Abstract:
In recent times eating away from home has become a norm and not attached the same
level of reverence in sometime past. Consumers increasingly demand for convenient,
quick serving and ready-made food away from home has made restaurants and fast food outlets one of the fastest growing sectors in the service industry. For a catering
establishment to be able to meet or exceed the needs of its patrons, it requires that
these institutions understand the key factors that guides a consumer in their selection
decisions. Thus, the study sought to assess consumers’ decisions and selection of
catering establishment. The study used study used a cross-sectional research design
with quantitative approach. The population of the study was 7,500 with a sample size
of 365 undergraduate students of the University of Education-Winneba campus. The
instrument for data collection was through a questionnaire. SPSS was used for
analysing the study. The study revealed that gender, income level, cleanliness, price,
location, menu variety, health consciousness and brand image of a facility had a
significant influence on consumer selection of a casual restaurant. The study
concluded that control variables entered had no significant influence with a variance
of 5.6% in restaurant selection decision. The study recommends that upscale
restaurant operators to take conscious effort by improving their facility status through
proper advertisement and by scoring high points in magazine reviews and newspaper
reviews since achieving such positive identity could increase their restaurant
awareness among upscale restaurant consumers.
Description:
A Dissertation in the Department of HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM
EDUCATION, Faculty of VOCATIONAL STUDIES EDUCATION, submitted
to the School of Graduate Studies, University of Education, Winneba, in Partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Master of Technology
(Catering and Hospitality) degree
MAY, 2021