Introduction

In todays fast paced world meals are no longer a very well planned event, on most occasions it is
an afterthought. The proportion of women in the workforce has increased, As a result women
have less time to cook meals at home. Hence there has been an increase in the trend of eating out.
This results in a flourishing restaurant industry. Like any lucrative industry which attracts a
number of players, the restaurant industry is also highly competitive. It is very important to get a
feel of this industry from the viewpoint of the customer. It is the customer who makes the final
decision of how much to spend and what, when and most importantly where to eat. Thus in order
to offer the right service to the customers, restaurant owners and managers need to have a clear
understanding of the factors that influence customer satisfaction.

Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is the state of the fulfillment of the customers expectations from the
establishment. When the difference facets of the service provided to the customers exceed the expected
level, then the customer is positively satisfied. On the contrary if the perceived level is less than the
expected level then the customer may develop negative perceptions towards the establishment.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to test the effect of different service quality factors as quality of
food, music, ambience, waiter service on customer satisfaction in a restaurant and to study how the
customer satisfaction ultimately relates to customer loyalty for the restaurant.
UKESSAYS.com
Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was given to MBA students of XLRI Jamshedpur in
the age group of 21-30 asking questions to ascertain the different levels of service in the Sonnet
restaurant. The results of these questionnaires were analyzed using factor analysis.
Findings The factors that are crucial for obtaining customer loyalty are waiter politeness, waiter
promptness, space, music and food quality. The waiter promptness, space, food quality are partially
mediated by customer satisfaction. Of these factors, music negatively affects customer loyalty and
positively affects customer satisfaction. Only waiter promptness, aesthetics, music and food quality
affect the customer satisfaction. With customer satisfaction as the mediating factor to obtain customer
loyalty, we find waiter politeness, waiter promptness, space, music and food quality are significant
factors.
Research limitations The study was limited only to the patrons of Sonnet, Jamshedpur. The
respondents to the survey consisted of students of XLRI Jamshedpur who have visited Sonnet. Future
research may be done on number of restaurants instead of a particular restaurant.
Future research may also be conducted such that the respondents reflect a more heterogeneous group in
terms of age, income level and location. The solitary effect of servicescape on the overall satisfaction
level for the customer may also be explored in future research.
Practical Implication Hoteliers and restaurant operators should try to ascertain which aspect of the
service quality is perceived as more important by their patrons. They can then focus more to improve
on these particular aspects as in future these would lead to more satisfaction for the customer. The
customer satisfaction in turn will lead to customer loyalty and thus will increase the overall profit for
the organization.

Originality/value This paper provides insights into how music affects the satisfaction and loyalty for
restaurant patrons. The effect of music on customer loyalty has not been conclusively proved in any
research paper so far. The other factors of service quality that affect the satisfaction level and loyalty of
a patron of the Sonnet restaurant in Jamshedpur have also been explored to provide a complete picture.
Keywords Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty
Constituents of service quality
The different factors of service quality which influence the customer satisfaction level include:
Music: The music played at restaurant has a significant impact on the satisfaction level of the customer.
Customers are generally more satisfied in an environment playing music they preferred than in an
environment of no music. Music may also have an impact on the spending pattern of customers.
Food Quality: Although restaurants have gained importance as a place for socializing, food is the
primary reason why a customer visits a restaurant. Thus the quality of food and beverages as well as the
variety influences the customer satisfaction level.
Waiter Service: Waiters serve as the medium of interaction between the restaurant owners and the
customers. Thus the service provided by the waiters often forms the image of a restaurant. Careful,
pleasant and attentive behavior on the part of the waiter leads to high customer satisfaction.
Ambience: Ambience ( dcor and artifact, odor, noise level , temperature, spatial layout) forms the
impression of the restaurant.

Ambience and Customer Satisfaction

The ambience and layout of the establishment has an important role to play in the experience quality of
the customer. Bitner (1992) coined a new term servicescape which denoted the physical constituents of
a service environment. The different tangible constituents of servicescape such as optimum
temperature, noise, furnishings and layout combine together to influence the customer satisfaction and
repeat patronage level. In comparison to other service industries as banks servicescape plays a more
important role in service industries as restaurants where the customer spends a greater period of time.
Wakefield and Blodgett(1996) proposed a servicescape framework, the service environment comprised
of five important factors:
Proper layout and accessibility of the premises (i.e. how furniture, service area and equipments are
organized within the establishment)
Aesthetics of the establishment ( the interior decoration and architectural design)
Seating comfort
Electronic equipment ( arrangement of displays and lighting and electronic equipment)
Cleanliness
All these five factors together had a combined effect on customer satisfaction.
As per Grayson and Mc Neill in Using Atmospheric conditions in service retailing, the proper
servicescape leads to customer comfort. This comfort has two aspects: Physical comfort and emotional
comfort and safety Both these factors together affect the satisfaction level of the customer.
Han & Ryu in their research The Roles of the Physical Environment, Price Perception, and Customer
Satisfaction in Determining Customer Loyalty in the Restaurant Industry had studied the effect of

physical environment on customer satisfaction. In the research they categorized the physical
environment into dcor and artifacts (which contributed to the attractiveness of the physical
environment i.e. floor coverings, wall decorations, pictures, paintings etc), spatial layout (arrangement
of objects as furniture and equipment) and ambient conditions (background characteristics as scent,
temperature, lighting etc) . The research showed that of all the three dcor and artifacts had the most
significant and direct effect on customer satisfaction. The researchers have expressed their opinion that
restaurateurs should give paramount importance to physical elements in the restaurant. These can be
used as marketing and operational tools to improve the customer experience and resultantly improve
the customer behavior.
Music and Customer Satisfaction
It has been often agreed upon by researchers that different aspects of service like ambience and layout
affect the experience quality of a customer and thus influence his satisfaction. Music helps in creating
the proper ambience in the restaurant and has important role to play in customer satisfaction. Studies in
social psychology often indicate that there is a strong correlation between music and the social context
in which the customer hears it. This relationship can also be extended to the setting of a restaurant. In
1996, North and Hargreaves studied the effect of music on atmosphere in a university cafeteria (North
and Hargreaves, 1996). Results suggested that customers liking of the cafeteria increased with their
liking for the music played within it. In their research conducted in 1996 North and Hargreaves also
found that liking the music in a restaurant had a positive relationship with the customer returning to the
establishment in future.
According to Stephanie Wilson in her article, The effect of music on perceived atmosphere and
purchase intention in a restaurant the music could be used by restaurants to create the proper
atmosphere. This can also be used to distinguish itself from the competitors. The research states that the
absence of music had the most negative impact on the atmosphere and thus on customer satisfaction.
Wilson in her research actually found out that in an environment of no music the respondents were
willing to pay the least maximum price. Wilson also found out that the type of music played may also
have an important bearing on the customers overall experience as well as his spending habits.
Ronald Milliman, in his article The Influence of Background Music on the Behavior of Restaurant
Patrons, has proved that background music can significantly influence the behavior of patrons in a
restaurant. This view is supplemented by Smith and Curnow (1966), who have proved that
inappropriate, loud music creates an avoidance condition and thus can affect the customer perception
about a restaurant negatively. In such cases music actually detracts from the service experience.
UKESSAYS.com
Restaurant Ambiance Study: Restaurant Atmosphere Make Us Eat More
A new study has shown that the ambiance of fast food restaurants urges us to eat more. This research,
conducted by Brian Wansink and Dr. Koert Van Ittersum, looked at the effect of surroundings on food
consumption. They gave half of a Hardees fast food restaurant a makeover with new paint, jazz music,
and soft lighting. They then studied three main areas of eating: what customers ordered, the speed the
ate at, and if they went back for more food.
The results from the fine dining section were surprising. Customers ordered the same amount of food,
ate it much slower, and enjoyed the food much more. The fast food section ate their meals very quickly
and ate more calories of food. While the bought amount of food was the same for both sections, the
fine dining group didnt eat all of the food.

These results were opposite of the hypothesis. The researchers believed that the customers in the fine
dining area would consume a great amount of food. They thought the relaxed ambiance would
encourage people to stay longer and order more food as a result.
A possible explanation of this result is that eating slower made the customers realize they were full,
while the fast food side ate all their meal before having that body signal.
The study suggests that fast food restaurants that wish for consumers to have a more enjoyable
experience should create a more relaxing ambiance. Customers would purchase the same amount of
food and enjoy it much more.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Lighting
Nowadays, the scientists, designers and psychologists are believed that the lights can play the important
roles on human mood and people social behaviours. In this way, this research area introduced new
concept in industrial, commercial and home designs in few last decades.
Referred to as "the prime animator of space," light is a subject of broad application within the
environmental design disciplines .Recently, scholars posit that light is most often applied to an interior
design solution as a functional additive rather than considered first as an essential design element along
with form, colour, texture, and others. This raises the question of how designers', educators', and
students' approaches to designing with light might be redefined to regard light as a significant
contributor to spatial compositions.
More recently, researchers have realized that the components of service quality are interrelated and the
issue must be approached from a broader perspective [2]. A comprehensive understanding requires
examination of all the factors that influence the perception of service quality and clarification of the
role that the interior environment plays in this perception. The interior environment is comprised of the
physical and ambient elements within a service establishments control. Although the design of such
elements falls squarely within the expertise of the profession of interior design, service quality research
has been conducted within the business community without reference to design knowledge. Charlotte R
Bell [3] firmly established the business basis for embracing interior design in the place of service and
to add to the interior design body of knowledge.