Project – Customer Experience and Repurchase Intention in Quick-Service Restaurants: A Study of Selected Restaurants in Lekki, Lagos State

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Customer experience has become an important concept in contemporary marketing because customers increasingly evaluate businesses based not only on the products or services purchased but also on the totality of interactions they have with an organization. Customer experience encompasses customers’ cognitive, emotional, behavioural, sensory and social responses arising from interactions with a firm’s products, services, employees, physical environment, technology and other touchpoints. In highly competitive service industries, organizations therefore need to understand the complete customer journey rather than concentrate solely on the final transaction. Lemon and Verhoef (2016) emphasized that customer experience develops across multiple touchpoints and channels and that managing these interactions is critical to creating positive experiences and desirable customer outcomes. Similarly, Verhoef et al. (2009) argued that customer experience is dynamic and influenced by factors such as the social environment, service processes, technology and the firm’s physical setting. These perspectives are particularly relevant to the restaurant industry, where customers directly experience the quality of food, employee behaviour, waiting time, ambience, cleanliness, convenience and service delivery during each visit.

The quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry is particularly dependent on customer experience because the nature of the business requires customers to make rapid judgments about service efficiency, food quality, convenience and value. Unlike some service businesses where customers may have prolonged relationships with service providers, QSR customers often make repeated purchase decisions based on their most recent experiences. A satisfactory experience can encourage customers to return, while poor service, low food quality, excessive waiting time, unfriendly employees or an unpleasant physical environment can encourage them to patronize competing restaurants. Rajput and Gahfoor (2020) found that food quality, restaurant service quality, physical environment quality and customer satisfaction were positively associated with customers’ intention to revisit fast-food restaurants. Their findings demonstrate that customers’ behavioural intentions are closely connected to the experiences created by different aspects of restaurant operations.

Customer experience in restaurants is multidimensional because customers encounter several service elements simultaneously. Food quality is important because customers expect meals to be fresh, properly prepared, appealing and consistent with their expectations. Service quality is also important because customers assess employees’ responsiveness, reliability, courtesy, assurance and willingness to assist. The physical environment, including cleanliness, seating arrangements, lighting, décor, accessibility and general ambience, can further influence customers’ perceptions of a restaurant. Verhoef et al. (2009) noted that customer experience is shaped by multiple determinants rather than by a single interaction, while Rajput and Gahfoor (2020) empirically established positive relationships between food quality, service quality, physical environment quality and revisit intentions. In the Nigerian context, Adewale et al. (2014) similarly reported that tangibility, empathy, responsiveness and assurance significantly influenced customer satisfaction in selected fast-food restaurants in Ibadan, with customer satisfaction enhancing repurchase intention.

Repurchase intention represents a customer’s willingness or likelihood to purchase from the same organization again after a previous consumption experience. It is an important behavioural outcome for restaurants because repeat customers can contribute to sustained sales, customer loyalty, positive word-of-mouth communication and business stability. The decision to return to a restaurant may depend on whether the customer considers the previous experience satisfactory and valuable relative to available alternatives. Mensah and Dei Mensah (2018), in a study of restaurants at the University of Cape Coast, found that both service quality and customer satisfaction significantly influenced customers’ repurchase intention. Similarly, Inoni (2021), using data from 320 consumers patronizing 12 fast-food restaurants in three towns in Delta State, Nigeria, found that food quality, service quality, perceived value and restaurant environment positively and significantly affected customer satisfaction and repurchase decisions. These findings indicate that repurchase intention is not simply a consequence of customers purchasing food but may reflect their overall assessment of the restaurant experience.

The relationship between customer experience and repurchase intention is particularly significant in competitive restaurant markets where customers have numerous alternatives. When customers perceive that a restaurant consistently provides reliable service, quality meals, attractive surroundings, convenience and good value, they may develop favourable attitudes toward the restaurant and become more willing to return. Conversely, inconsistent experiences may weaken customers’ willingness to patronize the same restaurant in the future. Odor and Ekeke (2020), in their study of upscale restaurants in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, found that brand experience significantly influenced customers’ repurchase intention and that customer satisfaction played a significant mediating role. Their findings suggest that experiences associated with a restaurant’s brand can influence subsequent behavioural responses. This is consistent with the broader argument of Lemon and Verhoef (2016) that customer experiences accumulated across different touchpoints influence customers’ future relationships with firms.

Within Nigeria, the importance of customer experience and repeat patronage is heightened by the competitive nature of the fast-food and restaurant sector. Customers can choose among different restaurants based on location, price, convenience, food quality, service, environment, brand image and previous experiences. Alao, Akinola and Akinbobola (2020) examined factors affecting customers’ repeat patronage of fast-food restaurants in Southwest Nigeria and found that food quality, restaurant location, convenience of reach and a secure environment were among the factors associated with repeat patronage. In a related Nigerian study, Inoni (2021) found that food quality, service quality, perceived value and restaurant environment all had positive and significant effects on repurchase decisions. These findings are particularly relevant to Lagos State, where restaurant customers are exposed to a wide range of competing food-service outlets and may readily compare their experiences across different establishments.

Lekki, Lagos State, provides an important setting for examining customer experience and repurchase intention in quick-service restaurants because restaurants operating within such an urban commercial environment must respond to customers who have diverse expectations concerning convenience, speed, service, food quality, ambience, technology and value. Although previous Nigerian studies have examined customer satisfaction, service quality, repeat patronage and repurchase behaviour in places such as Ibadan, Delta State, Port Harcourt and other settings, there remains a need for location-specific research focusing directly on the broader customer experience and its relationship with repurchase intention among QSR customers in Lekki. Existing studies have demonstrated that individual components such as service quality, food quality, restaurant environment and satisfaction can influence behavioural intentions, but the present study seeks to bring these experience-related dimensions together within the specific context of selected quick-service restaurants in Lekki, Lagos State. Such an investigation can provide useful empirical evidence for restaurant managers seeking to develop customer-retention strategies based on the experiences that encourage customers to return.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The quick-service restaurant industry operates in an environment where attracting customers is only one aspect of business success, while retaining existing customers presents another important challenge. Restaurants may invest substantially in food preparation, advertising, physical facilities and service delivery without necessarily guaranteeing that customers will return. Customer expectations may change rapidly, and a restaurant that provides an acceptable experience on one occasion may disappoint customers on another occasion through slow service, inconsistent food quality, unfriendly employee behaviour, poor cleanliness or inadequate ambience. Rajput and Gahfoor (2020) established that food quality, service quality, physical environment quality and customer satisfaction were significantly associated with revisit intention in fast-food restaurants, suggesting that negative experiences in any of these areas can potentially affect future behavioural intentions.

A further problem concerns the difficulty of maintaining consistency in customer experience. Customers may encounter different employees, varying waiting times, inconsistent food quality and differences in the cleanliness or atmosphere of a restaurant across different visits. Such inconsistencies can create uncertainty about whether customers will receive the same level of value and service when they return. Inoni (2021) found that food quality, service quality, perceived value and restaurant environment significantly influenced customer satisfaction and repurchase decisions among fast-food consumers in Nigeria. Adewale et al. (2014) also demonstrated that dimensions of service quality were significantly associated with customer satisfaction and that satisfaction enhanced repurchase intention. These findings suggest that weaknesses in the delivery of key experience dimensions may negatively affect customers’ willingness to patronize a restaurant repeatedly.

Another problem is that some restaurant operators may focus heavily on transactional outcomes, such as daily sales and the number of customers served, without adequately considering the experiences that generate long-term customer relationships. A customer may complete a transaction successfully but still decide not to return because the overall experience was unsatisfactory. Odor and Ekeke (2020) found that brand experience influenced repurchase intention in upscale restaurants in Port Harcourt and that customer satisfaction significantly mediated the relationship. Similarly, Mensah and Dei Mensah (2018) reported significant effects of service quality and customer satisfaction on repurchase intention among restaurant customers. These findings demonstrate that customers’ decisions to return are influenced by broader experiential and relational considerations rather than by the mere completion of a purchase.

Despite the growing importance of customer experience in the restaurant industry, there is still limited location-specific empirical evidence on how customer experience influences repurchase intention among quick-service restaurant customers in Lekki, Lagos State. Existing Nigerian studies have provided useful evidence from Ibadan, Delta State, Port Harcourt and Southwest Nigeria, but their findings may not fully explain customer behaviour within the particular competitive and consumption environment of Lekki. There is therefore a need to examine whether dimensions of customer experience—particularly food quality, service quality, physical environment, convenience and perceived value—are associated with customers’ intention to repurchase from selected QSRs in Lekki. Addressing this gap can assist restaurant managers in identifying the experience factors that most strongly encourage repeat patronage and can also contribute to the Nigerian literature on customer experience and behavioural intention.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The general purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between customer experience and repurchase intention in quick-service restaurants in Lekki, Lagos State.

Specifically, the study seeks to:

1. examine the relationship between food quality and repurchase intention among customers of selected quick-service restaurants in Lekki;
2. determine the relationship between service quality and repurchase intention among customers of selected quick-service restaurants in Lekki;
3. assess the relationship between physical environment and repurchase intention among customers of selected quick-service restaurants in Lekki;
4. examine the relationship between convenience of service and repurchase intention among customers of selected quick-service restaurants in Lekki; and

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions will guide the study:

1. What is the relationship between food quality and repurchase intention among customers of selected quick-service restaurants in Lekki?
2. What is the relationship between service quality and repurchase intention among customers of selected quick-service restaurants in Lekki?
3. What is the relationship between physical environment and repurchase intention among customers of selected quick-service restaurants in Lekki?
4. What is the relationship between convenience of service and repurchase intention among customers of selected quick-service restaurants in Lekki?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

The following null hypothesis will be tested at the 0.05 level of significance:

H₀: Customer experience has no significant relationship with repurchase intention among customers of selected quick-service restaurants in Lekki, Lagos State.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study will be significant to management of quick-service restaurants because it will provide empirical information about the customer-experience factors that influence customers’ willingness to return. The findings may help restaurant managers identify areas requiring improvement, including food quality, employee service, cleanliness, ambience, convenience and perceived value.

The study will also be useful to marketing managers and customer-experience professionals. Understanding the relationship between customer experience and repurchase intention can assist them in designing customer-retention strategies, loyalty programmes, service-recovery initiatives and promotional activities that encourage repeat patronage.

The findings will be beneficial to employees of quick-service restaurants because the study may demonstrate the importance of employee behaviour, responsiveness, courtesy and efficiency in shaping customers’ perceptions. This could encourage restaurant operators to strengthen employee training and service standards.

The study will also be useful to existing and prospective restaurant investors. The findings may provide insight into the aspects of restaurant operations that customers consider important when deciding whether to return. Such information can support managerial decisions concerning service processes, restaurant facilities and customer-retention investments.

Finally, the study will contribute to academic literature on customer experience, consumer behaviour, hospitality marketing and repurchase intention in Nigeria. It may serve as a useful reference for students and researchers conducting further studies on restaurant patronage, customer loyalty, customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions, particularly within Lagos State.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The study focuses on Customer Experience and Repurchase Intention in Quick-Service Restaurants: A Study of Selected Restaurants in Lekki, Lagos State.

The study will concentrate on selected dimensions of customer experience, namely food quality, service quality, physical environment, convenience and perceived value. The dependent variable is repurchase intention, which will be examined in terms of customers’ willingness to revisit, intention to purchase again, likelihood of choosing the same restaurant in the future and willingness to maintain patronage.

Geographically, the study will be restricted to selected quick-service restaurants located in Lekki, Lagos State. The study will focus on customers who have patronized the selected restaurants and are therefore capable of evaluating their experiences and indicating their intention to return.

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

Customer Experience: The overall cognitive, emotional, sensory, behavioural and social response a customer develops from interactions with a restaurant before, during and after purchasing its products or services.

Repurchase Intention: The customer’s expressed willingness or likelihood to purchase products or services from the same restaurant again in the future.

Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR): A restaurant business that provides prepared food and beverages through relatively rapid ordering, preparation and service, often emphasizing convenience and speed.

Food Quality: The extent to which customers perceive the food served by a restaurant to be fresh, tasty, properly prepared, appealing, safe and consistent with their expectations.

Service Quality: The degree to which the services provided by restaurant employees meet or exceed customers’ expectations regarding reliability, responsiveness, courtesy, assurance and assistance.

Physical Environment: The tangible surroundings in which restaurant services are delivered, including cleanliness, décor, seating, lighting, layout, ambience and general appearance.

Convenience: The degree to which customers perceive the restaurant’s location, ordering process, payment system, waiting time and service procedures as easy and time-saving.

Perceived Value: The customer’s overall assessment of the benefits received from a restaurant relative to the money, time and effort expended.

Customer Satisfaction: The customer’s evaluation of whether the restaurant’s products and services have met or exceeded expectations.

Repeat Patronage: The act of a customer returning to the same restaurant to purchase its products or services on more than one occasion.

Customer Loyalty: A favourable and relatively enduring customer relationship characterized by repeated patronage and a willingness to maintain a relationship with a particular restaurant.

Project – Customer Experience and Repurchase Intention in Quick-Service Restaurants: A Study of Selected Restaurants in Lekki, Lagos State