Purpose: This study identified the importance and performance of food safety related attributes among ethnic full-service restaurants’ selection factors in the United States.
Methods: An online questionnaire was developed based on literature review, including respondents’ demographics, importance of 32 restaurant attributes, and respondents’ perceived performance of these attributes on an ethnic full-service restaurant they recently visited. A market research company was used for data collection. The mean importance ratings and mean performance values for each attribute were calculated and plotted into these quadrants.
Results: Of 208 respondents, 56.7% (n=118) were male and 77.4% (n=161) were Caucasian. Approximately 30.8% (n=64) visited a full-service restaurant two to three times per month. The three most important attributes of ethnic full-service restaurants were food safety (6.17±1.45), food taste (6.11±1.44), and cleanliness of the dining room (6.03±1.38). The participants perceived that the ethnic full-service restaurants they visited performed well in accurate guest check (5.95±1.01), serve food as ordered (5.91±1.12), and food taste (5.88±1.10). Performance of food safety (5.68±1.12) and cleanliness of the dining room (5.53±1.21) were rated as the eighth and sixteenth of 32 attributes, respectively. Three attributes (i.e. cleanliness of the restrooms and fair price) were captured in the concentration quadrant. Thirteen attributes (i.e. food taste and serve food as ordered) were categorized as “Keep up the good work”.
Significance: This study illustrated using IPA as a managerial tool to identify areas, including food safety, with which more effort should be taken in ethnic full-service restaurants.