The impact of food quality and its attributes on customer satisfaction at Malay restaurants

The foodservice business today is a dynamic industry. This can be seen from the assortment of foodservice establishments escalating in all sub-sectors of the industry, including restaurants. Food quality appears to be acknowledged as elemental factor to satisfy restaurant customers; yet, most restaurant quality-related studies focused on atmospherics and service delivery, often neglecting the significance of food itself as the foundation of restaurant. The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of food quality on satisfaction and to further examine the contribution of individual food attributes on satisfaction. With regression analyses, the results demonstrated overall food quality significantly affects customer satisfaction; on top, food taste was the greatest contributor to it. Thus, restaurant operators should pay attention to the key food quality attributes that elicit customer satisfaction that eventually led to long term business success in terms of customer loyalty, organizational profits and return patronage.