Empirical Measurement of Quick Service Restaurant Consumer

The fast-food industry is a rapidly growing industry with new fast food outlets or stores opening every day. Quick Service restaurant is one of the organizations serving in the fast food industry. Ideally, it is critical for Quick Service Restaurant to measure the consumer dining satisfaction levels for this business to understand how it is fulfilling the needs of its customers. To this end, there is need to adopt primary research methods while measuring the consumer dining satisfaction levels.

Empirically Measuring Quick Service Restaurant Consumer Dining Satisfaction Levels

Arguably, consumer dining satisfaction levels for Quick Service Restaurant is a dependent variable that relies on efficient customer service, operational efficiency, customers’ comfort, the general layout of the dining halls, and amount of time taken to process customer orders. These factors seem to be the independent variables. Notably, consumer dining satisfaction levels are qualitative and would call for the collection of primary data using a primary data collection instrument such as a survey. The survey will target a few selected consumers and will include questionnaires that contain both open-ended and close-ended questionnaires that will contain questions concerning the consumer dining satisfaction levels and which will be filled by the customers. According to Bryman & Bell (2015), open-ended questionnaires include questions that allow the study participants to fill their views for different dimensions while close-ended questionnaires have choices and a study participant only ticks the box that contains their satisfaction level. The questionnaires will be administered to a target of 150 participants who will mostly be university and college students who visit and dine in Quick Service Restaurant.

Markedly, after gathering the data using the survey instrument, it will then be measured and analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. According to Creswell & Clark (2007), descriptive statistics involves the computation of the measures of central tendency including the mean, standard deviation, mode, and median. Conversely, regression analysis involves using the regression equation to determine the relationship and the influence of the dependent variable and the independent variables. In our case, consumer dining satisfaction levels are the dependent variable while things such as efficient customer service, operational efficiency, customers’ comfort, the general layout of the dining halls, and amount of time taken to process customer orders are the independent variables. For purposes, of converting the first-hand information for consumer dining levels from qualitative form to quantitative form, it will be prudent to use measurement scales such as nominal measurement whereby the data will be arranged in a predetermined order, then assigning of alphanumerical values to the data will follow for purposes of statistical operations. Higher values following the use of descriptive statistics and regression analysis will indicate high consumer dining satisfaction levels while low values will indicate low consumer dining satisfaction levels.

Empirically Measure One Variable that Will Impact Dining Satisfaction

Ideally, consumer dining satisfaction level is the dependent variable and will be influenced by independent variables such as efficient customer service, operational efficiency, customers’ comfort, the general layout of the dining halls, and amount of time taken to process customer orders. The one variable that influences consumer dining satisfaction levels the most is customer service. Towards that end, the approach to measuring this variable will involve collecting its first-hand information using the survey instrument (questionnaires) distributed to the target population and then analyze it using descriptive statistics (mean, mode, standard deviation, and median) and regression analysis. This variable comprises of qualitative data, but measurement scales such as interval measurement will be employed to convert the data into a quantitative form for easier statistical manipulation. The questionnaire could describe the answers for customer service as average, moderate, or high and the respondent will tick accordingly concerning how they receive the service while dining at Quick Service Restaurant. High scores will be an indication of efficient customer service while low scores will be an indication of substandard and inefficient customer service.

Stating One Hypothesis

According to Neuman (2013), is a proposition made with the assumptions that a particular phenomenon is in existence. For this reason, a hypothesis needs to be tested to establish its worth or truthfulness. The hypothesis for this primary research design paper concerns the dependent variable (consumer dining satisfaction levels) and the independent variables (efficient customer service, operational efficiency, customers’ comfort, the general layout of the dining halls, and amount of time taken to process customer orders). One of the hypotheses derived from these variables is;

Efficient customer service raises or increases consumer dining satisfaction levels.

A Description of the Elements to be Observed

Markedly, the consumer dining satisfaction levels rely on some factors or variables. As such, the elements for observation includes how the waiters communicate and respond to customers’ queries, the amount of time taken to process customers’ orders, repeat clients who visit Quick Service Restaurant frequently and the layout of the dining halls. Other elements or subjects include the tidiness or the cleanliness of the restaurant, billing process, and provision of other added services like offering free Wi-Fi or internet services while inside the restaurant. Besides, the number of consumers dining in the restaurant for a given period, for example, one hour will be observed and recorded. All these elements correspond to the consumer dining satisfaction levels.

A Description of the Sampling Procedure

According to Taylor, Bogdan, & DeVault (2015), a sample is a proportion of the population that is taken and studied, and the results are then generalized to fit the entire population. To this end, information gathered for the sample is used to establish estimates for the characteristics or features of the entire population. Typically, sampling procedure is the process of establishing or creating a suitable sample from a particular target population. Information is then collected from the sample and later generalization for the results is done to fit the whole population. Arguably, the target population for studying consumer dining satisfaction levels for Quick Service Restaurant comprises of 150 males and females who are students studying in universities and colleges and who frequent the restaurant to dine. This study will involve both probability and non-probability sampling techniques.

To this end, the distribution of the questionnaires will be done randomly meaning that the selection or the creation of the sample size will involve simple random sampling. Nonetheless, Liamputtong (2009), says that with probability sampling every member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the final sample while with non-probability sampling it is not certain which members of the population will be included in the final sample. However, for purposes of clarity, precision, and accuracy, the process of gathering data for studying consumer dining satisfaction levels for Quick Service Restaurant will utilize simple random sampling. This procedure will enable the investigation to be unbiased and conclusive and as such the investigator will undertake hypothesis testing and ultimately devise statistical inferences from the investigation.

A Description of Measurement Instruments

Noticeably, the process of investigating consumer dining satisfaction levels will involve the collection and analysis of first-hand information or primary data. For this reason, a survey will be executed, and this will contain questionnaires that comprise both open-ended and close-ended questions. The survey will target a few selected consumers and will include questionnaires that contain both open-ended and close-ended questionnaires that will contain questions concerning the consumer dining satisfaction levels and which will be filled by the customers.

Open-ended questionnaires include questions that allow the study participants to fill their views for different dimensions while close-ended questionnaires have choices and a study participant only ticks the box that contains their satisfaction level. The questionnaires will be administered to a target of 150 participants who will be preselected randomly and will mostly be university and college students who visit and dine in Quick Service Restaurant. The process of investigating consumer dining satisfaction levels leads to qualitative data, but measurement scales such as nominal scales will be used to convert the data into quantitative form by assigning it numerical values for easier statistical manipulation. The survey will enhance the breadth of the investigation of the consumer dining satisfaction levels.

To sum it up, the techniques and the primary research design will involve the collection, analysis, processing, and measuring of qualitative data which is the convertible to quantitative data using measurement approaches. Consumer dining satisfaction levels are influenced by efficient customer service, operational efficiency, customers’ comfort, the general layout of the dining halls, and amount of time taken to process customer orders. This study will involve the collection of primary data using a survey that will target 150 respondents. The method of sampling will be simple random sampling, and this will allow the study to be conclusive and unbiased. All statistical inferences that will be made from the statistical operations or manipulations of the collected data will be utilized in determining the consumer dining satisfaction levels for Quick Service Restaurant.

References

Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2015). Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA.

Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods research.

Liamputtong, P. (2009). Qualitative research methods.

Neuman, W. L. (2013). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Pearson education.

Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2015). Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.