Let's have lunch! A study on the relation between hospitality, service quality and experience marketing and guest satisfaction in restaurants

Abstract Justification of the topic: The city of São Paulo is the region of the country with the highest concentration of restaurants and bars, employing around 780,000 people, and in 2015 revenue amounted to over BRL$ 30 billion. From the perspective of hospitality, service quality and the experience while consuming the product are intimately related to satisfaction and consequently, to loyalty. Therefore, this study is initially justified according to these aspects. Purpose: The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of hospitality, service quality, and experience marketing on the perception of satisfaction among lunchtime restaurant guests on weekdays in the city of São Paulo and their loyalty. Methodology/Design: This study is characterized as quantitative descriptive and used a questionnaire with a seven-point Likert scale. For the data collection, we used the forms tool on the Google Docs platform and the data collection period was in March and April, 2017. We used non-probability sampling composed of 269 participants and the multivariate data analysis technique of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings: We observed that the sample was predominantly female, over 30 years of age, who spent between BRL$ 30.00 and BRL$ 50.00 per day and with higher education. We would like to point out that despite the positive empirical results of the study, they should not be generalized, since this sample characterizes a specific group in the city of São Paulo. Originality: This study provides new insights for the literature on consumer behavior specifically in the areas of hospitality and experience marketing in an important sector in terms of revenue and number of employees in the greater Brazilian metropolitan area.