Research Article
The Effect of Relational Benefits on Customer Satisfaction with Employees and Food and Beverage Establishments, and Customer Loyalty
Published: January 2002 · Vol. 31, No. 2 · pp. 373-404
Full Text
Abstract
This study examined what relational benefits are perceived by customers who patronize hotel food and beverage outlets, and presented the dimensions of relational benefits as perceived by customers. The structural relationships between these relational benefits and their effects on satisfaction with employees and food and beverage outlets, as well as customer loyalty, were established and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results are as follows. First, unlike the social, psychological, economic, and customization benefits proposed by Gwinner et al. (1998), three factors were extracted for the dimensions of relational benefits: social, psychological, and customization benefits. Second, among the relational benefits, psychological benefits and customization were found to have a direct effect on satisfaction with employees and food and beverage outlets, which in turn served as factors that enhance customer loyalty. Third, customers who maintained longer-term relationships exhibited higher levels of social benefits, psychological benefits, satisfaction with employees, satisfaction with food and beverage outlets, and customer loyalty. Finally, the theoretical contributions, implications, limitations, and future research directions of this study were presented.
