Browsing by Author "MATENDECHERE, CAXTON"

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    INFLUENCE OF SERVICESCAPE ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN RESTAURANTS IN THIKA SUB COUNTY, KIAMBU COUNTY, KENYA
    (Gretsa University, 2025-10) MATENDECHERE, CAXTON
    The term “servicescape” means the physical environment that constitutes a combination of dimensions like ambient conditions, social factors, cleanliness and restaurant layout that alter customer satisfaction and perceptions in dining areas. It combines elements like ambient conditions (lighting, scent, temperature, noise level and music), restaurant layout, social factors and cleanliness of an establishment. A lot of customers from the hospitality industry expect an environment that will boost their satisfaction thus the need of restaurateurs to make effort on improving this aspect. Majority of studies are only focusing on single elements of servicescape thus the need to do a study combining all the servicescape elements on how they affect customer satisfaction. Similarly a lot of studies have only been carried out in Europe and Northern America thus the gap to conduct more studies locally. Those few done in Kenya have failed to fully focus on this aspect of servicescape effects on customer satisfaction. This study aimed to investigate the influence of servicescape on customer satisfaction in restaurants in Thika sub-county, Kenya. This study applied a cross-sectional survey design. The target population was 298 registered restaurants in Thika sub-county where the sample size will be three restaurants without total of 90 customers in the sample frame. Data collection method was by use of questionnaires for customers. The collected data was analyzed by use of both descriptive and inferential analysis techniques. Descriptive analysis involved use of percentages to represent and analysis inferential analysis was by use of the Peterson correlation test presentation methods. From the data collected it was noticed that majority of the respondents were men, most of them 19 to 36 years and frequency of restaurant visit most one to three times in a month. From the inferential analysis it was noticed that servicescape factors had a weak but positive relationship with customer satisfaction since the p level was greater than the threshold value of 0.05. This meant that a change in servicescape lead to a very slight change in customer satisfaction. The study concluded that ambience conditions, social factors, restaurants arrangement and cleanliness had a weak positive but statistically insignificant relationship with customer satisfaction thus accepting the null hypothesis and concluding that servicescape has no impacts on customer satisfaction in restaurants in Thika sub-county. Restaurant owners should focus on other factors like service quality and food quality so as to increase the level of customer satisfaction instead of focusing on servicescape elements and also train staff on quality service delivery. Further research have to be carried out focusing on other factors like food quality and service quality and also be more specific to restaurants settings researched on.