Effects of perceived service fairness on emotions, and behavioral intentions in restaurants

Purpose – This study aims to investigate interrelationships among perceived service fairness, emotions and behavioral intentions in a restaurant context. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from two casual dining restaurants in the USA. The data were analyzed following Anderson and Gerbing’s two-step approach, utilizing both a measurement model and a subsequent structural model. Findings – This study shows different roles for each fairness perception in relation to emotions and behavioral intentions based on the Mehrabian-Russell model. Setting reasonable prices and providing efficient services in a timely manner were found to be the key to negate negative emotion. At the same time, the findings suggest that providing high-quality tangible outcomes and intangible services are critical to evoke positive emotions and eventually to generate future favorable behaviors. Research limitations/implications – The data were collected from only casual dining restaurants. Therefore, generalizing the results to other segments of the restaurant industry may not work. Practical implications – The results of this study can help restaurant managers to develop more effective and efficient strategies for ensuring fairness, thus resulting in higher levels of customer retention and profits. Originality/value – Compared with previous fairness studies, which have focused exclusively on the role of justice after service failure and recovery, this study considers all service delivery contexts (with or without service failure) in order to provide a richer portrait of service fairness. Also, this study contributes to the services marketing and consumer behavior literature by shedding light on the issue of “fairness” as an axiom for evaluating services in restaurants.