AbstractThis study was an examination of the reliability and validity of a modified DINESERV instrument to fit the needs of specific establishments. A questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 504 customers in an American‐style restaurant (n = 226) in Taiwan and a casual Italian restaurant (n = 278) in the US. Four dimensions, titled ‘Product/Service’, ‘Reliability’, ‘Greeter’ and ‘Physical Environment’, were identified by exploratory factor analysis. Empirically, these four dimensions of service quality in foodservice operations also were supported by the structural equation model developed in this study.