Indonesia Conference Directory

The increasing of restaurant numbers every year has affected the intensity of competition in the restaurant industry. In order to be stand out among competitors, the good perceived image of the restaurant is needed and could be maintained by positive word of mouth spread in the community. The present study examines if employee behavior comprising of personal and functional service aspects in casual dining restaurant has an impact on word of mouth intention. The proposed conceptual model includes a full mediation of customer satisfaction. Using a survey approach, the questionnaire was distributed to 198 respondents of age 17 years and above which were already been to one of the particular casual dining restaurants in Jakarta. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Based on the results of the study, both personal and functional aspects can significantly predict customer satisfaction, although the functional aspects have contributed more significantly than the personal aspects. In addition, the result revealed that customer satisfaction will eventually affect word of mouth positively. It was also found that the uniqueness of the restaurant theme, atmosphere, and variety of menu choices are the factors that affect the tendency of someone to recommend the restaurant to friends or colleagues. Some implications were suggested to foodservice managers include providing a training program for restaurants employees to improve both of their personal and functional services aspects. Limitation and future research directions are also discussed.