The two purposes of this study were to understand service encounters in Korean restaurants by foreigners living in Korea and to examine the effect of service encounters on the customer's emotion feelings, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intention. Based on the reactions of a total of 614 foreigners obtained by empirical research, this study reviews the reliability and fitness of the research model, and verifies a total of 4 hypotheses using the Amos program. The hypothesized relationships in the model were tested simultaneously using a structural equation model (SEM). The proposed model provided an adequate fit to the data: χ2 683.466 (df=216), CMIN/df 3.164, RMR 0.095, GFI 0.911, AGFI 0.886, NFI 0.933, CFI 0.953, and RMSEA 0.059. As a result of empirical analysis, the physical environment, interactions with employees, and interactions with other customers were quantified as service encounter factors in Korean restaurants. These factors were indicated to have an influence on customer's emotion feelings. Also, customer's emotion feelings had a positive influence on customer satisfaction and behavioral intent. Limitations and future research are also discussed.
The purpose of this study was to understand the interrelationships between customers' perception of service encounter elements, customers' emotional response and customer satisfaction in a family restaurant. Based on a total of 408 samples, this study reviewed the reliability and fitness of the research model and verified a total of 4 hypotheses using the Amos program. The hypothesized relationships of the model were tested simultaneously using a structural equation model (SEM). The proposed model provided an adequate fit to the data, χ2=821.151 (df=333), CMIN/df 2.466, GFI .878, NFI .927, IFI .955, TLI .949, CFI .955, RMSEA .060. The results showed that human factor (β=.426) and physical factor (β=.266) as service encounter elements in family restaurants were indicated to have a positive (+) influence on customers' positive emotion. For influence of customers' negative emotion, human factor (β=-.157) was surveyed to have a negative (-) influence. Also, customers' positive emotion (β=.716) and negative emotion (β=-.081) had significant effects on customer satisfaction. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.