Restaurant Cleanliness
Customer Perceptions of Restaurant Cleanliness: A Cross Cultural Study
By
Seung Ah Yoo
Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
Master of Science In Hospitality and Tourism Management
Suzanne K. Murrmann, Chair BeomCheol (Peter) Kim Manisha Singal
July 9, 2012 Blacksburg, Virginia
Keywords: Service Quality, Restaurant Cleanliness, Culture
Customer Perceptions of Restaurant Cleanliness: A Cross Cultural Study
Seung Ah Yoo (ABSTRACT) What is a clean restaurant in customers’ viewpoints? Restaurant cleanliness is considered one of the most significant conditions when customers evaluate overall restaurant quality or decide their levels of satisfaction. However, there have been few studies of perceptions of restaurant cleanliness in customers’ eyes. Previous studies were found to use inconsistent concepts of restaurant cleanliness when evaluating restaurant cleanliness. For example, some measurement scale of restaurant quality or customer satisfaction includes only items related to a restaurant’s interior appearance to measure the restaurant cleanliness. Some researchers have also included items related to server’s appearance. In other studies, overall images of a restaurant were used to evaluate its cleanliness. This study attempts to investigate the customers’ perceptions of restaurant cleanliness. Understanding what customers consider when they evaluate a restaurant’s cleanliness can be beneficial for hospitality managers who can use the information to increase their restaurant’s quality and to satisfy their customers. In addition, this study was conducted with two different cultural groups of customers: Westerners and Asians. Understanding how different cultures perceive restaurant cleanliness can help hospitality managers who plan to expand their business in the global market. The results of this study indicated that the items of
By
Seung Ah Yoo
Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
Master of Science In Hospitality and Tourism Management
Suzanne K. Murrmann, Chair BeomCheol (Peter) Kim Manisha Singal
July 9, 2012 Blacksburg, Virginia
Keywords: Service Quality, Restaurant Cleanliness, Culture
Customer Perceptions of Restaurant Cleanliness: A Cross Cultural Study
Seung Ah Yoo (ABSTRACT) What is a clean restaurant in customers’ viewpoints? Restaurant cleanliness is considered one of the most significant conditions when customers evaluate overall restaurant quality or decide their levels of satisfaction. However, there have been few studies of perceptions of restaurant cleanliness in customers’ eyes. Previous studies were found to use inconsistent concepts of restaurant cleanliness when evaluating restaurant cleanliness. For example, some measurement scale of restaurant quality or customer satisfaction includes only items related to a restaurant’s interior appearance to measure the restaurant cleanliness. Some researchers have also included items related to server’s appearance. In other studies, overall images of a restaurant were used to evaluate its cleanliness. This study attempts to investigate the customers’ perceptions of restaurant cleanliness. Understanding what customers consider when they evaluate a restaurant’s cleanliness can be beneficial for hospitality managers who can use the information to increase their restaurant’s quality and to satisfy their customers. In addition, this study was conducted with two different cultural groups of customers: Westerners and Asians. Understanding how different cultures perceive restaurant cleanliness can help hospitality managers who plan to expand their business in the global market. The results of this study indicated that the items of