Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION IN THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY 
Knowing what the customers want and what makes them come back is important for the restaurant sector in 
order to survive in our highly competitive environment. Therefore, many commercial restaurants are seeking to 
know the attributes which induce customers to return. The studies investigating which attributes affect the 
customers’ decision-making and how they affect customers’ choice at point of sales are on going (Glanz, 1998; Koo 
et al., 1999; Domingo, 2002). 
But, campus foodservice establishments which are in a comparatively less competitive environment have 
not studied in depth customer wants and, therefore, may not be satisfying them completely. Most previous studies 
toward campus food service have focused on the service quality defined as the difference between expectation and 
performance (Aigbedo & Parameswaran, 2004). 
Menu items are the main product in food service. Measures of the relative importance for the menu item 
attributes are crucial for an organization’s success even if they are a nonprofit organization. A few studies proved 
that customers consider the taste or flavor of a menu item when selecting a menu item or a restaurant (Koo et al., 
1999; Domingo, 2002; Seo, 2005). 
The current study aimed to identify and examine the relative importance of the main menu item attributes 
affecting customers’ menu selection, focused on the customers of campus food service, young adults who may have 
different values. We examined a few menu attributes such as the taste, price, nutrition value, appearance based on 
the results of a focus group study and a pre-survey with students. The relative importance of recognized menu 
attributes was analyzed by conjoint analysis technique. 
Taste (67.38%) was identified with the most important menu attribute and price (16.77%), nutrition aspect 
(11.59%) and appearance (4.27%) also followed in sequence. The comparison for groups classified based on 
expenditure level showed that respondents choosing high expenditure think nutrition value is more important than 
for those choosing low expenditure. Also respondents in the low expenditure group thought taste as less important 
than those in high expenditure group. 
Recently customer’s interest and concern for the nutritional value of their food has been increasing (Cobe, 
2006; Tyson Foods Inc., 2004). A few studies reported that nutrition information at point of sales is related with 
customer satisfaction and healthy menu selection (Cranage et al., 2004). So, the nutrition facet of a menu item is 
assumed to be one of the attributes affecting the menu selection process. Although the nutrition aspect of a menu 
item is suppose to be an important factor for young adults, our results show that it is in fact part of their value 
analysis for a menu item selection.
The findings of this study highlight that taste is the most critical point of a menu selection for young adults 
similar to other age groups, and that price and nutritional value of a menu item also are considered in their menu 
choice. This implies that managers or decision-makers in campus food service should focus on development of good 
tasting nutritious menu items that can be made economically.

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