FOOD. Science. Technology. Quality

Food. SCIENCE. Technology. Quality

Food. Science. TECHNOLOGY. Quality

Food. Science. Technology. QUALITY

Authors

JOANNA M. DZIADKOWIEC

Title

Consumer evaluation of quality of meals offered by restaurants of regional nature

Abstract

Culinary traditions belong to the cultural heritage of a given region or country. The preservation of those traditions is not confined to households. A consumer, in particular a tourist, expects that regional and/or traditional products and dishes are the specialty of a restaurant of regional nature. This type of food is popularised during multiple trade fairs or taste festivals held in various regions of Poland, and this further increases the demand for those food products. The objective of the survey study was to evaluate one of the aspects of the quality of catering services, i.e. the quality of meals that included: sensory values, health quality and availability. The object of the survey study covered restaurants of regional nature, where traditional and regional dishes should be offered. The survey conducted showed that where the respondents had an option to choose between regional and non-regional restaurants, they more likely chose the first one. However, they rather intuitively treated the term ‘regional and traditional food’ and, as a rule, they did not care whether or not the products offered were certified. The quality of meals offered at the regional venues was rated at a level of 3.41 (on a 5-point scale). This rate did not significantly deviate from the ratings for the other restaurants offering their services in the area analysed. In the case of regional restaurants, the sensory values of the meals served were rated the highest (3.81), whereas, in terms of their availability, the quality of those meals was rated a little lower (3.44) and, in terms of health quality, it was rated the lowest (3.20).

Keywords

catering services, food quality, service quality, regional products, consumer satisfaction

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