Factors affecting the level of customer satisfaction when dining at restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

Food consumed out-of-home became more popular with people in Vietnam when the food consumption pattern changed since the 1990s- after the economic changes. From the food cart on the sidewalk to fine dining restaurants can all become places to eat. But when the Covid pandemic took place, this eating trend once again changed rapidly, as eating at home has become the new reality of city people. The question is whether the restaurants that have been fortunate to have survived the epidemic will still have the opportunity to turn around and return to the normal rhythm as before, will people be willing to return, and if yes then what are the prerequisites for the decision to return. The study examines the factors affecting customer satisfaction when dining out, therefore creating new knowledge in the landscape of the F&B industry. To satisfy the study's purpose, a quantitative approach was conducted to test the dimensions and suitability of the study's model. We performed the digital questionnaire through Google form. Through this approach, 220 questionnaires had been amassed from respondents. Based on the study results, Service quality and Location factors had no impact on the level of customer satisfaction when dining at restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. Factors: Safe Atmosphere and Price Fairness, Food quality, View and Atmosphere have a positive effect on the level of customer satisfaction when dining at restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. The level of impact on the dependent variable is as follows: the strongest effect is Food quality (β = 0.008), ranked second is Safe Atmosphere and Price Fairness (β = 0.001), finally, the weakest factor is View and Atmosphere with a regression coefficient of (β = 0.000). With regression results and descriptive statistics of the variables in the significant factor in the regression model, this research article can help provide food service owners with necessary information about the needs of customers with the right approach. Through the collected data, it is possible to draw out the important factors that have a prerequisite influence on customer satisfaction, thereby suggesting solutions to help service owners focus on and improve the service quality to attract customers better.