Can signaling impact customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions in times of service failure?: evidence from open versus closed kitchen restaurants

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the impact of signaling on customers’ evaluations of service qualities, customer satisfaction and revisit intentions in times of service failures. Open kitchen design is selected as a signal. An online survey is conducted to collect data on customers’ evaluations of service qualities in open kitchen restaurants in comparison with closed kitchen restaurants. Then, customer satisfaction and revisit intentions are measured under service failure scenarios. The findings demonstrate that open kitchen design is perceived as a negative signal for noise and smell but not as a positive signal for food hygiene and food quality. Under service failure scenarios, signaling is not confirmed to affect customer satisfaction and revisit intentions. Rather, signaling is found to be effective even when there were relatively higher chances of service failures.

摘要

本研究探讨在服务失败时，讯号对顾客服务品质、顾客满意度及回访意向评估之影响.选择开放式厨房设计作为信号.本研究旨在收集顾客对开放式厨房餐厅与封闭式厨房餐厅服务品质评估的资料.然后，在服务失败场景下测量客户满意度和重新访问意图.研究结果表明，开放式厨房设计被认为是噪音和气味的负信号，而不是食品卫生和食品质量的正信号.在服务失败场景下，没有确认信号会影响客户满意度和重新访问意图.相反，即使在服务失败的可能性相对较高的情况下，信令也是有效的.

KEYWORDS:

• Signaling
• service failure
• foodservice
• open kitchen

Acknowledgments

The authors received no financial and technical support for the research, authorship, or publication of this article.