An Exploratory Comparison of the Casual Dining Experience: Chain versus Independent Restaurants

Chain restaurants in the United States now represent the majority of dollars spent in terms of overall sales when compared to independent restaurants. As a result, independents struggle to remain competitive in the marketplace. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study that was conduct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of foodservice business research 2007-09, Vol.10 (3), p.87-105
Main Authors: Young, Joyce A., Clark, Paul W., McIntyre, Faye S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
customer satisfaction
franchising
restaurants
Service quality
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Summary:Chain restaurants in the United States now represent the majority of dollars spent in terms of overall sales when compared to independent restaurants. As a result, independents struggle to remain competitive in the marketplace. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study that was conducted to compare consumer perceptions toward the casual dining experience between chain and independent restaurants. The results clearly show consumers view dining experiences at chain units more favorably than dining experiences at independent units. Food quality has the greatest impact on satisfaction levels in terms of chain restaurants, whereas, server responsiveness is the driving force behind satisfaction as it relates to independent restaurants.
ISSN:1537-8020
1537-8039
DOI:10.1300/J369v10n03_06