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Delivering Quality Service: Diagnosing Favorable and Unfavorable Service Encounters in Restaurants

Jaka J. Kivelä

Hong Kong Polytechnic University, hmjack{at}polyu.edu.hk

Carmen Yiu Ha Chu

Hong Kong Polytechnic University, hmcarmenc{at}polyu.edu.hk

The development of an integrated customer feedback and employee performance strategy has underpinned the sweeping changes undertaken by many service organizations in recent years. However, it is fair to suggest that customer feedback processes that go beyond customer comment cards are often neglected in restaurant operations. In this article, customer perceptions about specific service delivery dimensions are explored and classified. The methodology was underpinned by the critical incident technique (CIT). The findings allude to the linkages between customer feedback and employee performance and the possible integration of feedback into the overall management of service delivery in restaurants. The resulting discussion highlights the CIT’s use in customer feedback analysis. The results of the survey undertaken suggest that the CIT might be sufficiently comprehensive to assess service delivery quality in restaurant operations.

Key Words: delivering quality service • restaurants • customer feedback • critical incident technique

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