View - K-REx - Kansas State University

esearch studies consider repurchase/revisit intention to be at the heart of commitment or loyalty
(Day 1969; Jacoby & Kyner, 1973; Jarvis & Wilcox, 1977). Nevertheless, while it is true that
repurchase/revisit intention is a critical part of such attitudinal/behavioral constructs, it should
not be wholly characterized by a positive attitude toward a provider (e.g., commitment and
loyalty) because customers often are likely to engage in repeat purchasing behaviors in the
absence of a psychological bond (e.g., loyalty and commitment) (Guiltinan, 1989; Jones, 1998).
In this sense, revisit intention in this study is described as an affirmed likelihood to revisit the
restaurant in the future in both the absence and presence of a positive attitude toward a provider.
Satisfaction and Revisit Intention
While satisfaction is not the only strategy, a fundamental approach to improving
customer retention is enhancing customer satisfaction levels. Thus, a major component in any
customer retention/loyalty program in the hospitality industry is satisfaction. The overwhelming
numbers of studies of customer satisfaction outcomes in the service industry indicate a positive
relationship between customer satisfaction and repurchase intention (Anderson & Sullivan, 1993;
Cronin & Taylor, 1992; Getty & Thompson, 1994; Kivela, Inbakaran, & Reece, 1999; Soderlund
& Ohman, 2005; Zeithaml et al., 1996). A study conducted by Cronin and Taylor (1992) in
service sectors, such as casual dining, banking, pest control, and dry cleaning, showed that
customer satisfaction has a significant impact on repurchase intention in those sectors. Anderson
and Sullivan (1993) verified that a high level of customer satisfaction decreases the perceived
benefits of service provider switching, thereby increasing customer repurchase intention. In
addition, Getty and Thompson (1994), in investigating the relationship among service quality,
satisfaction, and behavioral intentions, suggested that customer behavioral intentions to
recommend and repurchase are positive functions of their perception of satisfaction and service
quality. Moreover, Soderlund and Ohman (2005) assessed the role of intentions as a link
between satisfaction and repatronizing behavior in a restaurant setting. Their findings showed
that customer satisfaction is significantly related to two specific intention constructs: intentions
as expectations and intentions as wants. Further, in their empirical investigation of the link
between dining satisfaction and post-dining behavioral intentions, Kivela et al. (1999) found that
dining satisfaction significantly influences behavioral intentions. These studies all provide
empirical evidence of a positive relationship between customer satisfaction and revisit intention
28