Mechanism of customer value in restaurant consumption: Employee hospitality and entertainment cues as boundary conditions

Food quality and employee task performance have been demonstrated to positively influence customer evaluations of restaurant dining experience. This study extends previous research by incorporating customer affective responses to examine the mediating processes underlying the relationships between customer perceptions of task performance/food quality and perceived value. The moderating influences of employee hospitality and entertainment cues on the relationships between customer perceptions of task performance/food quality and their affective responses were also examined. Results from surveying 308 customers of full-service restaurants showed that customer affective responses mediate the relationships between task performance/food quality and perceived value. The results also indicated that the relationship between food quality and affective responses increases with employee hospitability. However, employee hospitability negatively moderates the relationship between task performance and affective responses. Additionally, strong entertainment cues positively reinforce the relationship between task performance and affective responses, but do not significantly affect the relationship between food quality and affective responses.

► We examine the mechanism of customer value incorporating both tangible and intangible elements in restaurant foodservice provision.
► Customer affective responses will mediate the relationships between task performance/food quality and perceived value.
► Employee hospitality will positively moderate the relationship between food quality and affective responses but negatively between task performance and affective responses.
► Strong entertainment cues will positively reinforce the relationship between task performance and affective responses but not between food quality and affective responses.