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In this article, we identify various foodservice-related attributes that are important for undergraduate students residing in hostels and avail service from specific foodservice providers. We also investigate the performance of attributes to determine areas where the foodservice providers should maintain a high performance or where improvement is required.

We apply the Kano methodology to design the questionnaire for 24 different attributes. For each attribute, we construct three questions; namely, functional type, dysfunctional type, and performance of the hostel foodservice. We collect a total of 317 responses. We use multiple methods to determine the dominant category. Finally, combining the values of these methods, we study relative positions of the attributes in the importance–performance grid.

Based on the Kano categorization, quality-related attributes are most important, followed by hygiene, comfort, availability, variety, and time, in the descending order. The gender of the respondent plays an important role in categorization of some attributes. Using the importance–performance analysis, we identify the attributes where the foodservice provider should maintain a high performance or where improvement is required. Improvements in some attributes are difficult due to foodservice provider's self-assessment of high performance or high difficulty for improvement.

In this study, we examine the importance of various foodservice attributes among undergraduate residential students. We combine multiple methods of Kano categorization to compute importance values of the attributes. We also investigate the reasons behind the gap between student's and foodservice manager's perception of the performance of these attributes.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the students’ perceptions of an on-campus foodservice operation at an identified historically black college and university (HBCU) and its effect on their satisfaction and dining frequency.

A survey of 685 students was conducted to collect data. Partial least squares based structural equation modeling is used to test the proposed structural model with SmartPLS 3.0.

Results confirm that quality of food, ambience, value for money, food and beverage options and service quality have a positively significant impact on students’ overall satisfaction with the on-campus foodservice operation and dining frequency. As such, all the hypotheses are supported.

These findings indicate that on-campus foodservice operators should focus on quality of food, ambience, value for money, food and beverage options and service quality to achieve student satisfaction. This in turn could positively impact the institution’s reputation, student retention and the marketability of the institution to future students.

This study would help on-campus foodservice operators to better understand the impact of the various elements of foodservice experience which will lead to students’ overall satisfaction and dining frequency, particularly in a HBCU setting.

Social marketing and other types of targeted behaviour change interventions should appeal to an individual’s personal values in order to improve their effectiveness. However, there is currently little understanding of what these values are in relation to food waste. The purpose of this paper is to identify the values underpinning the specific behaviour of plate waste created in a residential foodservice setting.

In semi-structured interviews (n=50) laddering techniques were used to identify links from behaviours through individual’s rationalisation for that behaviour to their personal values. The aim of the questioning was to uncover underlying drivers that lead to plate waste as well as those barriers to reducing it.

The values identified as being most important are hedonism and self-direction. The specific aspects of these values for plate waste reduction interventions are not compromising on the individual’s enjoyment of the meal and meeting their health goals. Effective interventions include pre-ordering meals, reducing food options provided, reducing plate size, removing food tray and finally, information campaigns to raise awareness.

The study provides insights into the personal values that influence behaviours resulting in plate waste. The study is the first to determine the links between this behaviour, rationalisations for that behaviour and personal values.

This research delineates the interdependencies between e-service quality (e-SQ), product quality (PQ) and food biosafety measures (FBM) in shaping consumer satisfaction and loyalty within the online food delivery services (OFDS) landscape. Anchored by the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the study integrates these frameworks to examine how perceived service efficiency, reliability, product appeal and biosafety protocols contribute to overall consumer trust and repurchase intentions.

Surveys were conducted on several 100 online food delivery app users, ages 20 to 64, in major cities in Colombia, which provided data for structural equation modeling analysis.

The analysis revealed that reliable, responsive service and appealing food presentation significantly influence consumer perceptions of behind-the-scenes safety protocols during delivery. Strict standards around mitigating contamination risks and verifiable handling at each point further engender trust in the platform and intentions to repurchase among users. The data cement proper food security as pivotal for customer retention.

Quantitatively confirming biosafety’s rising centrality provides an impetus for platforms to integrate and promote integrity, safety and traceability protection as a competitive differentiator.

The study’s originality lies in its comprehensive exploration of the OFDS quality attributes and their direct impact on consumer loyalty. Besides, it offers valuable insights for both academic and practical implications in enhancing service delivery and marketing strategies.

The purpose of this study was to survey current culinary, hospitality and nutrition students to determine their level of knowledge about dysphagia, or swallowing impairment, and the dysphagia diet. In addition, the study provided a means by which to gauge current students’ awareness of health-care foodservice as a career option.

A pilot study conducted in 2009 indicated that health-care foodservice workers were unaware of many of the risks associated with the dysphagia diet. A second study was conducted in 2012 to obtain an idea of the perceptions and knowledge levels of culinary, hospitality and nutrition students about dysphagia. Subjects included students across the three disciplines at two large universities in the Midwestern USA, and a private culinary school on the east coast of the USA. The instrument consisted of a traditional paper survey containing 18 questions. A total sample size of n = 139 surveys was collected and analyzed.

Results of the survey suggests that current university students are lacking in some areas of knowledge concerning dysphagia patients and their dietary needs. Education and training are indicated, as the number of patients suffering from some degree of dysphagia is only going to increase as the US population ages. Findings also indicate that many introductory-level students are unaware of health-care foodservice as a viable career choice in industry.

The primary limitations to this research were the relatively small sample size, and the fact that most students surveyed were not interested or aware of health-care foodservice as a viable industry career choice. This study would be greatly enhanced by contacting professors/instructors at several universities representing the Northeast, Midwest, and east and west coasts of the USA. Educating future foodservice professionals at the introductory level would allow industry leaders to make students aware of this large and necessary sector of the foodservice industry. Likewise, there is no doubt that food preparers, food deliverers and foodservice managers in health care will come in contact with a patient with some level of dysphagia as our population ages. More research to strengthen this body of data is indicated, as are similar studies across broader ranges of the population.

The occurrence of dysphagia is growing as the US population ages. That fairly little research has been done is somewhat alarming. There is a need for standardization of recipe formulas, benchmarking viscosities of dietary liquids and solids and training of food preparers. The symptom is found in very large populations in the USA, as well as in Europe. Also, the fact that dysphagia has so many potential causes makes the symptom that much more of a health issue. More research is certainly called for to better prepare potential institutional foodservice employees for the next 20 years.

Millions of Americans currently suffer from at least some degree of dysphagia. This number is expected to increase as the Baby Boomer generation reaches retirement age. The USA will be populated by more elderly people than ever before, and will thus host more individuals suffering from swallowing impairment. Health-care foodservice, including hospital and long-term care foodservice will certainly become a viable career choice for current students of culinary arts, nutrition and hospitality.

This study examines the impact of physical environmental factors on customer retention in fast-food restaurants/cafeterias. Furthermore, this study examines the mediating effect of customers’ positive emotions on this relationship.

In this study, the stimulus-organism-response model developed by Mehrabian and Russell (1974) is applied within the context of the fast-food restaurant/cafeteria industry. Data were collected from a sample of 250 consumers who have patronized establishments within this industry. The assessment model entailed employing the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach, which involved a two-stage procedure: measurement model and structural model evaluation.

The study’s results underscore the key role of customer positive emotions in influencing customer retention. Notably, physical environmental factors, encompassing elements like table setting, layout, and service staff, emerge as significant determinants in shaping these positive emotions. Furthermore, the findings indicate that these physical environmental factors exert a direct influence on customer retention, with customer positive emotions acting as mediator role in the relationship between these factors and retention.

This study is the first to use physical environment, customer emotions and customer retention variables together in the fast food restaurant/cafeteria industry.

The purpose of this paper is to assess patient perceptions regarding South African hospital foodservice quality.

In total, 419 questionnaires were administered to surgical and medical inpatients consuming a normal diet in six South African provinces. A number of 23 urban and 10 rural hospitals were sampled. Inpatients were surveyed for their opinions on hospital foodservice quality with a view to improving meals and food delivery processes.

Results revealed lower patient satisfaction with aspects relating to foodservice reliability. Among other issues, inpatients were not informed about meal times (overall median=0), had to wait longer than expected for their meals and were not informed about delays (overall median=2). Menu items were not explained to inpatients (overall median=0), and inpatients were not informed about nutritional values (overall median=0). Consequently, patients opined that they were not willing to use the hospital foodservice in future (overall median=2).

To identify South African healthcare issues that need improvement, it is necessary to establish where to act. These findings create awareness among authorities and hospital managers to consider patient perceptions when they review and try to improve public hospital foodservice quality, which could also assist in ensuring improvement in food consumption levels, thereby combating South African hospital malnutrition.

This paper presents an interpretive data analysis from a superordinate study that aimed to determine foodservice satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to determine inpatient hospital foodservice experiences.

The authors used secondary data obtained from 419 respondents: (225 (53.70 per cent) males, 178 (42.48 per cent) females and 16 (3.82 per cent) undisclosed) participants. A comparative, quantitative and cross-sectional approach was applied to provide insight into hospital foodservice experiences. The Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test, interpreted at 0.05 error rate, was used to compare male and female patient experiences.

Male patients had significantly higher rank-sum scores than female patients in almost all items (p<0.0001). The study revealed that hospital personnel, especially foodservice staff, had an unsatisfactory communication approach.

This is the first South African study that compares female and male inpatient foodservice perceptions. Hospital managers and stakeholders may need to consider patient’s gender, as a significant factor that is associated with patient experiences, when embarking on improving foodservice systems.

This study aims to examine the conceptual and empirical operations of hospitality at its intersections with health care, which includes medical and senior care.

This study conducts a systematic review of literature on hospitality in health care published in hospitality, tourism and leisure journals spanning from 1990 to 2023. A total of 50 studies meeting the inclusion criteria are reviewed, providing insights into how hospitality is conceptualized, its practical implementation and the proposed outcomes in health-care settings.

Hospitality in health care is conceptualized by hospitality scholars in three main ways: as service functions, as a service exchange and as an organizational culture. There is a significant overlap between the notion of hospitality and the concept of person-centered care in gerontology and health-care literature. Also, hospitality contributes positively to patient/resident experiences, organizational performance and societal impacts.

The study is limited by its focus solely on the theoretical and practical aspects of hospitality in health care within hospitality, tourism and leisure journals, excluding relevant literature from gerontological and health-care journals.

Interdisciplinary research requires scholars from different disciplines to develop a common language and understanding of key concepts. This study presents the conceptual and practical domains of hospitality and its relevancy to health-care research and offers future directions to strengthen the interdisciplinary research between hospitality, health care and gerontology.

Many firms are investing in digital services to improve customer experiences. Virtual service agents, or “e-service agents” (“e-agents”) such as chatbots, are examples of these efforts. Chatbots are types of virtual-assistant software programs that interact with users through speech or text. This paper aims to investigate whether the perceived hedonic and utilitarian attributes of chatbots can influence customer satisfaction and, consequently, their relationships with brands.

Data were collected through a questionnaire-based survey among a sample of Italian consumers. A convenience sampling technique was used. Data were then analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling to provide a prediction-oriented model assessment. The findings were then complemented with an importance–performance map analysis (IPMA) to gain more detailed insights and actionable guidelines for managers.

The findings highlighted that the perceived hedonic and utilitarian attributes of chatbots positively influenced customer satisfaction and improved customer relationships with the brands. However, the IMPA highlighted that the performance levels of two most important attributes – system quality and experience with chatbot – could be improved resulting in additional improvements of customer satisfaction.

This study suggests the importance of firms’ investments in and adoption of e-agents to strengthen consumer–brand relationships and of considering both the hedonic and utilitarian attributes of their e-agents.

This article attempts to enrich and consolidate the growing body of literature concerning the impacts of new technologies – and, specifically, chatbots – in service marketing.