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An Evaluation of Fast Food

Restaurant Satisfaction
a

Linda S. Pettijohn DBA , Charles E. Pettijohn DBA

& Robert H. Luke PhD

faculty members in the Department of Marketing ,

Southwest Missouri State University , USA
Published online: 22 Oct 2008.

To cite this article: Linda S. Pettijohn DBA , Charles E. Pettijohn DBA & Robert
H. Luke PhD (1997) An Evaluation of Fast Food Restaurant Satisfaction, Journal of
Restaurant & Foodservice Marketing, 2:3, 3-20
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J061v02n03_02

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An Evaluation
of Fast Food Restaurant Satisfaction:
Determinants, Competitive Comparisons
and Impact on Future Patronage
Linda S. Pettijohn
Charles E. Pettijohn
Robert H. Luke

ABSTRACT. The researchers interviewed 300 customers of a fast

food restaurant. The respondents indicated that quality, cleanliness

and value are the three most important attributes of a fast food
restaurant. The study reported the respondents' ratings of competitive brands. Cross-tabulationsof satisfaction rating by various customer traits are provided. [Article copies available for a fee from The
Haworth Documet~l Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address:
getinfo@haworf11.com/

Increasingly, discussions have focused on customer satisfaction.

The universal recommendation seems to be, "deliver customer satisfaction at ever-increasing levels." Yet, are there productkervice
characteristics which contribute differentially to customer satisfaction? Does customer satisfaction relate to future purchase intentions? Do separate demographic groups provide different evaluations of satisfaction? Do customers differentiate between
establishments in the same industry in terms of their evaluations of
satisfaction? Answers to these questions are important, as building
Linda S. Pettijohn, DBA, Charles E. Pettijohn, DBA, and Robert H. Luke, PhD,
are faculty members in the Department of Marketing at Southwest Missouri State
University.
Journal of Restaurant & Foodservice Marketing,Vol. 2(3) 1997
3
O 1997 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights resewed.

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JOURNAL OF RESTAURANT & FOODSERVICE MARKETING

satisfaction requires an expenditure of resources. According to

Mathews and Kate1 (1992), firms are becoming increasingly skeptical of continual quality improvements because of the costs
involved. If attempts to build satisfaction are based on elements of a
product or service which is relatively unimportant to consumers,
then resources are wasted. If higher levels of satisfaction do not
relate to repeat purchase and higher levels of purchase, then it is
possible that resources are wasted. If customers are not able to
differentiate between companies in the same industry, then it seems
that efforts to build satisfaction may be futile.
Answers to issues pertaining to satisfaction seem particularly
relevant to the fast food industry. The fast food industry is a highly
competitive industry. Papiernick (1996) states that the battle for
market share in the restaurant industry will intensify. According to
Papiernick, fast food restaurants will obtain 47.8% of restaurant
sales, compared with full-service sales of 47.7%. The growth in fast
foods is attributed to the ability of fast food establishments to satisfy customers' desires for value and convenience. Horovitz and
Emico (1996) discuss the competition between McDonald's and
Burger King. According to the article, high stakes exist in this
contest, partially because the fast food industry is described as a 100
billion dollar-a-year industry. Further, the article discusses the fact
that McDonald's, long the leader in the industry, is facing challenges from other firms as it attempts to attract the "more mature"
portion of the market. As the article revealed, Burger King's products are more positively perceived by the over 35 segment of the
market (only 18% of those surveyed said McDonald's made the best
burger for adults).

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Anderson and Sullivan (1993) indicate the importance of customer satisfaction by stating that customer expectations of satisfaction lead to an increase in the probabilities of purchasing a particular brand. They contend that companies that provide high-quality
products on a consistent basis will have more satisfied customers,
and are more likely to be retained. According to Fierman (1994),
retaining customers is important; it costs three to five times as much

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Pettijohn, Pef~ijohn,and Luke

to attract a new customer as it does to retain an old customer. In fact,

for IBM, a one percentage point change in customer satisfaction
scores accounts for a change (plus or minus) in sales of 500 million
dollars over a five year period. In the fast food industry, the importance of customer satisfaction has not been overlooked. With regard
to the food industry, Wallace (1995) states that small changes in
loyalty and consumption patterns can have disproportionate
impacts on the firm's profitability. Wallace argues that by reducing
customer defection by 5%, a restaurant can increase its profits by
25%.
The growth in customer satisfaction research is being fueled by
the concentration toward quality. One of the most active fields in
terms of research is fast foods (Loro, 1996). According to Rousseau
(1995), it is vital to know your customers' characteristics, and perceptions, of your service. Boston Market periodically surveys its
customers; exit interviews are used to learn the customer's level of
satisfaction with the dining experience, as well as to learn the customer's characteristics.
Satisfaction can be examined by comparing one's brands with
other competing brands (Peterson & Wilson, 1992). Research in the
fast food industry has examined various components to identify an
establishment's position on satisfaction. According to Quinton
(1991), the winners in the satisfaction "sweepstakes" all satisfy.
Quinton contends value is now the key. However, value is described
as no longer being purely a price issue, instead it is described as "a
complex equation" which considers various costs. Restaurant Hospitality (1991) agrees, stating value as a combination of entertainment value, service, convenience, price, and food quality.
Some f m s attempt to influence satisfaction and profits by discovering the "latest" hot food item. This strategy has been
described as "going for the WOK" However, according to Bernstein (1994), the long term winners will be those who stay with the
proven elements of success. Using this logic, firms should "stick to
the basics." Focus on quality, not the new winner. Howard (1996)
describes McDonald's as a f m that has tried the " W O K " and is
now getting back to the basics. McDonald's is described as placing
service fust (more precisely speed, convenience, and friendly service), in response to competitive pressures.

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JOURNAL OF RESTA URANT & FOODSERVICE MARKETING

Many factors may be used in evaluating an establishment's quality. For example, an assessment of customer satisfaction with pmfessional services found that dissatisfaction was caused by (a) discourteous
and rude pemnnel (32%), (b) wailing time (22%), (c) overcharging
(22%), and (d) impersonal treatment (8%) (Crane, 1991). An evaluation of satisfaction with bank service quality used nine dimensions
to examine perceptions. In this study, the following bank attributes
were evaluated on a five point scale: (a) friendliness, (b) how well
the managers know me, (c) how well the bank listens to my needs,
(d) how many money machines the bank has, (e) how many tellers
are available at busy times, (f) the cost of a checking account,
(g) the closeness of the bank to home, (h) the closeness of the bank
to place of employment, and (i) the convenience of the bank on the
route to work. The results indicate that the only factors significant
in impacting satisfaction ratings are described as warmth factors
(e.g., friendliness, how well the manager knows me, how well the
bank listens, and convenience to home). The results also indicated
that customers are relatively objective in their recollections of competing firms and will not downgrade other firms on all attributes
(Rust & Zahorik, 1993). Nicholls, Roslow, and Tsalikis (1995) also
state that service can be broken down into a series of components.
These authors contend that satisfactioncan differ with each component of the service. In examining customer satisfaction with bank
transactions, a five point scale was used to evaluate the degree of
satisfaction with the following components: (a) overall satisfaction,
(b) satisfaction with immediate experience, (c) satisfaction with
waiting time, (d) satisfaction with time required to complete transaction; and (e) the representative's courtesy, attentiveness, ability,
accuracy, and professionalism. The results indicate that satisfaction
is derived from the representative's courtesy, attentiveness, ability,
accuracy, and professionalism, as well as speed and promptness in
completing the transaction. Bloemer and Kasper (1995) analyzed
satisfaction and its relationship to brand loyalty. Their fmdings
concluded that the type of satisfaction had a more significant impact
on brand loyalty than did satisfaction, per se. Satisfaction, which
was the result of the customer's active "elaboration" in considering
the service (termed manifest satisfaction) had a greater impact on

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Pellijohtt, Peltijohn, and Luke

true brand loyalty than did latent satisfaction (which resulted from
the customer's inactive elaboration).
Quinton's (1991) research evaluated customer satisfaction with
fast food restaurants by using a five point scale, and examining the
following dimensions to calculate a composite score: (a) food quality,
(b) menu variety, (c) good value, (d) good service, (e) atmosphere,
(f) cleanliness, and (g) convenience. Kasdan (1996) contends that
location is the most important factor in selecting a fast food restaurant, but the three most important factors are low price, speed of
service, and consistency. Farkas (1992) reports the results of a
Gallup poll, which found that taste is the main factor which determines fast food patronage. The top five factors influencing the
selection of a fast food restaurant were (a) taste (3 I%), (b) price
and value (1 8%), (c) type of food (1 6%), (d) service (1 5%), and
(e) nutrition (12%). An assessment of purchasing pizza from Domino's or Pizza Hut, and its relationship to satisfaction, discovered
that multiple dimensions of service led to choice decisions (Richard, Sundaran, & Alloway, 1994). The findings indicated that both
the delivery process and its outcome affected the purchase decision.
Based on the review of the literature, five objectives were
designed for the research. First, determine the relative importance
of various factors which may impact customer satisfaction with a
fast food eating establishment. Second, compare the ratings
obtained by various competing fast food restaurants on the satisfaction dimensions. Third, compare the customer's satisfaction ratings
of the various restaurants, with the respondent's demographic characteristics (age, income, education, marital status, and gender). The
fourth objective is to determine whether satisfaction ratings vary
with purchasing patterns. The final research objective entailed an
examination of the impact of satisfaction scores on the consumer's
likelihood of future patronage.

METHODOLOGY
The research was designed with the support of a local Wendy's
manager. The research objectives were first addressed by developing a questionnaire that would provide the necessary information.
The questionnaire development process included interviewing the

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JOURNAL OF RESTA URANT & FOODSERVICE MARKETING

participating store manager to determine (a) his perception of the

data that should be gathered, and (b) the manner in which such data
could reasonably be obtained; a questionnaire was designed based
on the input received. The questionnaire developed was analyzed
and pretested to determine whether the questions could be comprehended and answered within the time constraints presented by the
store's manager. The result of this process was the development of a
self-response questionnaire.
The second step in the process entailed selection of the sample.
Based on the fact that the research objectives pertained to identifying which factors were most related to satisfaction with a fast-food
restaurant, and the data had to be collected expediently, a store
intercept data collection method was used.
The fmal step in the process entailed the actual data collection.
Since time periods generate both different customer types and revenues, it was determined that individual time segments should be
included in the study (Rousseau, 1995). Thus, specific times were
divided into the following groups: (a) weekdays, (b) weekends,
(c) lunch (the highest volume time), (d) afternoons, (e) dinner, and
(f) late night. A stratified sampling frame for each of these time
segments was then determined by examining the percent of sales
generated for each time period, and then specifying that the sample
be stratified according to the specific time period representative of
the percent of sales generated during that period. Using the store
intercept design, every third customer making a purchase at the
participating restaurant was selected as a respondent. Potential
respondents were contacted by one of two interviewers, and asked
to complete the survey. Survey completion required only five minutes. (A high response rate [326 contacts or 92%] was obtained by
providing each of the 300 respondents with a free dessert coupon.)
RESULTS
The majority of the respondents are over 30 years of age (this
was partially by design, as the interviewers were instructed NOT to
select people under the age of 16 for inclusion in the study. As seen
in the table, 16 individuals under the age of 16 were inadvertently
selected). The results show that the majority of the respondents had

Peltijol~r~,
Pettijohn, and Luke

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not completed college (70%). The respondents were predominantly

female and unmarried. With regard to household income, most of
the respondents earned less than $25,000 annually (these numbers
compare very favorably with U.S. Census [I9941 data, which indicate that 59.3% of the households earn less than $25,000).

Relative Importatice of Satisfaction Ditnetisions

As discussed in the literature review, evaluation dimensions that
may affect the level of customer satisfaction were identified by the
criteria specified by Quinton (1991). Using these criteria, respondents rated the relative importance of each category using a five
point scale (1 = unimportant to 5 = most important). Table 1 shows
the ratings provided by the respondents to each of the categories. As
illustrated in the table, the respondents rated "food quality" as the
most important attribute of a fast-food restaurant. "Cleanliness,"
"value," "price," and "convenience" ranked second, third, fourth
and fifth, respectively. The two characteristics rated as least important were "store atmosphere" and "menu variety."
Paired comparisons were conducted for each of the ratings. An
evaluation of the ratings in Table 1 indicates that the respondents
felt the most important dimension in determining satisfaction was
food quality. This factor is significantly more important than any
other dimension. The second most important dimension is cleanliness. Again, this dimension is rated as significantly more important
than any of the remaining dimensions (p < .I0 for the value dimension). The third most important factor was value. This variable was
more important than any of the other remaining variables. Price was
the fourth most important factor. It was rated significantly more
important than four of the five remaining attributes although not
significantly more important than convenience. Convenience,
which ranked fifth in importance was rated as significantly more
important than three of the remaining four variables (though not
significantly more important than speed of service).

Cotnparative Ratings of Fast Food Restaurants

Respondents were asked to rate competing fast food restaurants
on each of the satisfaction dimensions. Following those ratings, a

I0

JOURNAL OF RESTAURANT & FOODSERVICE MARKETING

TABLE 1. Mean Values

of

Benefit Attributes (n = 300)

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Attribute

Mean (sd)

Food Quality

4.57 (.62) a

Cleanliness

4.48 (.65) b

Value

4.41 (.70) a

Price

4.33 (.73) c

Convenience

4.31 (.69) d

Seed of Sewice

4.23 (.69) e

Courtesy

4.18 (.72)f

Menu Variety
Store Atmosphere

1
I
1

4.12 (.76)
4.09 (.75)

a) Significantly (p < .05) more important than the remaining variables.

b) Significantly (p c .05) more important than all remainingvariables except value (p c .09).
c) significantly (p < .05) more important than all remaining variables, except
convenience (p < .35).
d) Significantly (p < .05) more important than all remaining variables, except speed
< .22).
e) !gnificantly (p c 06) more important than menu variety and store atmosphere.
f) Significantly (p < .05) more important than store atmosphere.

composite satisfaction score was created by totaling the ratings

provided by each restaurant. In addition, by using the relative
importance scores assigned to each of the satisfaction dimensions
evaluated, a weighed satisfaction score was constructed. This score
was created by taking each restaurant's mean satisfaction score on a
dimension, and multiplying that score by the relevant mean importance weight. As shown in Table 2, both the weighted and
unweighted mean satisfaction scores were computed, and the scores

Petiijohrt, Petlijokn, and Luke

11

TABLE 2. Mean Customer Satisfaction Scores and Comparisons with

Wendy's (n = 139)

Unweighted Difference
from
Scores (sd)
Wendy's

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Restaurant

Wendy's
Steak n Shake
Burger King
McDonald's

Hardee's

Weighted
Scores

Difference
from
Wendy's

29.6 (5.4)
I

1
1

27.5 (6.2)
27.2 (4.5)
26.9 (5.5)
25.6 (5.5)

All differences significant p < .0001

then compared. A review of the table will also show that Steak and
Shake received the second highest score, followed by Burger King,
McDonald's, and Hardee's, respectively. Each of the satisfaction
scores were then compared with Wendy's, and the results of the
paired comparisons (t-tests) show that Wendy's scores were significantly higher than the scores obtained by its competitors (since
Wendy's was the sponsor and since the ratings were obtained from
Wendy's customers, this finding was not unexpected).
Table 3 shows the comparative rankings provided by the respondents for each of the satisfaction dimensions. As the table indicates,
Wendy's received the highest ratings on all of the satisfaction
dimensions. Paired comparisons of the mean ratings show Wendy's
received higher satisfaction ratings on all dimensions, compared
with Burger King and Hardee's. The results indicate that the closest
comparative scores are found with Steak and Shake, and McDonald's. No significant differences were found on the dimensions of
food quality, courtesy, cleanliness, store appearance, and menu variety between Wendy's and Steak and Shake. Wendy's was perceived
as having significantly better prices, value, and speed of service. A
review of the McDonald's and Wendy's comparisons shows that no

12

JOURNAL OF RESTA URANT & FOODSER VICE MARKETING

TABLE 3. Comparative Rankings on the Satisfaction Variables

Restaurant

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Variable

'rice

1 3.6

(.96)

1 3.5

(9)

1 3.0

(.9)a 13.4 (.9)c 12.8 (l.l)a

Iood Qualily

3.9 (.77)

3.2 (1.0)a 3.4 (9)a

3.5 (1.0)a 3.9 (1.2)

Speed of Service

3.9 (.86)

3.4 (1.0)a 3.2 (.9)a

3.4 (.9)a

3.3 (.9)a

2leanlmess

3.7(.98)

3.7(.9)

3.4(.9)a

3.4(.8)b

3.7(1.0)

;tore Appearance

3.8 (.85)

3.8 (.8)

3.3 (.9)a

3.5 (.8)a

3.8 (.9)

dewvariety

3.8 (91)

3.5 (1.0)a 3.5 (.9)a

3.3 (.9)a

3.8 (1.0)

J'alue

3.8 (93)

3.4 (1.0)a 3.1 (1.0)a 3.3 (.9)a

3.3 (1.7)a

significant differences in the ratings were found with respect to

price, cleanliness, and store appearance. Differences were found
with regard to food quality, speed of service, courtesy, menu variety, and value.

Cotnparison of Customer Satisfaction and Cltaracteristics

To determine whether demographic characteristics of customers
had an impact on the ratings of the various restaurants evaluated,
satisfaction scores were analvzed bv different customer characteristics. Table 4 provides the results of this comparison. As shown in
this table, satisfaction levels differed significantly on 4 of the 5
customer characteristics examined (income was the exception).
The results indicate that the age group least satisfied with

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TABLE 4. Demographic Variables and Their Relationship to Customer Satisfaction (n = 264)

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14

JOURNAL OF RESTAURANT & FOODSER VICE MARKETING

Wendy's is the 19-21 age group (26.6 rating). The two groups most
satisfied with Wendy's are the two groups, 50-59, and those 60 or
older (33.0 and 33.5 ratings). With regard to education, the group
most satisfied with Wendy's was the group of high school graduates
(32.4 rating). The least satisfied education group consisted of those
individuals with some college courses (30.0 rating). With regard to
marital status, the most satisfied group was the married market
(31.7), and the least satisfied group consisted of customers who
have never been married (29.5). Females were significantly more
satisfied with Wendy's than were males (31.4 vs. 29.9).
Interestingly, the age groups most satisfied with McDonald's
were the over 60, the under 19, and the 19-21 age groups (30.5,
29.1, and 28.9). The least satisfied McDonald's customers were in
the 40-49 age group (27.6). None of the other demographic characteristics differed significantly for the McDonald's customers.
Two categories of Burger King customers provided significantly
different ratings. The over 60 category rated Burger King the most
positively (29.5), and the 19-21 age group rated Burger King the
least positively (24.5). Females were significantly more satisfied
than were males (27.8 vs. 26.5).
Steak and Shake customers varied in their ratings by age, education, and marital status. With regard to age, the over 50 groups were
most satisfied with Steak and Shake (31.7 and 30.6 ratings). The
least satisfied age groups consisted of the 19-21 group (24.8) and
the 22-29 group (26.7). The least satisfied individuals include those
with some college background level of education (25.9 ratings).
The most satisfied group consisted of the college graduate group
(29.6 ratings).
Hardee's customers provided significantly different scores by
age and gender. As shown in Table 4, the most satisfied group of
customers were in the over 60 category (28.0), and the least satisfied customers were in the 19-21 category (22.8).

Relationship Between Custoiner Sath$actiori Scores

and Purchase Levels
In most areas of business, it appears that Pareto's Law (the 80:20
principle) applies, in which 80 % of the firm's sales are made to 20%
of its customers. To determine whether this might be the situation in

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Pettijohn, Pettijohn, and Luke

15

the fast food industry, the respondents' purchase levels were evaluated by comparing their reported monthly fast food purchases.
Table 5 shows the results of comparisons of heavy, moderate, and
light levels of monthly purchase. As shown in this table, the grouping consisting of the "light" level of purchasers represented 21% of
the total number of respondents, but only 4% of the mean total
monthly purchases. he group of purchasers defmed as being
"moderate" consisted of 58% of the total number of respondents,
and made 37% of the total mean monthly purchases. The heavy
users consisted of only 22% of the sample, yet their level of
monthly purchases accounted for approximately 59% of the total.
Based on this discovery, the satisfaction levels of each purchaser
category were examined.
Table 6 illustrates the results of the comparisons of the satisfaction scores received by each fast-food restaurant, for each level of
monthly purchaser. In addition, there were no significant differences in terms of satisfaction scores by level of monthly purchase.
However, it may be noted that for Wendy's, McDonald's, Steak and
Shake, and Hardee's, the highest satisfaction scores were generated
by those in the low monthly purchase category. Further, for
Wendy's, McDonald's, and Steak and Shake, the lowest levels of
satisfaction scores were generated by those in the high monthly
purchase category (although the differences were not statistically
significant).
TABLE 5. The Heavy Purchaser's Significance

Level of
Monthly Purchase

Percent
(n)

Light
Moderate

20.7

(62)

57.7

(173)

Heavy

1 21.7

11.0

(4.2)

36.0

(13.9)

682.00

154.9 (101.3)

4.0

6,228.00
I

(65)

Total Dollar Percent of

Purchase
Total

Monthly Purchase
Mean (sd)

36.7
1

1 10,068.50 1

59.3

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JOURNAL OF RESTAURANT & FOODSERVICE MARKETXVG

TABLE 6. Mean Satisfaction Scores Compared with Level of Monthly

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Purchase

Table 7 shows the results of comparisons of satisfaction scores

for the various restaurants among the heavy users. As shown in the
table, Wendy's continues to receive the highest ratings. However, in
this case, the levels of significance are lower. In addition, a slight
shift in rankings occurred, with Burger King achieving higher rankings among the heavy users than Steak and Shake.
In an attempt to further examine the relationship between purchase levels and satisfaction, respondents were divided into three
satisfaction categories. Category one provided Wendy's with the
lowest satisfaction scores, the second category provided Wendy's
with moderate satisfaction scores, and the third category provided
Wendy's with the highest satisfaction scores. As indicated in Table
8, the mean level of monthly purchases is compared by level of
satisfaction. The results of the comparisons indicate no significant
differences in monthly purchases based on their satisfaction ratings.
However, the results do show that the highest level of mean
monthly purchases is generated by the most satisfied group of
Wendy's customers.
Satisfaction Levels, Likelihood of Future Patronage
and General Feelings About Restaurant
Do satisfaction scores equate to positive feelings about a fast
food restaurant and the eventual likelihood of repurchase? These
questions are addressed in Table 9. The likelihood of returning to

Pettijolm, Pettijohn, and Luke

17

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TABLE 7. Heavy User's Mean Customer SatisfactionScores and Comparisons with Wendy's (n = 38)

I McDonald's
Steak n Shake!

26.7 (5.5)

3.4

(b)

25.3 (6.4)

4.7

(a)

114.6 (23.8)

14.6 (b)

98.9 (23.9) 30.2 (a)

TABLE 8. Wendy's Satisfaction Category and Mean Monthly Purchases

Wendy's Satisfaction
Level

(n)

Mean Purchases
(sd)

Low

(54)

60.9 (71.2)

Medium

(174)

51.7 (65.0)

High

(72)

65.2 (84.5)

F - Value
(P <)

IO
.

(.36)

the restaurant is significantly higher for customers in the highly

satisfied category, compared with those in the low satisfaction category. Further, the feelings about the restaurant tended to be significantly higher for the highly satisfied group than for the low level of
satisfaction group.

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JOURNAL OF RESTA URANT & FOODSERVICE MARKETING

TABLE 9. Wendy's Levels of Satisfactionand Probabilityof Return and Overall Perception

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Satislaction Levels
(n)

I Medium (174) 1

Mean Probability of Return

Mean Feelings about

Restaurant (sd)

(sd)

4.2

(.84)

High (72)

4.7

F-Value (p)

23.4

4.0

(.63)

(.87)

4.6

(.73)

(.OO)

58.1

(.OO)

Marragerial Implications
One of the key implications which may be drawn from the study
is that customers seem able to identify factors that are most critical
in determining their satisfaction with a fast food restaurant. The
results indicate that if the restaurant has high levels of food quality,
is clean, perceived by customers as a 'value,' provides a reasonable
price, and is convenient, then they have satisfied at least five of the
key attributes. While still important, lesser attention may be placed
on variables such as creating a distinct store atmosphere and providing a broad menu variety, since these variables were not significantly more important than any other factor in determining satisfaction. Perhaps what the results are showing is a reflection of Peters
and Waterman's (1982) recommendation relating to a firm's maintaining its primary purpose for being in business. Using this logic,
one could conclude that for a fast food establishment, food, convenience, cleanliness, price, and value which are the factors that led to
the establishment of fast foods are still the factors perceived as most
critical in evaluating the satisfaction with a fast food establishment.
Such a finding indicates that fast food restaurants who attempt to
enhance their market positions by enlarging their menus or creating
a different atmosphere, may discover that their resources could be
better applied. The results show the most important attribute being
food quality. If a fast food establishment wishes to influence the

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Pettijohn, Petrijohn, and Luke

19

benefits perceived and received, improving food quality should be

the number one priority. As basic as food quality may seem, cleanliness seems to be more of a "given." Yet, these findings indicate
that cleanliness is the second most significant factor in influencing
customer satisfaction. In summary, the findings can lead to the
conclusion that emphasizing the basics of quality, cleanliness, price,
and value will provide the greatest impact on the customer's perception. The factor that should be recognized is that the fundamental requirements for a fast food restaurant do not require major
expenditures of resources. Items which require more considerable
investments have a lesser impact on customer satisfaction.
Another factor revealed in this study is that customers can differentiate between characteristics of fast food establishments. Thus,
for Wendy's, it may be recommended that they identify their closest
competitors, and make an effort to gain satisfaction ratings, which
would place them significantly ahead of their nearest competitors
on the critical satisfaction dimensions. The combination of emphasizing critical satisfaction determinants in the service offering, and
promoting these characteristics, should provide significant competitive gains.
The study also shows that satisfaction relates to repurchase intentions. As the results show, people with high satisfaction ratings are
significantly more likely to patronize the establishment again. Further, satisfaction obviously relates to positive attitudes about an
establishment, which can translate into positive word-of-mouth
communications, and greater loyalty. Therefore, the study implies
that seeking and maintaining high levels of satisfaction may be
quite beneficial for long-term prosperity.

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