Dissertation: Food Quality, Service, and Customer Satisfaction

This dissertation investigates the factors influencing customer satisfaction within the hospitality industry, with a specific focus on the Bistro restaurant located in the Taj Hotel, London. The research explores the impact of food quality, service quality, and price on customer experiences. The study includes a literature review encompassing concepts of service quality, customer satisfaction, and factors affecting food quality, price, and service. The methodology involves a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews with frequent customers. The data analysis chapter presents findings and interpretations from these interviews, while the conclusion links these findings to the research objectives and provides recommendations for enhancing customer satisfaction. The dissertation aims to understand these elements and analyze their importance in the context of customer satisfaction within the hotel and hospitality industry, offering insights into how restaurants can improve their service and food quality to meet customer expectations and foster loyalty.

Running head: DISSERTATION
How food quality, price and service quality affects customer satisfaction: A case study on Bistro
Restaurant in St. James Court, A Taj Hotel, London
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Acknowledgement
Thank you to all of those who have aided, heeded and heartened me throughout this research
work. I am obligated to my overseer ……………………. whose leadership, guidance and
tolerance have been immense. My earnest thanks to all members of the…………… [Mention
your university/college name], both staff and students, whose continuous support have made this
thesis possible.
I would like to thank all of the members in the study: pupils, tutors and Local Education
Authorities, for the time and assistance given all the way through. Without their contribution,
this investigation would not have been possible.

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Abstract
The main objective of the restaurants around the world is to provide delicious and satisfying food
to the customers. However, the responsibility of the restaurants do not end here. Such restaurants
are also required to provide certain satisfactory services to the customers so that they have a
comfortable experience within the restaurant. Furthermore, the restaurants should ensure that the
quality of the food provided to the customers is also up to the mark. Another area where the
restaurants should ensure proper management is their way of behaving with the customers.
Behavior plays a very significant role in the field of hospitality industry. The main aim of the
research is to understand the concepts of food quality and service quality and analyze their
importance on the factor of customer satisfaction with regards to the hotel and hospitality
industry, by placing special attention to the Bistro restaurant of Taj in London. The significance
of this research lies in the fact that it has looks in to the factor of customer satisfaction which is
very important for the hotel and hospitality industry. In this industry, the quality of the food is
very important. People come to the restaurants in order to enjoy delectable food and this can be
ensured by the hotel itself. Furthermore, the service quality of the restaurant is also important for
the satisfaction of the customers as good behavior always makes people happy. Thus, with the
aid of this research, the researcher tries to make the readers aware about how food quality and
service quality affects customer satisfaction. The second chapter on literature review examines
the different sources of literature such as books, articles and academic journals where the
viewpoints of different authros are mentioned. The third chapter shows the research
methodology that is followed in the course of the research. This includes the positivism research
philosophy, deductive research approach, descriptive research design. Furthermore, the data has
been collected from the secondary sources and analyzed in a qualitative manner. Five customers
who are frequent at the Taj in London have been interviewed and their responses have been

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analyzed in the fourth chapter. The fifth chapter is the concluding chapter which provides certain
recommendation in order to maintain the satisfaction of the customers.

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................7
1.0 Overview................................................................................................................................7
1.1 Problem Statement.................................................................................................................7
1.2 Research Aim.........................................................................................................................8
1.3 Research Objectives...............................................................................................................8
1.4 Research Questions................................................................................................................8
1.5 Research Rationale................................................................................................................9
1.6 Summary................................................................................................................................9
Chapter 2: Literature Review.........................................................................................................10
2.0 Overview..............................................................................................................................10
2.1 Concept of service quality...................................................................................................10
2.2 Concept of customer satisfaction.........................................................................................10
2.3 Conceptual framework.........................................................................................................11
2.4 Factors affecting food quality..............................................................................................12
2.5 Factors affecting price of food.............................................................................................13
2.6 Factors affecting service quality..........................................................................................15
2.7 Influence of food quality, price and service quality on customer satisfaction....................16
2.8 Summary..............................................................................................................................18
Chapter 3: Research Methodology................................................................................................19

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3.0 Overview..............................................................................................................................19
3.1 Data Analysis Technique.....................................................................................................19
3.1.1 Using in Semi Structured Interview Approach.............................................................19
3.2 Research Approach..............................................................................................................20
3.3 Research Philosophy............................................................................................................20
3.4 Research Design..................................................................................................................21
3.5 Data Collection Process.......................................................................................................21
3.6 Sampling Technique............................................................................................................21
3.7 Validity and Reliability in Research....................................................................................22
3.8 Ethical Considerations.........................................................................................................22
3.7 Summary..............................................................................................................................22
Chapter 4: Data Analysis...............................................................................................................23
4.0 Over view.............................................................................................................................23
4.1 Data Findings.......................................................................................................................23
4.2 Data Analysis.......................................................................................................................25
4.3 Summary..............................................................................................................................27
Chapter 5: Conclusion...................................................................................................................28
5.0 Over view.............................................................................................................................28
5.1 Linking with Objectives......................................................................................................28
5.2 Recommendations................................................................................................................29

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5.3 Scope of Future Research....................................................................................................29
References:....................................................................................................................................30
Appendix........................................................................................................................................37
Appendix 1: Interview Schedule...............................................................................................37

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Chapter 1: Introduction
1.0 Overview
The main objective of the restaurants around the world is to provide delicious and
satisfying food to the customers (Kim, Vogt and Knutson 2015). However, the responsibility of
the restaurants do not end here. Such restaurants are also required to provide certain satisfactory
services to the customers so that they have a comfortable experience within the restaurant.
Furthermore, the restaurants should ensure that the quality of the food provided to the customers
is also up to the mark (Radojevic, Stanisic and Stanic 2015). Another area where the restaurants
should ensure proper management is their way of behaving with the customers. Behavior plays a
very significant role in the field of hospitality industry.
In order to understand the factor of customer satisfaction, it is first important to
understand how the quality of the food and the service provided by the restaurants affect such
customer satisfaction (Bruns-Smith et al. 2015). The taste of food depends upon the various
measures undertaken during the time of preparation. Furthermore, it also depends upon the
person who prepares it. Similarly, the service provided by the restaurant also depends upon the
humane factor (Kotler et al. 2017). Thus, from this is can be observed that customer satisfaction
depends upon the personality of the people engaged in the industry and the quality of the product
provided to them.
1.1 Problem Statement
There are many factors which affects the satisfaction of the customers such as that of the
quality of the food, the service quality provided to the customers and the way an employee

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behaves with the customers. However, there has been no research which provides a holistic
picture about any restaurant whose customer satisfaction is affected by all these factors.
1.2 Research Aim
The main aim of the research is to understand the concepts of food quality and service
quality and analyze their importance on the factor of customer satisfaction with regards to the
hotel and hospitality industry, by placing special attention to the Bistro restaurant of Taj in
London.
1.3 Research Objectives
The research objectives can be stated as follows –
1. To understand the elements of food quality and service quality in context with the restaurants.
2. To critically analyze how food quality and service quality impact the factor of customer
satisfaction within the field of hospitality and hotels, with special focus to the restaurant of Taj in
London
3. To recommend various measures which would aid in improving the quality of the food and
service quality so that the concerned customers are left satisfied.
1.4 Research Questions
The research questions can be stated as follows –
1. What are the elements of food quality and service quality in context of restaurants?
2. How does food quality and service quality impact the factor of customer satisfaction within
the field of hospitality and hotels, with special focus to the restaurant of Taj in London?

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3. What are the various recommendations that can be provided which would aid in improving the
quality of the food and service quality so that the concerned customers are left satisfied?
1.5 Research Rationale
The significance of this research lies in the fact that it has looks in to the factor of
customer satisfaction which is very important for the hotel and hospitality industry. In this
industry, the quality of the food is very important (Kandampully, Zhang and Bilgihan 2015).
People come to the restaurants in order to enjoy delectable food and this can be ensured by the
hotel itself. Furthermore, the service quality of the restaurant is also important for the satisfaction
of the customers as good behavior always makes people happy (Wu and Liao 2016). Thus, with
the aid of this research, the researcher tries to make the readers aware about how food quality
and service quality affects customer satisfaction.
1.6 Summary
To summarize, this chapter tries to provide a brief over view about the aim and purpose
of the research. The main aim of the research is to understand the concepts of food quality and
service quality and analyze their importance on the factor of customer satisfaction with regards
to the hotel and hospitality industry, by placing special attention to the Bistro restaurant of Taj in
London. Furthermore, this chapter also states the research objectives and research questions
which have been analyzed in the following sections.

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Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.0 Overview
The literature review highlights the articles as well as the works of various scholars that
have contributed towards understanding service quality, food quality as well as prices. The
concept of customer satisfaction is also examined and the influence that the quality of services as
well as food have on the customers are highlighted in the chapter. The chapter provides argument
and counter argument related to the topic. A comprehensive idea is provided with the help of a
conceptual framework that helps to identify the factors affecting the quality and its influence on
customer satisfaction.
2.1 Concept of service quality
Service quality can be considered as a contemporary conceptualisation of expectations
with that of the perceived performances. According to Han and Hyun (2017), the advantage that
a good service quality provides to business is that it can help in increasing the customer
expectations as well as its needs. In the case of restaurants, it is seen that service quality plays an
important role for the retention of the customers. As stated by Hill and Brierley (2017) along
with the promptness of responses, the quality of food provided with the prices attached with the
food is considered as service quality for the development of customer satisfaction.
2.2 Concept of customer satisfaction
The term customer satisfaction is frequently used in marketing (Secchi, Roth and Verma
2018). It can be considered as measures by which products and services can meet or surpass the
expectations of the customers. Meltzer et al. (2016) is of the opinion that the purpose is to ensure
that every customer is satisfied by the level of services provided as well as help in increasing the

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Price of food
Customer satisfaction
Storage
Processing
Weather
Availability
Training
Food quality
Service quality
Cooking
Nutrition
Colour
Political
Competition
Labour costs
Transportation costs
Teamwork
Technology
level of loyalty of the customers. Without customer satisfaction, it can be difficult for hotels and
restaurants to maintain its business and thus it can be considered as an important objective for
food and service restaurants. Agnihotri et al. (2016) is of the opinion that customer satisfaction
also results in enhancing the reputation of restaurants.
2.3 Conceptual framework
Figure: Conceptual framework
(Source: Created by author)