Employee and Guest Perceptions of Service Quality: a Lookat Barbeque Restaurants in Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the current research is to examine employees’ and customers’ perceptions of service quality (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) among barbeque restaurants in Kiambu County. Data was collected from 496 customers and 112 managers of barbeque restaurants using a self-administered questionnaire. The current research used descriptive and inferential analysis comprising independent-sample t-tests to examine the differences in the means of customers’ and employees’ perceptions of service quality. Results of the current research confirmed a service quality gap manifested in customers’ and employees’ perceptions of service quality among the barbeque restaurants in the research context. Specifically, employees’ perceptions of service quality were higher than customers, depicting a gap in service quality and a call for attention by the owners and managers of barbeque restaurants in Kiambu County. The current research makes crucial contributions towards boosting service quality among barbeque restaurants in Kiambu County.