The Development of a University Foodservice Quality Survey Instrument

Abstract

Cross-cultural and service quality research supports the theory that there is a difference in customer service expectations and perceptions as related to cultural orientation from a variety of service settings; however, a domain that has yet to be explored is culture's impact on service quality perceptions in university foodservices. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a survey instrument of campus dining facilities that measures service quality perceptions experienced by international students. Input was collected through focus groups with international students enrolled at The University of Southern Mississippi's English Learning Institute (ELI). The instrument was refined using input from a panel of eight foodservice and cross-cultural industry experts. During the instrument's pilot test, two cognitive interviewing techniques were used to assess content validity as well as cognitive validity and equivalency. The final survey was completed by a total of 141 of the 342 international students. A six-factor solution, based on 31 items, was created that accounted for 52% of the variance: Service and Sanitation (a= .866), Food Dislikes (a= .713), Selection and Taste (a= .738), Drinks (a= .760), Value (a= .731), and Crowding (a= .693).

Key Words:

• Service quality attributes international students
• instrument development
• university foodservice
• culture