University foodservice: an overview of factors influencing the customers' dining choice

On-campus foodservices were thought to be the first choice for university students to dine in. However, these seemingly captive consumers have been opting for off-campus foodservice as their preferred outlet. This paper aims to uncover specific factors that motivate undergraduate students to dine-in at university foodservice facilities using Profile Accumulation Technique (PAT). PAT is a semi-quantitative method that provides freedom for informants to answer in their own terms and words, alternatively the data could be analyzed statistically. 115 questionnaires were distributed to students and staff of a local university. Findings include a list of factors (positive perception, negative perception and expectations) that the students considered to be significant in determining their choice of food outlet. These factors are then descriptively analyzed to determine attributes influencing university customer preferences. This paper significantly contributes in providing a deeper insight into factors that influences dining choice of university foodservice’s customers in Malaysia

Influence of foodservice quality on customer satisfaction in the universities of Klang Valley, Malaysia: locals vs internationals

University foodservices in Malaysia have long been catering to the day-to-day meals for their students and staff of differing cultural backgrounds. As an educational tourism centre, higher education institutions in Malaysia continue to attract a large number of international students to further their studies. Since internationals and local Malaysians have different perspectives over the quality of services provided by on-campus foodservices, operators are faced with the exceptional challenge of fulfilling the needs of both unique groups simultaneously. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare local and international customers in terms of their expectations and perceptions of university foodservice. The sampling frame for the study was students and staff of universities and colleges from around the Klang Valley area, with the survey administered between September and December 2011. The data was analysed using frequency, paired sample t-test, multiple regression and independent sample t-test analyses. The study revealed that there was no significant relationship between customer satisfaction and the respondents’ country of origin; thus there were no differences between locals and internationals in terms of customer satisfaction with university foodservices. The data also indicated that both ‘Product Quality’ and ‘Value to Customer’ have significant effects on customer satisfaction of both locals and international respondents, with ‘Technological Application’ as an additional determinant for local customers. This paper will contribute significantly towards a deeper insight into the differences in satisfaction levels and the specific needs of these unique groups of clientele, thus aiding university foodservice operators in providing better service to all their customers, whether local or international

Customers’ satisfaction towards institutional foodservices : an insight into universities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia.

As one of Southeast Asia’s centers for educational tourism, many tertiary institutions in Malaysia are tryinghard to offer its captive populace with quality on - site foodservice. Apart from meeting customers’ daily dietary needs, these providers are also obligated to comply with the university’s stipulation in providing acceptable quality of food and service at their on- campus cafeterias and restaurants. To date, there is no published empirical evidence showing the current state of customer satisfaction towards Malaysian institutional foodservice incorporating more than one university. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate determinants influencing customer satisfaction of institutional foodservice at 25 universities in one of Malaysia’s highly developed boroughs: the Klang Valley. This study was carried out from September to December 2011, with its sample frame being students and staff from Klang Valley’s selected tertiary institutions. A SERVQUAL - type questionnaire was developed based on items determined by an initial Profile Accumulation Technique(PAT) survey and previous literature. A total of 2162 usable questionnaires were collected. The data was analyzed using frequency, factor analysis, t - test, gap analysis and multiple regression analysis. This study found that most customers have negative disconfirmations with their foodservice establishments, which point toward on - campus foodservice for not meeting with customers’ expectations. Findings denote customers’ preference of buying food off - campus, despite the fact that majority indicated that they would always purchase from on - campus foodservice facilities. Further evidence had revealed that there is a strong relationship between Customer Perception and Customer Satisfaction, specifying determinants such as ‘Products Quality’, ‘Value to Customer’ and ‘Technological Application’ have significant effect on Customer Satisfaction. This study will contribute to better understanding of determinants which affect customer perception and expectation, and the insights will specifically help Malaysia’s institutional foodservice providers to minimize the occurrence of service failures, improve recovery efforts, increase customer satisfaction, and generate positive repatronage behavior

Influence of foodservice quality on customer satisfaction in the universities of Klang Valley, Malaysia : locals vs internationals.

University foodservices in Malaysia have long been catering to the day-to-day meals for their students and staffs, from different cultural backgrounds. As an educational tourism center, these higher education institutions promote to attract more number of international students to further their studies in Malaysia. Since internationals and Malaysians have different perceptions towards food service quality, there are certain challenges for foodservice operators in comparing and fulfilling the needs of both two unique groups. Therefore, the aim of this study is to fill the gap in this area of knowledge. The sample frame for the study was students and staff of universities and colleges from around the Klang Valley area from September to December 2012. Frequency, paired sample t-test, multiple regression analysis and independent sample t-test were used to analyze the data. This study revealed that there are is no significant relationship between customer satisfaction and the respondents’ country of origin, where there is no difference between locals and internationals in terms of Customer Satisfaction. The data had also indicated that ‘Product Quality’ and ‘Value to Customer’ have have significant effect on Customer Satisfaction of both locals, and internationals, and ‘Technological Application’ was an additional factors for local respondents. This paper will significantly contribute in providing a deeper insight into the differing satisfaction levels and foodservice needs of both of these two unique groups of clienteles, thus help guide university foodservice operators in providing satisfactory service to not only one portion of the population, but to all their customers, local and international alike