Purpose
The purpose of this study is to verify the existence of loyalty among fast-food customers and its dependence on fast-food service quality, comprising service quality, food quality and store atmosphere. This study also examines the direct and mediating role of constructs such as satisfaction and trust in creating loyalty in fast-food restaurants (FFRs).
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 456 fast-food customers was collected using a structured questionnaire. This paper uses partial least squares path modeling to test and validate the study’s research model and hypotheses.
Findings
The results suggest that fast-food service quality has a positive influence on satisfaction, trust and loyalty among fast-food customers. The findings also reveal a mediating effect of trust (partial mediation), increasing the effect of satisfaction on loyalty.
Practical implications
This study reinforces the importance of considering the attributes that influence customer loyalty. Specifically, food quality is considered key to increasing loyalty among FFR customers.
Originality/value
This study proposes an integrated model influenced by three factors that contribute to fast-food service quality (i.e. food quality, service quality, atmosphere) along with classical variables used in the marketing literature (i.e. satisfaction, trust) in the creation of FFR loyalty. This study also follows modern procedures in PLS-SEM by challenging conventional methods.
PurposeThis study's main objective is to analyse the role of the consumer's ethnocentrism as a potential segmentation basis and to detect product origin-sensitive groups. The relationship between the consumer's regional ethnocentrism, local and regional identity and corresponding valuation and purchase of food products from a region is also examined.Design/methodology/approachThe responses of 358 consumers residing in two Spanish regions are analysed by means of a mediation analysis and a cluster analysis.FindingsThe results suggest the convenience of considering ethnocentric consumer tendencies, also at the regional level, when studying attitudes, valuation, information search and effective purchase of foods of diverse categories and origins.Originality/valueThe main contributions of this work derive from the assessment of consumer ethnocentrism at a subnational level (which is much less present in the literature) and the evidence of its usefulness for segmenting the market and detecting groups of origin-sensitive consumers, which can be useful to companies that produce and market food products in different regions.
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