Compared to the other service industries, the crowding perception of the restaurant industry, which customers visit at a certain time or period, has not been studied enough.
Therefore, we developed measuring tools to find out how to measure crowding perception for the customers of Korean restaurants, and based on the study, we suggested the factors that can effect the crowding perception, and emotional response and customer behaviors that are caused by the crowding perception. Through those studies, we also found the results of the crowding perception by researching satisfaction and behaviors which are influenced by the crowding perception, and suggested the following purposes in order use the study results as a marketing tool for customer satisfaction.
The first task was to develop an objective measuring tool that can measure the crowding perception in restaurants. We will develop it to measure crowding perception in restaurants with the environmental variables as a standard. We found out whether the measuring tools were proper through analyzing factors by checking its trustworthy and reasons, and counted out the Cronbach alpha factors from 49 lists regarding restaurant environments in order to see the trustworthiness of each list and the whole contents.
The second was to see how the crowding perception can effect customer satisfaction, by researching each of the factors of perception and their effect on satisfaction. With the crowding perception as the independent variable and satisfaction as the dependant variable, we will perform the regression analysis through multiple regression analysis.
Third, based on the previous literatures, we suggest the structure model for psychological variables such as preference, expectation, prior knowledge, realizing goals, individual characteristics, restaurant environment, frequency of use, emotional response, satisfaction and customer behaviors (customer satisfaction, site displacement behavior, Word-of-Mouth, complaining behavior, revisiting) by extracting the crowding perception factors that customers feel.
Fourth, was to see the demographic difference level of variables between realized purpose by visiting restaurants, crowding perception and satisfaction, revisiting, oral advertising, complaining behaviors.
Fifth, we performed the multiple regression analysis to see how the psychological variables such as preference, expectations, prior knowledge, realizing goals, individual characteristics, restaurant environments, and frequency of use can effect restaurant customer satisfaction about the crowding perception.
Literature researches and empirical analysis has performed to realize the purpose of this study, and we tried a theoretical approach by using Korean and foreign books, journals, thesis and statistics regarding crowding perception for the literature research, and used the National Customer Satisfaction Index which means modeling the satisfaction of customers after customers use the products and services of the restaurants in the Seoul, Korean Customer Satisfaction Index which was published by Korea Management Association Consulting, KS-SQI which was published by the Korean Standards Association and recognized by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy as standards for the empirical researches. We distributed the survey paper from July, 4, 2005 to July, 30, 2004 and make them use personal self-administration.
This study used empirical research to prove the conceptional model and assumptions based on the previous literatures regarding the relationships between variables to develop measuring tools for crowding perception and to discover the structure model of the crowding perception.
Empirical research was performed based on a quasi experiment design to develop the measuring tools for crowding perception and we performed an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis for the Chronbach's Alpha analysis to see whether it asked the proper questions. Also we performed Anova (Analysis of Variance) and T-test to see the differences in the demographic variables, and carried out regression analysis which showed the customer satisfaction through the multiple regression analysis with 49 restaurant environment independent variables to see the crowding perception of Korean and foreign restaurants and with dependant variables satisfaction for the crowding perception. For the assumption proof and analysis of the data, we used AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structure) to perform the path analysis.
Because of the lack of previous literature, based on the previous literatures regarding tourism areas, and shopping malls, we limited the research ranges about the psychological variables such as preference, expectation, prior knowledge, realizing goals, individual characteristics, restaurant environments, frequency use, emotional response, satisfaction and customer behaviors (customer satisfaction, oral advertising, site displacement behavior, revisiting, complaining) that can be effected by crowding perception factors.
In the study results, we tried to develop tools that can measure crowding perception of restaurants for customer's expectation and satisfaction regarding 49 restaurant environmental variables. In the analysis results of restaurant environmental lists, this way was better to evaluate satisfaction than subtracting satisfaction from expectation to make it into an independent value in the multi regression analysis because this way can give a more detailed explanation.
In the multi regression analysis results for each list, the list that had the highest regression coefficient was 0.381 'fast service', then 'fast management complaints' 0.325, and next was 'easy to move around' was 0.268.
To develop the measuring tool for crowding perception of restaurants, we checked whether the lists of environmental variables were proper and reasonable, then, brought out each factors to research how much those factors can effect the crowding perception. The environmental variables that can effect the crowding perception are a total of 8 factors; factor 1 is waiter/waitress environmental factor, factor 2 is convenience environmental factor, factor 3 is facility environmental factor, factor 4 is waiting environmental factor, factor 5 is service environmental factor, factor 6 is atmosphere environmental factor, and factor 7 is cleaning environmental factor.
Second, we considered restaurant environmental factors as independent variables and considered satisfaction as independent variables to measure crowding perception of restaurants, and carried out the regression analysis through a multiple regression analysis, which shows the total satisfaction of customers. In the research results, statistically the environmental factors can effects on the crowding perception, the factors that has most effects showing follow order with its regression coefficient; waiting environmental factor(0.3821), cleaning environmental factor(0.2563), service environmental factor(0.2133), convenience environmental factor(0.1842) atmosphere factor(0.1465), menu environmental factor(0.1256), factor, facility environmental factor(0.1013), waiter/waitress environmental factor(0.0965), so we can see that the waiting and cleaning factors had the most effect on the crowding perception.
Third, we tried to see the differences, through the Anova and T-test, between the demographic variables such as crowding perception, restaurant satisfaction and customer's behavior. Customer behavior, however customers who were 20-24 years old felt the most crowding and customers older than 45 years old felt the least. Oral advertising had the lowest average was shown under 20 years old, and we consider that it is because the restaurants where those age people visit are already well known places.
In the Anova results regarding crowding and customer's behaviors according to their visiting frequency, oral advertising and complains showed a little difference. Oral advertising had the highest average value when the visiting frequency is more than an average of 7 times a month, and complaining behaviors had the highest average value when the visiting frequency was more than an average of 2 times a month. Especially, the customers who visit more than 7 times a month and also had the highest complaints.
In the customer's behavior, the customers who spend more than average 120,000 won per a week showed a high response to oral advertising and complained alot.
In the Anova results regarding crowding perception and customer's behaviors, crowding, satisfaction, revisiting, site displacement behavior, and complaining showed a little differences. Family restaurants showed the highest crowding and hotel restaurants showed the lowest. The satisfaction for crowding had the highest value in hotel restaurants and family restaurant had the lowest value. The tendency to revisit, regarding crowding, showed the highest value in the Korean traditional restaurants, and site displacement behavior and complaining behaviors had the highest value in family restaurants. This means that people feel more crowded, less satisfied and complain more at a family restaurant, however revisiting is not so different with hotels and Korean traditional restaurant.
In the T-test results for demographic proof regarding realizing purpose, meal, appointment place, easy to receive guest showed some differences depended on the sex. Especially, women had higher value in meals, appointment places, and easy to receive guests, which means that women could realize their purpose more than men.
In the Anova results regarding realizing purpose according to ages, meal, meeting, appointment place, snack, saving time, changes of eating habit and receiving guest showed some differences. Also in the Anova results regarding realizing purpose according to marriage, meal, meeting, appointment place, snack, saving time, changes of eating habit and receiving guest showed some differences. Woman and married people showed higher value in meal, meeting, appointment place and receiving guest then men and not married people.
In the Anova results regarding realizing purpose according to education, meal, event (seminar), meeting, business, appointment place, snack, changes of eating habit and receiving guest showed some differences. Realizing purpose showed the highest value in the people who studied at graduate school, so higher education had a higher rate of realizing purpose.
In the Anova results regarding realizing purpose according to visiting frequency, snack and receiving guest showed some differences. In the relation between purpose of eating snack and visiting frequency, the highest value showed an average of 5 times a month. The average value is increased from once to 5 times a month for the realizing purpose, however, the realizing purpose is decreased when it is more than 6 times a month. We think that the people who visit the restaurant more than 6 times a month have a different purpose and not just to enjoy a snack.
In the Anova results regarding realizing purpose according to money that they spend per a week, event (seminar), meeting, business, appointment place, snack, changes of eating habit and receiving guest showed some differences. The people, who spend more than 120,000won a month, had the highest average value in realizing purpose for receiving guests. Also higher spending per a week showed easy to realize the purpose of receiving guest.
In the Anova results regarding realizing purpose according to monthly income, meal, meeting, appointment place, snack, saving time and receiving guest showed some differences. The highest average value was the people who earn less than 1 million won a month, and also people with a lower monthly income had a higher rate of snacking. This means that people with a lower income visit restaurants for snacks and not for a meals or meetings.
In the Anova results regarding realizing purpose according to the restaurant, meal, event (seminar), meeting, appointment place, snack, saving time, changes of eating habit and receiving guests showed some differences. The highest average value was shown in traditional Korean restaurants, and the lowest was shown in fast food restaurants. We think that it is because people go to traditional Korean restaurants for meals, but visit fast food restaurants for other purposes.
Fourth, based on the previous literature, we suggest the structure model for psychological variables such as preference, expectation, prior knowledge, realizing goals, individual characteristics, restaurant environment, frequency of use, emotional response, satisfaction and customer behaviors (customer satisfaction, oral advertising, site displacement behavior, revisiting) by extracting the crowding perception factors that customers feel. In the structure model regarding crowding perception for Korean restaurant, we suggested the structure model (AGFI:0.971) between psychological variables, restaurant environment, individual characteristics, frequency of use, crowding perception, emotional response, crowding satisfaction and customer's behavior, the results was in following order; psychological variable (0.172), restaurant environment (0.384), frequency of use (0.726), however, individual characteristics were not so effective. Also frequency of use had the most effect on the crowding perception, and the perception such as the number of customers, interruption by other customers, dense of customers made customers feel more crowded than psychological variables such as preference, prior knowledge, expectation, realizing purpose and restaurant environment.
Crowding perception doesn't effect the crowding satisfaction, however, it can effect satisfaction through the emotional response, however; all crowding perception, emotional response, and crowding satisfaction have an effect on customer behavior.
These study results can provide an objective measuring tool regarding crowding perception of customers, and also it will be possible to make a business strategy and estimate the business results by measuring the effects of the crowding perception.