Title: Value factors determining consumer satisfaction at full-scale restaurants in Saudi Arabia

Authors: Muhammad Asad Sadi, Taha Saricimen

Addresses: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. ' Gulf Medical Co. Ltd., Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: The restaurant industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is expanding rapidly. This industry has grown over the years, primarily because of the adoption of a modern way of life in the Saudi culture and the ever-increasing economic prosperity in the Kingdom. With the surge in restaurant businesses, customers| expectations for value in relation to price, quality and service have also increased. The restaurant operators now look for new and innovative ways to keep their customers satisfied so as to remain successful. This paper investigates empirically factors that determine consumer satisfaction in the full-scale restaurant market in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was randomly distributed to collect data on a four-construct research model. This study concludes that value factors, such as service quality, product quality and physical appearance, have a significant impact on consumer satisfaction. The product price, on the other hand, does not have such an impact.

Keywords: value factors; consumer satisfaction; full-scale restaurants; food industry; hospitality industry; catering trade; Saudi Arabia; customer expectations; Eastern Province; service quality; product quality; prices; pricing; modernisation; culture; economic growth; prosperity; innovation; physical appearance; globalisation; business advancement.

DOI: 10.1504/JGBA.2010.036034

Journal for Global Business Advancement, 2010 Vol.3 No.4, pp.285 - 294

Published online: 13 Oct 2010 *

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