Food Service Quality Research Articles

Developing Food Safety Education Program for Employees at School Foodservice Implementing HACCP

Objectives: This study was performed to develop a food safety education program for school foodservice employees and evaluate its effectiveness. Methods: Food safety education programs were made into two levels; one for new employees in school foodservice and another for employees in charge of Critical Control Point (CCP) monitoring. The programs were for 40-minute-long lecture using PowerPoint. The effectiveness of these programs were assessed based on eleven evaluation items by school foodservice dieticians (n=30) and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) specialist (n=13). All statistical analyses are conducted by SPSS package program (ver 20.0). Results: According to the results of evaluating the food safety education program by dietitian and HACCP specialist, the overall satisfaction score was 4.14, evaluated by 5 point scale. There were no significant difference in results of evaluation between dieticians and HACCP specialists. The score of ‘it is helpful to work’ and ‘pictures, images and charts are pertinent to study’ were higher than others while the score of ‘education contents is pleasant and interesting’ and ‘screen is pleasant and interesting’ were the lowest among all evaluation items. Conclusions: To increase the school foodservice quality, employees should be offered regular food safety education and training through effective education media including prerequisite program and HACCP manual for school foodservice.

어린이급식관리지원센터 직원의 업무만족, 직무만족, 조직몰입 및 이직의도

The objective of this study was to provide information on difficulty of performing tasks, degree of task satisfaction, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention as well as investigate correlations among these factors. Data were collected on employees working at Centers for Children`s Foodservice Management, which had been operating for over 6 months until December 2013. The recruitment period was from December 16, 2013 to January 30, 2014. A total of 228 employees (79.7%) participated in the study, and 227 completed questionnaires were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed on the data utilizing the SPSS V20.0 and AMOS V21.0 programs. The main results of this study were as follows: task satisfaction of employees in charge of `visiting-teaching` for children was highest (4.24 points), whereas that of employees in charge of financial management was lowest (2.92 points). In terms of evaluation of job satisfaction factors, the score of `co-worker` was highest (3.99 points) while that of `payment` was lowest (2.45 points). Average scores of general job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention were 3.56 points, 3.54 points, and 3.07 points, respectively. Job achievement was the most significant influencing factor on general job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention. According to the path analysis results, the degree of task satisfaction affected job satisfaction. Organizational commitment had a more significant effect on turnover intention than job satisfaction and mediate both job satisfaction and turnover intention. Although employees of CCFSMs endeavor to improve the quality of child-care facility foodservice, some facilities do not. Controlling turnover intention of employees is especially critical for CCFSMs since it is important for each employees to form strong bonds with child-care facilities as well as to shorten the time required to train new employees. Thus, job satisfaction, which is related to organizational commitment and turnover intention, can be improved by considering poorly scored job satisfaction factors such as wage or workload.

대학급식 서비스 품질 속성과 고객만족 관계에서 고객가치의 매개효과 -대전지역 중국유학생을 중심으로-

ABSTRACT The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of university foodservice quality attributes on Chinese students' satisfaction, as well as the mediating effects of perceived value on the relationship between foodservice quality attributes and satisfaction. A total of 250 university students in Daejeon were surveyed, and 216 responses were returned. Excluding responses with significant missing data, 196 responses were used for data analysis. The reasons for using university foodservice were ‘meal plan’ (37.8%) and ‘time saving’ (22.4%), whereas the reasons for not using university foodservice were ‘untasty food’ (33.2%) and ‘limited menu selection’ (27.6%). Results confirm that enhanced performance of food quality, service quality, sanitation, and convenience had favorable effects on per-ceived value and satisfaction. Further, perceived value had a significant positive influence on satisfaction. In analyzing the mediating role, the effect of foodservice quality attributes on satisfaction was partially mediated by perceived value.

Positive emotions and behavioral intentions of customers in full-service restaurants: Does aesthetic labor matter?

Based on the Mehrabian–Russell model, this study investigates whether aesthetic labor performance affects the positive emotions and behavioral intentions of customers in full-service restaurants. This research also identifies the mediating effects of positive emotions on aesthetic labor and behavioral intentions. A total of 320 valid questionnaires were collected from the customers of a well-known chain of restaurants in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate a model linking aesthetic labor, positive emotions, and behavioral intentions. The results revealed that aesthetic labor positively and significantly influences positive emotions and behavioral intentions, and that positive emotions positively and significantly influence behavioral intentions. However, when the control variables of food quality, ambiance, and service quality were added, aesthetic labor did not positively influence behavioral intentions. In addition, positive emotions did not mediate the relationship between aesthetic labor and behavioral intentions. Finally, we provide a discussion on practical implications and suggestions for future research.

Diners’ loyalty toward luxury restaurants: the moderating role of product knowledge

Purpose – Consumers dine at luxury restaurants for reasons beyond fulfilling basic needs; however, little is known about the factors that contribute to diners’ loyalty. The purpose of this paper is to examine diners’ luxury restaurant consumption behavior by incorporating product knowledge into a modified Mehrabian-Russell model. Design/methodology/approach – Following exploratory qualitative research, 238 consumers who have dined at Hong Kong’s Michelin-starred luxury restaurants were recruited for the main study. The data were analyzed through structural equation modeling. Findings – The results show that luxury restaurants’ stimuli (i.e. food quality, service quality, and atmospherics) influence diners’ emotions, which in turn affect their brand loyalty. Furthermore, food quality can directly influence diners’ loyalty toward the restaurant. Third, diners’ product knowledge can moderate the relationships between restaurant stimuli and diners’ emotion. Research limitations/implications – This study offers new empirical support for the proposition that product knowledge has a role in building brand loyalty and thereby shades both theoretical and managerial understanding of the luxury restaurant consumption process. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to conceptualize diners’ loyalty toward luxury restaurants by examining the influences of restaurants’ stimuli and diners’ knowledge toward luxury restaurants. In addition, this study puts forth some managerial implications for practitioners.

IPA분석을 통한 미취학 아동 급식의 급식서비스 품질특성 및 급식운영 평가 - 한국․중국․일본의 미취학 아동을 자녀로 둔 부모를 대상으로 -

This study was targeted on the Korean, Chinese, and Japanese parents of preschoolers to investigate the importance and satisfaction of foodservice quality and the importance and performance of foodservice management of the preschool foodservice establishments. The present study conducted a survey on 390 randomly chosen parents of preschoolers (130 Korean, 130 Chinese, and 130 Japanese). Respondents` importance-satisfaction of foodservice quality characteristics and their importance-performance of foodservice management were measured. In order to test for differences between the groups, paired t-test, one way ANOVA, and IPA (Importance-Performance Analysis) were performed. The results were as follows. The importance of foodservice quality was significantly higher than the satisfaction on all items, according to the parents of Korea, China, and Japan. The importance of foodservice quality was higher in Korean parents than in Chinese and Japanese parents. According to ISA results with foodservice quality characteristics, the characteristics with relatively low satisfaction but high importance (II quadrant) was `Diversity of menu` in both Korean and Chinese parents, and `Sanitation of tables and chairs` in both Korean and Japanese parents. The importance of foodservice management was significantly higher than performance on all items in Korean, Chinese and Japanese parents. The performance of foodservice management was higher in Chinese than in Japanese and Korean parents. According to IPA results with foodservice management, the management with relatively low performance but high importance (II quadrant) was `Preparation` in Korean parents, and `Facility and equipment` in Japanese parents. Therefore, the items with relatively low satisfaction (performance) and high importance should be well-managed.

Is It Competent Enough for Handling Foodservice Quality? From the Students’ Viewpoint of Self-perceived Competence and the Contribution of Hospitality Course

Is It Competent Enough for Handling Foodservice Quality? From the Students’ Viewpoint of Self-perceived Competence and the Contribution of Hospitality Course

A Systematic Review of Hospital Foodservice Patient Satisfaction Studies

The quality of hospital foodservice is one of the most relevant items of health care quality perceived by patients and by their families. Patient satisfaction is considered a way of measuring the quality of services provided. The purpose of this study was to retrieve and review the literature describing patient satisfaction with hospital foodservices. The systematic review was conducted on three electronic archives, PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (1988 through 2012), to search for any articles reporting patient satisfaction with hospital foodservices. A total of 319 studies were identified. After removing duplicates, 149 abstracts were reviewed, particular attention being given to the presence of a description of the tool used. Thirty-one articles were selected and the full texts were reviewed. Half the studies (n=15) were performed in North America. Patient satisfaction scores were generally high, with some variation among hospitals and different modes of food delivery that was investigated through intervention studies. Qualitative studies were also reported (ethnographic-anthropologic methods with interviews and focus groups). Quantitative tools were represented by questionnaires, some of which relied on previous literature and only a few were validated with factorial analysis and/or Cronbach’s α for internal consistency. Most analyses were conducted assuming a parametric distribution of results, an issue not primarily tested. More studies on the quality of hospital foodservice have been carried out in North America than in Europe. Also, a variety of tools, most of which have not been validated, have been used by the different investigating facilities.

【ミニシンポジウム報告】／病院食をめぐる医療介護の新たな価値創造

In recent years significant changes have been seen in the area of health care systems in Japan, and medical treatment is required not only to cure illnesses but also to improve the quality of life of patients. Amid such environment, as group medical care evolves, hospital food services have come to place importance on achieving high customer satisfaction by serving their needs for food in terms of nutrition control and food service quality rather than merely providing patients with meals. The hospital food services are expected to enhance the effects of the following three areas: treatment, prevention, and rehabilitation.

Consumer patronage and willingness-to-pay at different levels of restaurant attributes: A study from Kenya

This study investigates the effect of three key restaurant attributes—food quality, service quality and ambiance—on consumers' (i) willingness-to-pay (WTP) and (ii) intentions to patronage (ITP) for limited service and upscale restaurants in Kenya. A full-profile 2 (types of restaurants) x 2 (levels of attributes) x 3 (service attributes) factorial design was developed in which type of restaurant (upscale dining and limited service) was varied as a between-subjects factor, and the variations in the attributes and levels a within-subject factor. Findings indicate that food quality is the only attribute to have a positive relationship with both consumer patronage and willingness-to-pay, in high-end as well as limited service restaurants. Service quality and ambiance both have an effect on consumer intentions in upscale dining, but not in a limited service restaurant. Moreover, an interaction effect was found. In high-end restaurants, and not so in limited service restaurants, increase in ambience was found to increase patronage and willingness-to-pay by a significant amount if service quality was also increased. The study extends previous work on the nature of restaurant attributes, as it (1) examines consumer preferences in a developing country, and (2) shows how attributes interact and affect ITP and WTP differently in a limited service and high-end restaurant context.

Anthropological Methods are Meaningful in Business Research: A Case Study of Foodservice at a Chinese University

Qualitative research methods, which have long been considered normative by the anthropological and sociological community, have recently made a presence in business research. The present research is to buttress that growing body of evidence. The subject is the foodservice operation of a Chinese university. The qualitative research method is used, to analyze the data collected through participants' observation and in-depth interviews. The present study briefly surveys traditional ethnographic methods used in the social sciences. Then it examines the penetration, or lack of penetration, of ethnographic methods into various fields of business administration research. The study describes the research into the foodservice operation of one Chinese University. The research discovered that foodservice quality had a greatly-perceived influence on the students' health, that foodservice quality affected the students' academics in one aspect, and that foodservice factors affected their satisfaction with their university dining experience. Finally, the study makes the case that ethnographic methods do indeed work effectively in the field of business study.

A conflict of choice: How consumers choose where to go for dinner

Studies concerning consumers’ decision-making regarding a restaurant choice commonly cite food quality, service quality, and price as important determinants. Less research has focused on how consumers are willing to trade off gains and losses from respective foodservice attributes. Also, extant literature does not account for consumers who use a non-compensatory decision-making strategy. The present study examined consumers’ choices of casual restaurants using a simulation where trade-offs were inevitable. By utilizing a choice experiment, the researchers found that food quality is the most important attribute in restaurant choice, consistent with the literature reviewed. Good service quality, however, does not increase choice likelihood while poor service quality significantly reduces it. Most importantly, we determined a considerable percentage (24.57%) of respondents do not trade off food quality for better service or a lower price. Findings of the study are discussed with implications for practitioners.

Level of satisfaction among postgraduate health sciences students on the cafeteria facilities in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur Campus

Purpose – The aim of this study was to determine the levels of satisfaction (food quality, service quality, ambience, price and portion) among postgraduate Health Sciences students on the cafeteria facilities in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Kuala Lumpur Campus. In Malaysia, the total number of postgraduate in higher institution increase from 75,199 in 2007 to 85,236 in 2010, an increment of 12 per cent. The increasing numbers of higher education postgraduates on university campuses has unquestionably raised the expansion of demand for food service availability and quality on campus. Design/methodology/approach – A self-reported questionnaire was to 86 subjects at Faculty of Health Sciences, UKM, from September to November in 2012. Findings – The findings showed that ambience and service attributes turned out to be the most dissatisfied attributes. Malay and non-Malay post-graduate Health Science students showed no significant difference on the satisfaction toward the four attributes. Respondents believed that increasing menu variation and introducing franchise outlet were the two supplementary factors that may increase satisfaction level. Research limitations/implications – The major drawback of this study is the inability to generalize findings to the students’ satisfaction toward UKM KL food service because data of the current study were only assessing postgraduate students. Originality/value – The points developed from this study clearly indicate the level of satisfaction among postgraduate Health Science student against food service system in one of the famous research university in Malaysia, UKM.

지역아동센터 급식 서비스의 품질요인과 만족도에 관한 연구

This study was conducted on children from 10 community children centers located in northern Seoul. The quality factors of the food services of the community children centers were divided into five factors, including sanitation, food, environment, subsidiary service and staff. Analysis of the differences in the importance of factors and satisfaction with the food service quality indicated satisfaction to be higher than importance for in all the factors except 'environment'. In particular, of the food service qualities, significant differences were found between importance and satisfaction in relation to the attributes of 'food' and 'environment'. As a result of IPA of the food service qualities in community children centers, 'sanitation' was found to be in the maintenance area, 'environment' to be in the area of concentration, and the quality attributes of 'staff' and 'subsidiary service' were found to be in the low priority area. In contrast, the 'food' quality corresponded to the area of oversupply.

Sanitary quality, occurrence and identification of Staphylococcus sp. in food services.

Sanitary conditions are essential for the production of meals and control of the presence of pathogensis important to guarantee the health of customers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sanitary quality of food services by checking the presence of thermotolerant coliforms, Staphylococcus sp. and evaluate the toxigenic potential from the latter. The analysis was performed on water, surfaces, equipment, ready-to-eat foods, hands and nasal cavity of handlers in seven food services. The water used in food services proved to be suitable for the production of meals. Most food, equipment and surfaces showed poor sanitary conditions due to the presence of thermotolerant coliforms (60.6%). Twenty-six Staphylococcus species were identified from the 121 Staphylococcus isolates tested. Staphylococci coagulase-negative species were predominant in the foods, equipment and surfaces. In food handlers and foods, the predominant species was Staphylococcus epidermidis. Twelve different genotypes were found after PCR for the classical enterotoxin genes. The seb gene (19.8%) was the most prevalent among all Staphylococcus sp. Both coagulase-positive and coagulase-negative Staphylococci showed some of the genes of the enterotoxins tested. We conclude that there are hygienic and sanitary deficiencies in the food services analyzed. Although coagulase-positive Staphylococci have not been present in foods there is a wide dispersion of enterotoxigenic coagulase-negative Staphylococci in the environment and in the foods analyzed, indicating a risk to consumer health.

Importance of satisfaction with food for older adults’ quality of life

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among satisfaction with food-related life (SWFL), perceived foodservice quality, and quality of life for older adults.Design/methodology/approach– A survey done using face-to-face interviews of older adults residing in long-term care facilities. A total of 238 older adults participated in this study.Findings– The results showed that perceived foodservice quality had a strong association with SWFL; SWFL had a significant positive association with quality of life; perceived foodservice quality positively related to quality of life. Increased SWFL would improve quality of older adults.Research limitations/implications– This study has limitations related to convenience sample. Different sampling could help with generalization of results.Practical implications– Foodservice managers in long-term care facilitates should try to maximize food and service qualities for residents because improving food and service quality improves their quality of life. For example, offering a variety of menus to allow older adults to enjoy food and improve their SWFL.Originality/value– This study emphasized that food was important to older adults and helped determine quality of life for them. SWFL was rarely empirically examined in the previous research.

The Importance of Foodservice in Higher Education: A Business Anthropological Case Study in China

This research employed business anthropological methods (participant observation and in-depth interviews) in addition to a quantitative survey in order to investigate the quality of food service operations at a Chinese university. Food service quality’s impacts on student satisfaction, student learning, and student health were explored. In addition, the research uncovered defects in food service operations, and suggestions were made for improvement. Finally, this paper recommended that food service quality should be included in the Chinese government’s performance evaluation of universities, which would greatly encourage improvements of university food service.

Research Note: Service Quality and Market Structure in the International Tourist Hotel Industry

This paper empirically examines the relationship between service quality and market structure using metropolitan-level panel data from the Taiwanese hotel industry. The empirical results indicate, first, that the influence of market structure on room service quality is U-shaped – high and low levels of market concentration lead to better service quality; and, second, that market structure is positively associated with food and beverage service quality.

Athlete’s Nutrition Knowledge and Their Perception and Satisfaction in the Foodservice Quality of the Athlete’s Cafeteria

This study investigated athletes’ perceptions and satisfactions on the foodservice quality of the athlete’s cafeteria as well as their knowledge on nutrition. Four dimensions namely food quality, meal service quality, staff/service issues, and dining environments and their overall satisfactions were investigated. Athletes were most satisfied with the meal service quality dimension and least satisfied with the food quality dimension. The food quality and staff/service issues dimensions were found to be the two predictors of overall foodservice satisfaction. Thus, more implementations should be taken to enhance the quality of foods and services at the cafeteria that catered for the athletes.

충남 일부지역 남자 중학생의 무상급식에 대한 인식 및 만족도

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to investigate perception, necessity, and satisfaction of a free foodservice in male middle school students. This study was conducted at male middle schools with paid foodservice (PFS group, 250 students) and with free foodservice (FFS group, 250 students) in Chungnam. Average age of stu-dents in the PFS group was 13.1 while that of FFS students was 12.8 years. Exactly 88% of PFS students and 94% of FFS students responded that school foodservice is necessary, which was a significant difference (P＜0.05). As the reason for participating in foodservice, about 32% of the PFS students answered the school’s request while 33.6% of FFS students answered nutrition, showing a significant difference (P＜0.001). Exactly 72.8% of PFS and 96.4% of FFS knew about FFS (P＜0.001). More PFS students (86.4%) than FFS students (66%) answered they would not participate in foodservice if the FFS would be introduced and the quality of meal service would deteriorate. After initiation to FFS, there were significant differences in assess-ment of foodservice: 77.6% of PFS students answered expected that the quality of foodservice would degrade, whereas 74.4% of FFS students answered that quality would not degrade (P＜0.001). Satisfaction of foodser-vice was 2.3 points for FFS students, which was significantly lower than the 2.5 points for PFS students (P＜0.001). To sum up assessment of foodservice was positive, whereas satisfaction was not significantly differ-ent between PFS and FFS. Based on this research, households, schools, and governments should promote FFS in order to diminish financial pressure for students.