TOURIST DISSATISFACTION WITH FOODSERVICE: SERVICE QUALITY TYPOLOGIES AMONG SECONDARY COLLEGE GRADUATES FROM A TOURISM COMMUNITY

Abstract

High service quality within the foodservice context has the capacity to provide some of the most positive memories of a vacation. Low service quality within the foodservice context, however, may leave visitors with negative memories surrounding a vacation. In such a situation, the process of dealing with a foodservice complaint can be of major importance both for tourists and for the industry. This study has examined typologies of responses to a food-service complaint among potential tourism/hospitality employees together with a range of service quality ideals and also perceptions of the industries’impacts upon the local community. Two fundamental complaint response typologies were identified: A Poor foodservice expectation factor and a Good foodservice expectation factor. An absence of a commitment to Positive Attitudes together with a preference for Being Blunt were found to predict complaint expectations associated with Poor Service, whereas the Good Service factor was found to be predicted by higher levels of assent to the ideals Being Helpful and Being Pleasant together with lower levels of the ideal Being Blunt. It was also found that those potential tourism/hospitality employees who had formed the view that tourism industry development in their local area was generally positive were the ones who expected a positive industry response in the face of a foodservice complaint. The implications of these findings for potential employees as well as the industry are examined.