Food services in cafeterias can be available in hospitals as well as nursing homes, children and senior care facilities, and prisons as well as schools as well as university campuses. The quality of the food served is among the primary aspects that customers consider to be of high quality. When it comes to health patient satisfaction can be directly related to the high quality of the service. At hotels, the quality of the food, environment, and food can affect the guests’ experience and satisfaction. Within the context of higher education, it is more important than ever before that the attributes of food service have been important to the standard of living on campus. Most of the research into the food and beverage services of universities is focused on students’ experiences with their items, services, and services or consumption of nutrition by students in the campus dining halls and their consequences for health. Furthermore, the marketplace for higher education is now global and competitive. With this changing environment, college food service providers must adapt to changing customer expectations, the increased competition coming from fast food chains both on and off campus, and the economic outlook in an unstable market. According to Lugosi, when consumers expect high-quality food and expectations are high, food service providers on campus will be expected to be more adaptable. It is a crowded atmosphere where the general satisfaction of the customers could be a key element in the overall dining experience at the campus. In light of previous studies, the assessment of college food services was essential. There was no prior research that examined the level of service offered by food vendors at Lebanese universities and their impact on the satisfaction of customers, which leaves a gap in the existing knowledge of the opinions of customers and the behaviour of on-campus food services in Lebanon.

Higher Education’s Customer Satisfaction

Through a review of the studies on customer satisfaction, it is evident that there exists a vast amount of research that examines customer satisfaction within both the public and private business sectors. Within the realm of higher education, only a few research studies on the satisfaction of customers were conducted. Based on Navarro and Iglesias. Several efforts have been undertaken by scholars to establish satisfaction as a concept about the services provided within higher education. They believe satisfaction is the ultimate condition of psychological processing. Amelia and Garg reported that the initial impression is the most important factor, along with the high quality and properness of the food, as well as the kindness of the personnel in their service. At university cafeterias, college students represent the largest portion of customers’ satisfaction with the institution’s food service, therefore, the food services on campus are increasing in importance and popularity. It took into consideration gender differences in his research on the effects of the food service attributes at campuses on satisfaction, perceived value, and attitudes of consumers. In the study of Garg and Kumar Garg and Kumar. The eating experience can affect the loyalty and satisfaction of staff as well as students and patrons. In the cafeterias at universities, where customers are served, satisfaction is directly related to the high-quality food and beverage selection and variety, as well as cleanliness and hygiene, as well as the fairness of price and value. In light of the above characteristics, there are a variety of variables that influence consumers in their decision-making process when it comes to food. Studies have indicated that the level of satisfaction in the cafeterias at universities depends on the quality of food and beverages.

Quality of Food Service

The quality of food service refers to the features of food that are suitable for the consumer. The quality of the overall drinks and foods, such as the flavor, nutritional aspect, freshness, and even the amount, is categorized as a measurement of quality in food. Being a fundamental product in the food service industry, the quality of food and beverages has been assigned high importance, and they have been inspected on a variety of aspects, including temperatures, texture, flavour, and scent. The quality of the food and drinks can affect consumers’ desire to return to a particular establishment. It was found that there was a significant positive relationship between the satisfaction of consumers with the food and drink quality and the likelihood of them eating at the same establishment. In addition, the eating habits of workers are often associated with low-quality food and bad choices on the menu that can have negative effects. They have outlined a variety of ways to encourage customers to make healthier choices. Institutions must offer a setting that makes it easy for students to make healthy food choices. Recent research has revealed that a lot of establishments have food services that are stuffed with high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods that are heavily marketed in the form of advertisements. Furthermore, it’s the job of operators to offer a wide range of items on their menus to give their customers greater choices to select from. Menus are a crucial window into the restaurant’s marketing tactics. Not always is the menu the most important factor. The important objective of the look is to assess the critiques of cafeteria shoppers about their delight with specialty foods and drinks in addition to the offerings presented at the university cafeteria. By giving respondents greater time to finish the questionnaire, which should make it less complicated for them to reply, a quantitative research approach is used to check the hypotheses of the study. This technique is based on the distribution of partially completed questionnaires. This involves collecting information from customers, which can be examined statistically. The intended population for the study was the entire academic staff, academics, and students of the university, which is located in rural Lebanon. According to official data from the university’s 2018–19 academic year, there are more than 6,600 enrolled college members, groups of workers, participants, and college students. Given this huge amount, it’s difficult to employ random sampling methods. So, a convenience method of sampling is the ideal way to collect data for this study. About the newly formed administration body at the university, the university is now working by employing various strategies to boost the retention of students. The strategies include choosing and prioritizing key motivations for students’ recruitment, and appropriate retention strategies. The management committee of the university decided to include students in the process of making decisions regarding food service, and also in other areas of service and academics. Management requested that there be a system in which the cafeteria’s operator is continuously monitored by students as well as other patrons, which will also have an impact on the evaluation of catering services offered on campus. The newly formed management committee of the university will be monitoring improvements over the next five years to evaluate the effectiveness of their services based on students’ feedback, and also to determine points that need further focus. The current questionnaire study is based on an earlier validated instrument employed by El-Said and Fathy, with some modifications.

Research Method and Sampling Technique

Comparatively to El-Said and Fathy, this questionnaire has greater types (academics and employees) to give more accurate findings and increase universality. The sample was divided into two parts. The first is targeted to collect demographic information about cafeteria patrons and their behaviour particulars (academic staff, students’ gender, gender, and age, as well as the number of times they visit the cafeteria, monthly spending, and the desire to keep dining at the caféteria). The second part of the survey consisted of four sections. The statements in these sections were taken from the DINESERV questionnaire. DINESERV is an adaptation of the SERVQUAL instrument that was invented by Barsky and adapted to be used in the industry of food service. The initial part of the second segment comprised eight questions, which were aimed at assessing customer perceptions about the high-quality food and drinks served in the cafeteria. The second section comprised five statements that were aimed at assessing customer perceptions regarding the quality of service within the cafeteria. The third section comprised five sentences that were intended to gauge their perceptions of the overall quality of the environment. The fourth portion of Section 2 was designed to gauge how customers’ views of the cost versus what they get. The last section is designed to gauge customer satisfaction overall regarding their general satisfaction with food and beverages, their overall satisfaction with the service, their overall satisfaction with the high-quality of the restaurant, and their overall satisfaction with the amount they paid for the service compared to what they got for it, as well as their overall satisfaction with dining service. The point scale of Likert can be utilized for evaluating satisfaction, with being the highest level. content, extremely satisfied, and satisfied, neutral. In addition, the university’s food service provider must pay greater attention to the standard of the environment. The cafeteria should be designed with care areas and interiors that provide an inviting and relaxing atmosphere that will attract new patrons and keep existing ones. Food service providers at universities must maintain sanitation and cleanliness of the facilities to a high standard. These findings align with earlier results from Kim and colleagues. Enhancing customer satisfaction in a high-quality environment is not just a way to increase client loyalty but also enhances the reputation of the establishment and can be beneficial for business. Lugosi has analyzed the experience of food on campus for the well-being of students and has focused on the dining halls on campus as a space for coworking. In addition to the many factors that drive social interactions, modern designs of campuses at universities have taken on several of the characteristics of coworking spaces, including furniture and the layout of the structure that facilitate an enjoyable experience. In particular, hygiene or cleanliness was the second most crucial aspect, following food selection and the convenience of location, that affected the choice of restaurant to eat at. Even though consumers are more aware of the nutritional quality of the food items they eat, food safety is still much more crucial than the risks associated with them. Hygiene in food service is crucial. Fatimah and her colleagues, through their research, have identified four key elements of food hygiene from the perspective of consumers that include food and place of service personnel and handling, as well as the premise, practices, and premises, and the scent of the environment. Priority should be given to quality service. Poor service quality can be attributed to poor quality food and beverage services. Additionally, consumers tend to be least satisfied with the value they are paying for the quality of the food and beverage items served. The food service provider at the university must enhance the quality of items served, and provide reasonable prices to stop customers from using other on-campus eateries, which would cause revenue loss and lower sales in the long term. The higher satisfaction of customers will boost the likelihood of returning to them and also provide positive word-of-mouth praise for the food service establishment.

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