ABSTRACT
Delivering excellence in every facet of restaurant services is achieved by providing high levels of sustained service quality (SQ). It is all about under- standing and delivering what the customers want at the service outlet. SQ is a measure of the customer’s perception that influences customer satisfaction that in turn influences their behavioral intentions. It is worth mentioning that higher levels of SQ results in increased number of customers patronizing the restaurant. Customers who encounter superior SQ levels are satisfied, and they show their appreciation by spreading a positive word of mouth refer- ence and frequent visits to the restaurant.
In the present era, the restaurant business has a lot to do with customer experience due to its intangible characteristic. Sometimes, a memorable experience takes precedence over the tangible aspects of the services offered. It is also a key to retaining and bringing back customers frequently to the restaurant. The restaurant theme, cuisine, or food taste may not be the only reasons for these phenomena, as these are observable and imitable. However, SQ aspects are generally difficult to copy. SQ encompasses factors such as, providing an ambient environment, decor, staff responsiveness, empathy, etc. SQ is what the restaurant can provide to its customers based on their own understanding of customer needs. However, the quality of customer experience is the judgment of the restaurant patrons, which is based on their measurement of SQ. In other words, it is about building exceptionally posi- tive perceptions in the minds of the customers, based on both tangible and intangibles service perceptions.
Competitive advantage is achieved by offering superior quality of services in comparison to the competitors. If a restaurant can retain its customers and their customers share a positive review, then it translates into a competitive advantage. However, sustaining the competitive advantage is a humongous task, because the competitors are always making an attempt to create a dent in the share of other players in the market. Imitating what others are doing is one of the ways to eat into the market share of competitors. If the restau- rant management can prevent any erosion in profits or imitation of service offerings by the competitors, then sustainable competitive advantage is achieved. This differentiation or uniqueness can be achieved phenomenally, by providing an exclusive and memorable customer experience during the service consumption process.
This chapter is an amalgamation of empirical and qualitative research. The relationship between SQ, customer experience, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intentions is established, using extant literature and then tested using a customer survey. The empirical results are then validated and linked with, what the restaurants are expected to do for providing superior SQ levels and memorable experiences. Further, a discussion on how efforts made by the restaurant management could result in a competitive advantage and how they can sustain them is provided. This chapter will help the restau- rant business owners and managers to understand the importance of SQ and customer experience in attaining sustainable competitive advantage.
