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attributes into only one variable, food quality,
while Kivela, Inbakaran, and Reece (1999), who
designed a model of dining satisfaction and return
patronage, saw that food quality had numerous
attributes: presentation, tastiness, menu item vari-
ety, and temperature. Yet, little has been done with
the critical attributes of food quality in relation to
customer satisfaction. A comprehensive review of
the literature reveals that the general description
of food quality among researchers focuses on (a)
presentation, (b) variety, (c) healthy options, (d)
taste, (e) freshness, and (f) temperature.
Presentation refers to how attractively food is
presented and decorated as a tangible cue for cus-
tomer perception of quality. Kivela et al. (1999)
pointed out that the presentation of food is a key
food attribute in modeling dining satisfaction and
return patronage. In addition, Raajpoot (2002)
described food presentation as one of the product
and/or service factors in TANGSERV.
Variety entails the number or assortment of
different menu items. Restaurants continuously
develop new menus to attract diners, and several
proactive restaurateurs have created a variety of
food and beverage offerings. In previous studies,
menu item variety was a crucial attribute of food
quality in creating dining satisfaction (Raajpoot,
2002; Kivela et al., 1999).
Healthy options involve offering nutritious and
healthy food. Johns and Tyas (1996) stated that
healthy food could have a significant effect on cus-
tomer perceived evaluation of the restaurant expe-
rience. Kivela et al. (1999) noted the importance of
healthy foods in restaurants and suggested nutri-
tious food as one of the core properties in dining
satisfaction and return patronage. The more nota-
ble thing is that restaurant customers are increas-
ingly interested in healthy menu items (Sulek &
Hensley, 2004).
Taste is viewed as a key attribute in food in the
dining experience (Kivela et al., 1999). Many cus-
tomers have become knowledgeable about food; as
a result the taste of food in restaurants has become
ever more important (Cortese, 2003). It is thus not
surprising that shabby restaurants with gourmet
cooking are packed with customers. Thus, taste is
usually believed to influence restaurant customer
satisfaction and future behavior intentions (Kivela
et al., 1999).
Freshness generally refers to the fresh state of
food and appears to be correlated to crispness, juic-
iness, and aroma (Péneau, Hoehn, Roth, Escher &
Nuessli, 2006). In previous studies, freshness of
food has been cited as a key fundamental quality
indication of food (Kivela et al., 1999; Johns &
Tyas, 1996).
Temperature is also a sensory aspect of food
quality (Kivela et al., 1999; Johns & Tyas, 1996).
According to Delwiche (2004), temperature influ-
enced how the perceived flavor of food was evalu-
ated, work together with other sensory properties
such as taste, smell, and sight. Thus, temperature
could be considered as one determinant enhancing
enjoyment in the food experience.
1.2
Behavioral intentions
Behavioral intention refers to people's beliefs about
what they intend to do in a certain situation (Ajzen &
Fishbein, 1980). Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) first
conceptualized behavioral intention as a substitute
indicator of actual behavior. According to the the-
ory of reasoned action from Fishbein and Ajzen, if
behavior is volitional, the intention to perform an
action correlates highly with the action itself.
Certain behaviors indicate that customers are
connected with a company. Specific indicators
of favorable post purchase behavioral intentions
include saying positive things about the company
to others (Boulding, Kalra, Staelin & Zeithaml,
1993), recommending the company or service to
others (Reichheld & Sasser, 1990), and remain-
ing loyal to the company (Rust & Zahorik, 1993;
LaBarbera & Mazursky, 1983). Customer loyalty
is obvious when customers express a preference
for one company over others, continue to purchase
from it, or increase business with it in the future
(Zeithaml, Berry & Parasuraman, 1996). On the
contrary, Hirschman (1970) identified conditions
under which dissatisfied customers will complain
or switch. Several aspects of adverse behaviors
include different types of complaining behaviors
(complaining to sellers, friends, or external agen-
cies), considering switching to competitors, and
decreasing the amount of business with a company
(Zeithaml et al., 1996; Fornell & Wernerfelt, 1987).
1.3
Relationship between quality and behavioral
intentions
While the connection between service quality and
its outcome is neither straightforward nor simple,
several researchers offer some evidence that deliv-
ery of high service quality positively influences
behavioral intentions. For instance, Boulding et al.
(1993) found strong links between service quality
and behavioral intentions, including positive word
of mouth and recommending the company to oth-
ers. Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1994) also
reported a positive and significant relationship
between customer perceptions of service quality
and the willingness to recommend the company.
Although several studies showed that custom-
ers are willing to pay more for better service, other
researchers stated that the nature and extent of the
impact of service quality on customer behavioral
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