement is positively associated with their interpersonal and service offering adaptive behavior. The theoretical and managerial implications of the study findings were discussed.

Factors that impact the word-of-mouth intention (WOM) in the full-service restaurant industry: A stimuli-organism-response approach

Factors that impact the word-of-mouth intention (WOM) in the full-service restaurant industry: A stimuli-organism-response approach

Covid-19 re-opening measures in the full-service restaurant industry: the impact in the word-of-mouth intention

One of the most affected industries due to COVID-19 has been full-service restaurants since several governments worldwide decided to close them temporarily as a measure to stop spreading the virus. As the re-opening happens, the priority on the factors for these restaurants’ customers to recommend others or Word-of-Mouth (WOM) seems to have changed, especially if analyzed according to demographics groups. This article shows empirical evidence of what factors in full-service restaurants influence a client’s word-of-mouth intentions before and during COVID-19, aiming the relevance of trust (TST) to be superior to other factors, such as the quality of the food (QF) itself.

Expressions of Anti-Black Biases, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Intentions in the Full-Service Restaurant Industry

Verbal and behavioral manifestations of anti-Black biases have been shown to be quite common in many full-service restaurant establishments. Such explicit expressions of anti-Black biases have been linked with servers’ endorsement of racial stereotypes depicting Black Americans as undesirable customers and their self-reported proclivities to withhold effort from their Black clientele. However, there have been limited efforts to advance our understanding of the broader consequences associated with working in an environment wherein Black customers are observed to be stereotyped, denigrated, and mistreated. In response, this research note presents results from an exploratory study assessing the relationships between observing anti-Black expressions in the workplace, employees’ job satisfaction, and their turnover intentions. In two relatively large and demographically diverse samples of current restaurant workers, observing expressions of anti-Black bias in restaurant workplaces was found to be associated with diminished levels of job satisfaction and greater intentions to quit in the next 6 months. This study adds to the growing list of financial and operational costs that restaurant operators are at risk of incurring as a result of some of their employees expressed anti-Black attitudes and discriminatory actions.

The Antecedents of Satisfaction and Revisit Intention for Full-Service Restaurants

The purpose of this research is to identify the factors influencing customers' satisfaction and revisit intentions for full-service restaurants in Jakarta. The recent economic crisis is known to have had a great impact on consumer behavior with regard to restaurants. Therefore, this study is primarily focused on exploring the effects on the traditional antecedents of satisfaction and revisit intentions as full-time restaurants attempt to come up with better marketing strategies. This study involved 150 respondents who recently visited a full-service restaurant within the period of one month prior to the data collection. A confirmatory factor analysis and a reliability analysis were used to test the reliability and validity of the measurements. The hypotheses testing was conducted using a simple and multiple linear regression analysis to test the suitability of the proposed model for measuring satisfaction and revisit intentions. The results of the study showed that atmosphere has a significant influence on customer satisfaction and revisit intention. Customer satisfaction was also found as one of the most significant factors impacting revisit intention in the full-service restaurant industry. Therefore, restaurant managers can use a combination of good price and exciting atmosphere to enhance satisfaction and revisit intention. This study provides insights on full-service restaurants in Indonesia which have not received much attention in both marketing and hospitality literature.

Effects of employees’ social exchange and the mediating role of customer orientation in the restaurant industry

Abstract This study aims to investigate the consequences of customer-employee exchage at work based on the social exchange theory. Moreover, it is to understand how the social exchange leads to employees’ prosocial service behaviors by investigating the mediating role of customer orientation. This study applied quantitative research design using cross-sectional survey approach by targeting frontline employees who had customer interactions in the full-service restaurant industry. The results present that the more employees have social exchange with customers, the more they tend to show customer service behaviors within and beyond their role requirements. In addition, customer-employee exchage leads to employees prosocial service behaviors indirectly by increasing the level of customer orientation. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in the study.

Explicit expression of anti-black biases in the full-service restaurant industry: Legal responsibilities and risks

Anecdotes detailing racial prejudices and discriminatory treatment of Black Americans while dining in full-service restaurants surface routinely in the popular press. These anecdotes are buttressed by a small number of studies documenting evidence of racist language and observed mistreatment of Black restaurant customers. In an effort to further explore the pervasiveness and correlates of such explicit expression of anti-Black biases in restaurant workplaces, this study presents findings from an online survey that was administered in two independent, large, and demographically diverse samples of current restaurant employees. We find that on average between 15 % (Qualtrics sample) and 24 % (Facebook sample) of participants agreed with statements indicating that racist language and discrimination against Black customers is common in the restaurants where they work. We explore the individual and organizational correlates of such explicit expression of anti-Black biases in restaurant workplaces and highlight the associated legal ramifications. We conclude by encouraging restaurateurs to take action against manifestations of racial prejudice in their establishments in order to fulfill their legal responsibilities to both their customers and their employees and thereby to minimize the threat of litigation.

Restructuring Restaurant Work: Employer Responses to Local Labor Standards in the Full-Service Restaurant Industry

Recent research shows that increasing the minimum wage does not result in significant job losses. Yet, there is still uncertainty as to how higher labor standards may reshape employment practices within firms. This article directly examines employer responses to higher labor standards through a qualitative case comparison of the full-service restaurant industry across two fundamentally different institutional settings: San Francisco—with the nation’s highest minimum wage and related mandates—and North Carolina’s Research Triangle region. Evidence shows that higher labor standards led to wage compression even while some employers offered higher benefits to reduce turnover. San Francisco employers seek higher-skilled, more professional workers, rather than invest in formal in-house training, and find better matches. Yet, higher-wage mandates have exacerbated the wage gap between occupations, and some employers have responded by radically restructuring industry compensation practices by adding service charges and eliminating tipping.

How can employees engage customers?

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to understand how to engage customers socially in the full-service restaurant industry. More specifically, based on the existing theoretical background, it was hypothesized that server disclosure induces customer disclosure. By a literature review, it was further hypothesized that server disclosure and customer disclosure influence trust, which in turn positively affects commitment and loyalty.Design/methodology/approach– The proposed hypotheses were empirically tested using data collected from 287 full-service restaurant patrons. Structural equation modeling was conducted to empirically test the proposed theoretical hypotheses and evaluate the proposed conceptual model.Findings– Based on the data analysis results, server disclosure was found to be a key predictor of customer disclosure. In addition, server disclosure and customer disclosure aid in the creation of trust, and can thus help to enhance commitment and loyalty. The theory building process revealed that gender is a significant moderator.Practical implications– First, restaurant managers need to develop a systematic training program which would help restaurant servers attain adequate knowledge of their job. Furthermore, the restaurant servers must know the importance of frankness when providing services; a frank confession is the key to understanding the minds of people. Finally, restaurant managers are required to hire employees with an outgoing and likeable personality because they are more likely to induce customer disclosure. To achieve this, restaurant managers should conduct in-depth interviews or personality tests in the recruiting process, which help clarify an applicant’s personal traits.Originality/value– Social penetration theory was applied to identify the relationship between server disclosure and customer disclosure, as it is first attempted in the hospitality industry. In addition, this study separated mutual disclosure into two subdimensions (e.g. server disclosure and customer disclosure) and investigated the impact of these two subdimensions.

Employee Attitudes toward Pre-employment Drug Testing in the Full-service Restaurant Industry

The purpose of this research was to assess employee responses to pre-employment drug-testing policies in the full-service restaurant industry. Specifically, this research attempted to explore the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of full-service restaurant hourly employees and management staff in regard to pre-employment drug-testing (PEDT) policies in the full-service restaurant industry. Differences were also assessed for those employees working at establishments with testing policies versus those working at restaurants without those policies. No significant difference was found among employee attitudes toward PEDT policies based on employment level or presence of PEDT policies at their current places of employment.

Pre-Employment Drug-Testing in the Full-Service Restaurant Industry and its Relationship to Employee Work Performance Factors

The purpose of this research is to assess the effect of pre-employment drug-testing policies on aspects of employee work performance in the full-service restaurant industry. Specifically, this study attempts to compare aspects of employee work performance in full-service restaurants with pre-employment drug-testing policies against the aforementioned aspects of work performance in full-service restaurants without pre-employment drug-testing polices. For the purpose of this study, work performance factors include absenteeism, turnover (voluntary and termination), and documented work-related injury/accidents. Results indicated no difference between employee absenteeism, turnover, or accidents among establishments with and without pre-employment drug-testing policies.

Waiting for the Minimum: US State Wage Laws, Firm Strategy, and Chain-Restaurant Job Quality

The US approach to employment regulation has created conditions in which ‘high road’ employee management practices can be costly for employers, while limited regulation gives firms ample freedom to pursue ‘low road’ strategies. Within this context, US firms face increasing domestic and global pressures to cut labor costs of all types, particularly businesses operating in the retail service industry with many low-skilled, hourly jobs. Yet as recent organization- and job-level studies document, not all such jobs are created equal. This article considers potentially different business strategies applied to the same job, that of restaurant waiter, within the distinct public policy contexts of two US states. The authors analyze practices related to waitstaff wages, benefits, and staffing and scheduling reported by managers at 16 sites of two national restaurant chains positioned in different lower-end segments of the full-service restaurant industry; and in suburban Seattle and Chicago, reflecting divergent state minimum-wage policy approaches. Findings reveal variation in employer practices across sites, often patterned by chain and state.

A consumption emotion measurement development: a full-service restaurant setting

This article describes the development of a consumption emotion scale for use in the full-service restaurant industry. The current emotion measures utilized in consumer and marketing research are reviewed, along with the conceptualization of consumption emotions. The adequacy of employing a categorical approach to assess restaurant customers' emotional responses is discussed. Moreover, the appropriate procedure for a scale development is described. Based on quantitative analyses, a multi-item scale involving four dimensions of consumption emotions (excitement, comfort, annoyance, and romance) is developed. Further analyses provided strong evidence of the scale's unidimensionality, reliability, and validity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed with study limitations and recommendations for future research.

Identifying the Product/Service Needs of the Family Dining Segment

This paper deals with the problems of identifying the product/service needs of the family dining segment in the full service restaurant industry. The research findings indicate that in general the restaurant industry should consider improvements in service, menu nutrition, child entertainment, decor, and even price/value to lure the family market segment. Meal portion size was the only product/service attribute that respondents were truly satisfied with.