Customer Satisfaction with Food Quality in Buffet Restaurants in Vietnam

Abstract

Food quality (FQ) has been recognised as one of the fundamental factors that affects customer satisfaction in restaurant operations, yet research on buffet restaurants is still underdeveloped. This study focused on diners’ perceptions of buffet restaurants in Vietnam to (1) determine the most important dimensions of FQ, (2) identify the relationship between FQ dimensions and customer satisfaction, and (3) identify the relationship between the overall FQ and customer satisfaction. A total of 143 valid responses to a self-administered online survey were obtained. This study found that according to these respondents, food freshness is the most important variable followed by food taste, food presentation, menu variety, food temperature, and healthy food options. The results of regression and correlation analysis reveal that among the six dimensions of FQ measured, food temperature is the only attribute that is significantly related to customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, the overall FQ significantly contributed to customer satisfaction. It implied that restauranteurs operating this style of restaurant, should not only pay attention to FQ but especially food temperature, which is often overlooked in other forms of restaurants.