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Int. J. Leisure and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2012

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants in an emerging market Ateeq Abdul Rauf*
School of Business and Economics, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan Email: ateeqar@gmail.com *Corresponding author

Irfan Butt
College of Commerce and Economics, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman Email: irfanb@squ.edu.om
Abstract: This study empirically examines Pakistani consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants. The objective of this study was to understand multinational restaurant consumer behaviour in Pakistan and draw managerial implications for international fast food marketers and operators of Pakistani restaurants. The findings were based on a sample of 410 respondents. The attributes of a fast food restaurant, identified through factor analysis, comprised quality, cleanliness and comfort, ambience, childcare, presentation and healthiness, location and price, staff service and staff outlook. Multivariate analysis of variance was performed to understand consumer perceptions by demographics and other variables. Analysis revealed that age, gender, marital status, education, household size, income and occupation and price influence the ratings of attributes for restaurant selection. Results showed size of household, age and occupation were also factors in determining frequency of patronage. The findings were compared with earlier studies conducted in the USA, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and India. Keywords: consumer perceptions; consumer behaviour; foreign; MANOVA; fast food; restaurants; Pakistan; emerging market; multinational; factor analysis; demographics. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Rauf, A.A. and Butt, I. (2012), Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants in an emerging market, Int. J. Leisure and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp.4070. Biographical notes: Ateeq Abdul Rauf is a Lecturer at University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. He has previously worked as Research Fellow at Lahore University of Management Sciences, where he conducted research and taught undergraduate courses in management. He has edited the appendices of the 13th edition of Principles of Marketing: A South Asian Perspective by Philip Kotler, Gary Armstrong, Prafulla Agnihotri and Ehsan ul Haque. He is a graduate of Northwestern Universitys Master of

Copyright 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

Science programme in Integrated Marketing Communications. His research interests are in the area of consumption and anti-consumption, sociological effects of marketing and media economics. Irfan Butt is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at College of Commerce and Economics, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. Prior to joining Sultan Qaboos, he was a faculty member at Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. He received his PhD from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, where he also worked as a visiting faculty. He received his MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona, USA, and BA from College of Wooster, Ohio, USA. His research interests are in the areas of export marketing, market positioning strategy, product-country image and content analysis.

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Study objectives

In recent years, the fast food industry has expanded tremendously around the world. The global fast food market was valued at $154.7 billion in 2008 is forecasted to increase by 29.3% to $200 billion in 2013 (Researchandmarkets.com, 2010). Thus, managers of major international fast food players ought to consider consumer expectations and behaviour in local markets since such perceptions are susceptible to cultural differences (Lee and Ulgado, 1997, p.39). Particelli (1990) mentions that success in an international scale will always require local adaptation. This is specifically the case for product categories associated with cultural and ethnic identification such as food (Reilly and Wallendorf, 1987). Keillor and Fields (1996) note that consumption habits are related to the cultural and ethnic environment of the consumers. Anderson and He (1999) contend because it functions in a cultural and demographic environment, the marketing mix (for fast food) may need changes from region to region to be appropriate for the target market (p.83). In this regard, researchers have examined various countries like India, South Korea, China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. One study notes that consumer perceptions on fast food may even differ across countries as similar as the USA and Canada (Kara et al., 1995). Previous studies have established that demographics can affect consumers patronage of fast food restaurants and that frequency of visits to such establishments is related to gender, age and various household characteristics (Grazin and Olsen, 1997). Akbay et al. (2007) concluded that demographic variables such as age and income as well as other consumer perceptions of attributes such as price and healthiness influence patronage of fast food restaurants. Oyewole (2007) concluded that gender, age, marital status and income affect the frequency of visits made by consumers to fast food outlets. Hence, marketing managers of fast food restaurants need to give due importance to demographics when designing marketing strategies. This paper intends to enhance existing literature on the subject of foreign fast food consumption by examining an emerging market, i.e. Pakistan. First, we discuss factors affecting consumer perceptions and their choice of multinational fast food chains. We then highlighted differences in consumer perception patterns within sub-groups of the same demographic (e.g. age) using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), a technique hardly used in such studies before. Keeping the above in view, the following objectives were set out for the study:

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A.A. Rauf and I. Butt To examine the relationship between frequency of visits to fast food restaurants and consumer demographics. To explore attributes considered important for patronising foreign fast food restaurants. To investigate how consumer preferences differ by family size, income, age, gender, occupation and marital status.

The fast food industry

Researchers have conceptualised fast food in different ways. Keillor and Fields (1996) define it as a franchised restaurant chain offering both dining and take out facilities with no table service (e.g. McDonalds, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken) (p.84). Bender and Bender (1995), on the other hand, confine fast food to food items that have a limited menu and are prepared under certain production line techniques. However, for this paper we considered fast food as the sale of food and drinks for immediate consumption either on the premises or in designated eating areas shared with other foodservice operators, or for consumption elsewhere (Researchandmarkets.com, 2010). Many common household names in fast food like McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) have their origins in the USA. However, the expansion of many such franchises in recent years has occurred considerably outside their home country. In emerging markets, global brands such as McDonalds (with 65% of sales overseas) and Yum! Brands (with 50% of sales overseas) have been leading fast food growth by franchising (Wikinvest, 2009). In China the fast food industry is growing by leaps and bounds. Compounded annual growth rate was expected at around 25% from 2008 to 2011 (Report Buyer, 2008). Reasons for this include a busier way of life in urban China leading to an increasing demand for quick meals. According to Getchee Solutions (2009), Burger King plans to open up to 300 outlets in China in the five years from 2009 to 2014 and KFC worked on opening at least 300 stores in 2009. The Indian fast food market is burgeoning, too. India is among the top ten markets for fast food consumption in the Asia-Pacific region (Goyal and Singh, 2007). According to the Worldwatch Institute, Indias fast food industry was growing by 40% a year in 2005 (Tiwari and Verma, 2008). Analysts have spotted similar growth in other countries as well. In Turkey, Yum, McDonalds and Burger King (BKC) have all expanded to the country of 73 million (MSN.com, 2010). Not satisfied by expansion rates in South Korea, McDonalds aimed to invest $15 million in the country in 2010 and $30 million in 2011 (MSN.com, 2010). Fast-food restaurants have penetrated every market in CEE [Central and Eastern Europe]. Brazil is a battleground for fast food in Latin America (PricewaterhousecoopersSouth Africa, 2010). Another emerging market is Pakistan, a South Asian country of roughly 180 million people. In Pakistan, international fast food chains have increased their presence in recent years in urban locations all over the country. One report states:
Eating out is becoming more common with people trying continental and Chinese as well as fast foods. People take more time to go out, enjoy delicious food, and hang out at coffeehouses, ice cream parlours, parks and so on. This has also raised demand for restaurants, coffeehouses, fast food outlets, dessert parlours, parks, bowling alleys and other recreational facilities across urban centres. (Euromonitor International, 2008, pp.37, 7374)

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Horeca (Hotel/Restaurant/Caf) food sales are increased more than 86% from approximately PKR 224 million in 2004 to approximately PKR 417.4 million in 2008 (Planet Retail, 2009a, 2009b). Planet Retail (2009a, 2009b) data shows that 1.9% of all retail sales in Pakistan are from HoReCa. Major fast food players in Pakistan include the multinational chains McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, Hardees, Nandos and Dominos Pizza. There are no local fast food players with an expansive reach in the country.

Literature on fast food research

Credible research literature on the Pakistani fast food industry is virtually non-existent. As a result, research conducted in other countries provided leads for this study. Kara et al. (1995) looked at differences between US and Canadian cities, Lee and Ulgado (1997) explored perceptual differences of consumers in South Korea and the USA; and Oyewole (2007) studied African-American consumers. Bhuians (2000) article discussed consumer perceptions in Saudi Arabia. Papers presented by Chavadi and Kokatnur (2008), Goyal and Singh (2007) and Tiwari and Verma (2008) surveyed cities in India. All these studies provided useful insight as to how research should be carried out in an emerging market like Pakistan. Kara et al. (1995) discussed how perceptions of fast food consumers differ across Canada and the USA. The aim of the study was to establish whether consumers on either side of the border perceived outlets of the same franchise similarly or not. A survey questionnaire was distributed to 200 households. The analysis of survey results revealed a significant difference between US and Canadian consumers based on the type of fast food they consumed, the place where they consumed the food and the price they were willing to pay. The researchers also used correspondence analysis to evaluate fast food perceptions in the two countries. Frequent US fast food consumers deem variety of food, speed of service and friendly staff to be the most important criteria in selection. Less frequent US customers feel price and promotion are the most essential factors. Frequent consumers in Canada opined that restaurant seating capacity and food nutritional value were important determinants of their choice, while less frequent consumers valued price, novel menu items and location of restaurants. Kivela (1997) carried out a study on a random sample of 120 households in Hong Kong to determine how customers select restaurants and to assess whether variables affecting the selection differed by occasion, age and income. In addition, the study attempted to find out whether the selection of restaurants is influenced by lower priority variables once consumers have decided on occasion and segment. The results showed that most customers think food type and food quality are the most important variables. The occasion for dining out appears to be the key factor of the selection set. Age and income are identified as important determinants. The author also concluded that the overall package of a restaurant to a particular demographic is a key influencer in selection or rejection of that restaurant. Lee and Ulgado (1997) used SERVQUAL to analyse the gap between service expectation and perception. They ran a survey on US and South Korean customers and collected 193 questionnaires. The study chosen franchise brand was McDonalds. Lee and Ulgado used t-test to determine the difference between the two countries consumers. They found Korean customers have significantly higher expectations. Koreans also rate

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dimensions of service value lower than their US counterparts. Results, attained with stepwise regression, indicated that Korean consumers judge reliability and price as the most significant variables for service value as opposed to price and assurance for US consumers. Bhuian (2000) empirically investigated the factors that affect Saudi Arabian consumer preferences for fast food restaurants. The hypotheses for this study posed that nutrition, price, taste, speed, seating space, delivery service, variety, location, friendliness and cleanliness were important in determining restaurant choice (H1) and their importance did not vary across demographically different groups (H2). Bhuian randomly intercepted and surveyed 250 respondents for this study. He used t-test for studying H1 and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for studying H2. Research found all factors apart from delivery of service in H1 to be significant in determining restaurant selection. The study also showed that, for H2, the influence of taste does not differ across age groups. In addition, all attributes affecting the selection of fast food outlets equally influence both genders. Moreover, the effect of only nutrition and taste is different across income groups. Oyewole (2007) researched the factors that influence frequency of visits to fast food restaurants by African-American consumers. The study used a convenience sample of 400 African-American respondents and tested hypotheses regarding frequency of patronage using percentage distribution and Chi-square methods. He also examined hypotheses related to criteria of quality evaluation using ANOVA. The results indicated that the most important considerations in determining service quality were hygiene, reliability, expeditiousness, availability and courtesy. The paper also reported that gender, age, income and marital status influence frequency of visits to fast food restaurants. Young, single, adult males in lower income groups are frequent patrons of fast food outlets. Busy consumers in this sub-culture group are also frequent visitors to fast food outlets. Moreover, these short-of-time consumers are considered not to be brand loyal. Chavadi and Kokatnur (2008) set out to understand the factors influencing the selection of fast food restaurants in Davangere, India. SERVQUAL was used to identify service gaps from 140 respondents. The researchers used factor analysis to reduce the 19 variables to four factors. Results showed that physical evidence, value pricing, highquality service and good quality food are important to Indian customers. In addition, the authors noted that there is a large gap between expectation and perception of two variables: assurance and empathy. The investigators also studied the association of age and income with fast food preference using Chi-square tests. Both youth and high income groups are said to be positively associated with inclination towards fast food. Goyal and Singh (2007) conducted a study in New Delhi to identify variables important in fast food restaurant selection by young consumers. Other objectives of this research included examining consumption patterns of fast food and learning the impact of hygiene and nutritional value of fast foods on consumer decisions. The study used factor analysis to derive three dimensions: service and delivery, quality and product. The results indicated that young Indians visit fast food outlets for fun and change, but these consumers still prefer home-cooked meals. The study also revealed that consumers prefer more information related to cleanliness and nutrition. In a study carried out in Dehradun, India, Tiwari and Verma (2008) also assessed Indian consumer perception about fast food. The study objectives included identifying factors influencing consumer preference for fast food and studying consumption patterns of fast food. A convenience sample of 150 customers aged between 15 and 35 years was

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

45

surveyed. Using simple frequency distribution, the researchers concluded that snack breaks and dinner are the most preferred times for consuming fast food. In addition, customers visit fast food outlets for fun and believe that friends are heavy influencers in the selection of a restaurant. Food quality and service are the top listed factors that affect selection of fast food outlets.

Hypotheses

Our study aimed to confirm whether the relationships and results found in the literature hold true for the Pakistani fast food market. To answer this question and meet the objectives of this study, we developed the following hypotheses: H1: The frequency of visits to fast food restaurants is affected by (a) age, (b) education, (c) gender, (d) size of household, (e) income, (f) occupation, (g) marital status and (h) price expectation. H2: The importance consumers attach to attributes of service quality in choosing a fast food restaurant is affected by (a) age, (b) education, (c) gender, (d) size of household, (e) income, (f) occupation, (g) marital status and (h) price expectation. For H2 our research also analysed differences by demographics, something that had not been explored in previous studies.

Study methodology

The data for this study were collected from customers eating at specific restaurant outlets in Lahore, the second largest city in Pakistan. The researchers selected multiple outlets from each of six major international fast food chains operating in Pakistan: McDonalds, Hardees, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway and Nandos. Pakistani restaurants that serve a combination of fast food and traditional Pakistani food were also randomly selected to broaden the range of respondents. The six Pakistani restaurants were Bar BQ Tonight, Bundu Khan, Cock & Bull, Gourmet Grill, Karachi Bar BQ and KuKus Caf. MBA students from a local university judgementally selected the respondents. The interviewees answered the questions either inside or outside of each outlet, depending upon permission given by the restaurant management to conduct the surveys. A total of 410 usable questionnaires were obtained.

Measures

Based on extensive literature review (Kara et al., 1995; Kivela, 1997; Bhuian, 2000; Oweyole, 2007; Chavadi and Kakatnur, 2008; Tiwari and Verma, 2008), we selected 34 attributes of fast food restaurants for this research (see Appendix A). The adapted measures fell in the nine categories used by Oweyole (2007): Hygiene and reliability, expeditiousness, availability, courtesy, communication, health-consciousness, comfort, ease of complaint and love of children. A 5-point scale measured each attribute from least important (1) to most important (5). The interviewers asked demographic questions about gender, age, income, marital status, size of household, occupation and education

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from each respondent. In addition, the interviewers also asked questions to determine the frequency of visit, reasons for visit, people accompanied on each visit and people influencing the choice of a restaurant.

Distribution of respondents

The demographic profiles for the studied sample are shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Characteristics of the data set Frequency Percent Demographics Household Size 212 198 51.71% 48.29% 2 or less persons 35 persons 68 persons More than 8 Income (Pak Rs. Per month) Less than 25,000 25,00049,999 50,00074,999 75,00099,999 100,000 and over Education Home schooling Matric/O-Level1 Intermediate/ A-Levels2 Graduate/B.A Postgraduate 37 251 105 12 Frequency 45 59 78 53 155 Frequency 2 14 62 173 141 9.02% 61.22% 25.61% 2.93% Percent 10.98% 14.39% 19.02% 12.93% 37.80% Percent 0.49% 3.41% 15.12% 42.20% 34.39% Frequency Percent Demographics Type of restaurant visited Pakistani food restaurant Fast food outlet

Gender Male Female Marital Status Single Married Age 1825 years 2634 years 3544 years 4554 years 55 or more Notes:

Frequency 270 133 Frequency 236 167 Frequency 174 158 42 23 11

Percent 65.85% 32.44% Percent 57.56% 40.73% Percent 42.44% 38.54% 10.24% 5.61% 2.68%

Missing values were omitted from the analysis. 1 10 years of schooling; 2 12 years of schooling.

Analysis

8.1 Demographics and frequency of visit

In order to test H1, we performed a Chi-square analysis between the demographic variables and frequency of visit to fast food outlets. The hypothesis was supported in the cases of age, size of household and occupation. The significant results are shown in Table 2.

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

Table 2 Significant results of Chi-square analysis between demographics and frequency of visit Chi-Square Tests Value 33.32208 408 31.26894 405 40.00241 402 Df 20

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Frequency of Visit * Age Pearson Chi-square N of Valid Cases Frequency of Visit * Size of household Pearson Chi-Square N of Valid Cases Frequency of Visit * Occupation Pearson Chi-square N of Valid Cases

Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) 0.031093

15

0.008085

25

0.029148

The results shown in Table 2 indicated that there was a relationship between three demographic variables (age, number of people in the household and occupation) and frequency of visits.

8.2 Factor analysis

For the purpose of testing H2, we conducted a factor analysis on the list of 34 attributes in the questionnaire. We intended to determine what factors affect consumer choice of foreign fast food outlets in Pakistan. Applying Varimax rotation, we retained only factors with eigenvalues above 1 in the analysis. Eight components explaining more than 57% variance were extracted. Table 3 shows that the following factors were derived based on factor loadings: quality, cleanliness and comfort, ambience, childcare, presentation, healthiness, location, price, staff service, open late, quantity of food and staff outlook. Cronbach alphas were obtained to test reliability of the factors (in Table 3). The alpha values for cleanliness and comfort, ambience, childcare, healthiness were all above the international standard of 0.7. Additionally, values of quality, staff service and staff outlook were close enough to 0.7 to be studied. However, open late and quantity of food had low values and were removed from analysis. Presentation and healthiness when combined brought the alpha values for these factors closer to the desired figure to be included in the study. Similarly, location and price when combined brought the alpha values for these factors to an adequate level to be studied. Hence, the factors important to Pakistani consumers while selecting a fast food brand were assessed to be as follows: quality, cleanliness and comfort, ambience, childcare, presentation and healthiness, location and price, staff service and staff outlook.

8.3 Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA)

In order to examine H2, we performed MANOVA using the factors obtained (in the factor analysis) as dependent variables. The independent variables constituted of the demographic variables and price preference variable. Results showed that all demographic variables (age, gender, marital status, education, household size, income and occupation) and price expectation variables influenced the ratings of the factors under consideration. We considered measurements useful if the difference between any two groups of a categorical variable was highly significantly different (p < 0.05) from each other.

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Table 3

Component Loadings Factors Quality of food Freshness of food Quality Comfortable seating Clean washrooms Overall very clean Lots of space inside Bright Lights Decorations on the wall Background Music Modern interior design Children menu available Toys with children meal Children play area Variety of dishes in the menu* Presentation of food* Nutrition value of food* 0.764471 0.681578 0.859381 0.884008 0.524325 0.584976 0.689202 0.734073 0.729655 0.523099 0.503714 0.773883 0.703521 0.55222 Taste of Food 0.584094 0.564687 0.611822 Variables 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

A.A. Rauf and I. Butt

Cronbach Alphas

0.674

Cleanliness &

Extracted factors and their Cronbach alphas

0.779

Comfort

0.753

Ambience

0.847

Childcare

0.517

Presentation

Table 3

Component Loadings Variables Low calorie (low-fat) food* Convenient, easily accessible location** Located close to the house** Low prices** Prices comparable to similar restaurants** Polite and courteous servers (waiters) Quick handling of complaints Clear communication while taking orders Friendliness of staff Neat and clean looking staff 0.656567 0.710954 0.730548 0.532855 0.69464 0.519035 0.65591 0.881274 0.592786 0.705104 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Cronbach Alphas

Factors

0.713

Healthiness

0.548

Location

0.571

Price

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

Extracted factors and their Cronbach alphas (continued)

0.692

Staff Service

0.684

Staff Outlook

Notes:

* if all four items of Presentation and Healthiness are combined, then Cronbach alpha is 0.713; ** if all four items of Location and Price are combined, then Cronbach alpha is 0.644.

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In summary, results showed education, income and price expectation influenced all eight attributes: quality, cleanliness and comfort, ambience, childcare, presentation and healthiness, location and price, staff outlook and staff service. Data also revealed that gender affected cleanliness and comfort and staff outlook. Age impacted attributes of quality, ambience, childcare, location and price, staff outlook and staff service. Household size acted as an influencer on cleanliness and comfort, location and price, staff service and staff outlook. Marital status affected ambience, childcare, presentation and healthiness, staff service and staff outlook. Occupation influenced ambience, childcare, presentation and healthiness, location and price, staff service and staff outlook.

8.3.1 Quality
The 3544 years old age group was most particular when it came to quality of food. Compared to other age groups, this group gave significantly more importance to food quality in restaurant selection. In contrast, younger audiences did not seem to view quality as an important selection attribute. The results showed food freshness was least important to the least educated class in society. Those who had passed intermediate/Alevels (grade 12) were also not highly interested in freshness. However, degree holders of matric/O-level (grade 10) seemed to have a higher importance for freshness than homeschool goers and intermediate/A-level degree holders. The highest income group valued quality of food as a significantly less important consideration in selection of a restaurant than the group with incomes between PKR 50,000 and 74,999.

8.3.2 Cleanliness and comfort

Graduates seemed to be significantly less sensitive to comfort in restaurants than matriculates. Graduates were also less sensitive than intermediates/A-level graduates regarding cleanliness of restaurants. Females, as compared to males, tended to consider cleanliness significantly more important. Unlike smaller families, people with a household size of more than eight persons believed comfortable seating to be a significantly more important factor in restaurant selection. Results also indicated that comfortable seating was a more important consideration for income group PKR 50,00074,999 than it was for people in the lowest income group.

8.3.3 Ambience
Results showed that 1825 years old gave less importance to bright lights and seating space than 3544 years old. When compared to their younger counterparts, older groups seemed to have a stronger preference for seating capacity. People studying at home gave significantly more importance to space in restaurants than was given by students enrolled in higher education. Postgraduates attached higher importance to space than graduates. Bright lights and music were more strongly preferred by people earning less than PKR 50,000 than they were by people earning more than PKR 100,000. Space, decorations and interior design seemed to be greater influence in fast food restaurant selection for people with income less than PKR 25,000 than for people earning PKR 100,000 and above. Results also showed that housewives had stronger preference for bright lights in fast food outlet selection relative to students. In addition, self-employed people deemed background music to be a significantly more important criterion in

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restaurant selection than did business owners, students and housewives. Also selfemployed people, when compared to salaried employees and students, considered modern interior design to be a significantly more important criterion in selection.

8.3.4 Childcare
When compared to other age brackets, age group 3544 years followed by age group 4554 years seemed to have a significantly higher preference for childcare facilities, toy gifts (complementing children meals) and children play areas. The results also suggested that people educated at home gave higher importance to childcare than more educated people. Postgraduates, when compared to graduates, had a significantly higher inclination for children play areas. People earning more than PKR 100,000 seemed to be significantly less influenced by childcare than people earning less than PKR 25,000. In comparison to other groups, government service officials deemed childcare items to be a significantly more important decision factor in restaurant selection. Students and business owners, however, appeared to be relatively indifferent in this aspect.

8.3.5 Presentation and healthiness

The age group of 3544 years considered nutrition and low-fat food as a more important selection attribute than younger age groups. In addition, nutrition was a more important factor for 3544 years old than it was for 4555 years old. Variety of dishes seemed to be a more important selection criterion for 3544 years old than it was for 2534 years old. Presentation of food was believed to be significantly less important for 1825 years old than it was for almost all other age groups. In comparison to intermediates and graduates, matriculates/O-level degree holders considered nutrition to be a significantly more important criterion in restaurant selection. Earners of less than PKR 50,000 thought low calories and nutrition were a more influential selection attribute than people earning over PKR 100,000. In comparison to other occupation groups, students found presentation and healthiness to be less significant considerations in restaurant choice.

8.3.6 Location and price

In comparison to 1825 years old, 4554 years old considered location convenience to be significantly more important in restaurant selection. Price was also a more influential consideration for 4554 years old when compared to 1834 years old. People living in households of more than eight persons gave higher preference to location than people living in households of sixeight persons. When compared to people earning between PKR 25,000 and 49,999, employees earning over PKR 100,000 considered location to be significantly less important. Customers earning more than PKR 100,000 also thought price was less influential than did people earning less than PKR 25,000. When compared to other occupation streams, government officials gave higher preference to fast food restaurants closer to home. Housewives, when compared to other occupation groups, seemed to be relatively indifferent to where the restaurant is located when deciding on a fast food outlet.

8.3.7 Staff service

As compared to other age brackets, age group 1825 years believed courtesy and politeness from restaurant staff to be a significantly less important factor in restaurant

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selection. Relative to males, females tended to consider cleanliness and friendliness of staff significantly more important. Home-educated people considered communication clarity significantly less important than higher educated people. Consumers from a household of more than eight persons valued politeness and courtesy of waiters significantly more important when selecting a restaurant than people from other household strengths. People with income less than PKR 25,000 considered restaurant staffs quick complaint handling more influential in their decision of selection than other income groups. When compared to other occupation groups, students believed staff service to be significantly less important.

8.3.8 Staff outlook

Neatness of staff was a significantly less notable consideration for 1834 years old when compared to 3544 years old. Postgraduates seemed to be influenced more significantly by staff outlook than are people educated at home. Earners of the lowest income bracket considered friendliness of staff to be a significantly more important factor in fast food restaurant selection than almost all other income groups. When compared to other household strengths, consumers from a household size of more than eight persons believed friendliness of staff to be significantly more important. Students gave less importance to staff outlook than other occupation groups. When compared to single adults, people who were married considered space, modern interiors, childcare, presentation of food, food calories, nutrition, politeness of staff and friendliness of staff to be significantly more important factors in evaluating fast food restaurants. Tables 411 illustrate the MANOVA findings detailed in the paragraphs above. Only data with highly significantly differences (p < 0.05) between groups have been presented.
Table 4 Results of multivariate analysis of variance with age as an independent variable Age (I) Household (J) Household Mean Difference Std. Error Income Income (IJ) 1825 years 2534 years 3544 years 1825 years 1825 years 3544 years 3544 years 4554 years 3544 years 2534 years 3544 years 4554 years 4554 years 3544 years 4554 years 3544 years 4554 years 55 or more .2146* .2380* .3807* .4205* .2573* .4795* .8129* .5556* 1.7735* 1.0544* 1.5222* .8032* 1.4030* 0.09783 0.09911 0.14672 0.18983 0.1064 0.16626 0.22108 0.2225 0.27458 0.31973 0.27664 0.3215 0.4831

Dependent Variable Quality Quality of food

Sig. 0.029 0.017 0.01 0.027 0.016 0.004 0 0.013 0 0.001 0 0.013 0.004

Ambience Bright Lights Lots of space inside

2534 years Childcare Children menu available 1825 years 2534 years 3544 years

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

Table 4 Results of multivariate analysis of variance with age as an independent variable (continued) Age (I) Household (J) Household Mean Difference Std. Error Income Income (IJ) 1825 years 2534 years 3544 years 4554 years 2534 years Children play area 1825 years 3544 years 2534 years 3544 years 4554 years 2534 years Presentation and Healthiness Low calorie (low-fat) food 1825 years 2534 years 3544 years Nutrition value of food Variety of dishes in the menu Presentation of food 1825 years 2534 years 2534 years 1825 years 3544 years 3544 years 55 or more 3544 years 3544 years 3544 years 2534 years 3544 years 55 or more 2534 years Location & price Convenient, easily accessible location Prices comparable to similar restaurants Staff Service Polite and courteous servers (waiters) 1825 years 2534 years 3544 years 4554 years Staff Outlook Neat and clean looking staff 1825 years 2534 years 3544 years 3544 years .4205* .3198* 0.15249 0.1539 .2471* .5001* .4577* 0.10109 0.15821 0.20216 1825 years 1825 years 2534 years 4554 years 4554 years 4554 years .4722* .5647* .5351* 0.19839 0.21556 0.2172 3544 years .8731* .6244* 1.0326* .7854* .5787* .4007* .2298* .7135* .6528* .4837* 0.22819 0.23067 0.43901 0.23094 0.23345 0.18716 0.11237 0.17918 0.31409 0.18113 0 3544 years 4554 years .4531* 1.1197* .9388* .6667* .4963* 1.2333* 1.1429* .7370* .6466* 0.16304 0.27401 0.31907 0.27607 0.16382 0.27532 0.32059 0.27739 0.32237

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Dependent Variable Childcare Toys with children meal

Sig. 0.006 0 0.003 0.016 0.003 0 0 0.008 0.046

0.007 0.019 0.001 0.014 0.033 0.042 0 0.038 0.008 0.018 0.009 0.014 0.015 0.002 0.024 0.006 0.038

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Table 5

Education (I) Household Income Home Schooling Intermediate/A-Levels Graduate/B.A Postgraduate Matric/O-Level Intermediate/A-Levels Postgraduate Matric/O-Level Intermediate/A-Levels Postgraduate Home Schooling Intermediate/A-Levels Graduate/B.A Graduate/B.A Home Schooling Matric/O-Level Intermediate/A-Levels Graduate/B.A Postgraduate Graduate/B.A Home Schooling Intermediate/A-Levels Postgraduate Intermediate/A-Levels Graduate/B.A Postgraduate Postgraduate Matric/O-Level .2671* 1.5000* 1.3833* 1.4201* .3130* 2.2000* 2.7255* 2.8784* 2.5124* .3660* 2.4020* 2.4324* .6458* Graduate/B.A .2815* Graduate/B.A .5166* .3523* Graduate/B.A .4051* Intermediate/A-Levels .5438* 0.20665 0.10361 0.10678 0.23202 0.10651 0.10965 0.73192 0.69597 0.68869 0.11065 1.06642 0.99241 0.98006 0.98151 0.16873 0.99016 0.97784 0.22933 1.5942* 0.49739 1.6471* 0.49673 1.2419* 0.50173 Matric/O-Level 1.7857* 0.52793 0.001 0.014 0.001 0.001 0.009 0 0.001 0.027 0.009 0.015 0.041 0.048 0.04 0.005 0.04 0.006 0.004 0.011 0.031 0.016 0.013 0.005 (J) Household Income Mean Difference (IJ) Std. Error Sig.

Dependent Variable

Quality

A.A. Rauf and I. Butt

Freshness of food

Cleanliness and Comfort

Comfortable seating

Overall very clean

Ambience

Lots of space inside

Childcare

Toys with children meal

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with education as an independent variable

Children play area

Table 5

Education (I) Household Income Matric/O-Level Graduate/B.A Matric/O-Level Graduate/B.A .5418* .7669* 0.36247 0.26692 Intermediate/A-Levels 1.0576* 0.38548 (J) Household Income Mean Difference (IJ) Std. Error Sig. 0.006 0.035 0.043

Dependent Variable

Presentation & Healthiness

Nutrition value of food

Location & Price

Prices comparable to similar restaurants Intermediate/A-Levels Home Schooling Intermediate/A-Levels Graduate/B.A Postgraduate Intermediate/A-Levels Graduate/B.A Postgraduate Home Schooling Postgraduate Home Schooling Home Schooling Matric/O-Level 1.3571* 1.5806* 1.5706* 1.8381* 1.5806* 1.5706* .2675* 1.2695* Postgraduate .3233*

Staff service 0.14108 0.68652 0.65246 0.64595 0.64679 0.65246 0.64595 0.10385 0.63684 0.022 0.049 0.016 0.015 0.005 0.016 0.015 0.01 0.047

Polite and courteous servers (waiters)

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

Clear communication while taking orders

Staff Outlook

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with education as an independent variable (continued)

Neat and clean looking staff

55

56
Table 6

A.A. Rauf and I. Butt

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with gender as an independent variable Gender

Dependent Variable Cleanliness and Comfort Clean washrooms Overall very clean Staff outlook Friendliness of staff Table 7

Type III Sum of Squares 2.960264224 2.156476809 3.13611082

df 1 1 1

Mean Square 2.960264224 2.156476809 3.13611082

F 4.150687 4.214667 3.86903

Sig. 0.042 0.041 0.05

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with household size as an independent variable Household Size

Dependent Variable Cleanliness and Comfort Comfortable seating

(I) Household Income 2 or less persons 35 persons 68 persons

(J) Household Mean Difference Std. Error Income (IJ) More than 8 More than 8 More than 8 More than 8 .7101* .6134* .5970* .5686* 0.28617 0.25674 0.2642 0.27687

Sig.

0.014 0.017 0.024 0.041

Location & Price Convenient, easily accessible location Staff Service Quick handling of complaints Polite and courteous servers (waiters) 35 persons 2 or less persons 68 persons More than 8 .5103* .6111* 0.25611 0.3072 0.047 0.047 68 persons

35 persons 68 persons Clear communication while taking orders Staff outlook Friendliness of staff 2 or less persons 35 persons 68 persons 35 persons

More than 8 More than 8 More than 8

.6024* .6471* .6456*

0.27238 0.28126 0.26914

0.028 0.022 0.017

More than 8 More than 8 More than 8

.6081* .5757* .5481*

0.30123 0.26794 0.27645

0.044 0.032 0.048

Table 8

Income (I) Household Income 50,00074,999 Less than 25,000 Less than 25,000 25,00049,999 Less than 25,000 25,00049,999 Less than 25,000 100,000 and over 25,00049,999 Less than 25,000 75,00099,999 Less than 25,000 Less than 25,000 100,000 and over 25,00049,999 Less than 25,000 Less than 25,000 50,00074,999 Less than 25,000 25,00049,999 25,00049,999 50,00074,999 100,000 and over 100,000 and over 100,000 and over 100,000 and over 100,000 and over 100,000 and over 100,000 and over 100,000 and over 25,00049,999 100,000 and over .5288* .7945* .7921* .5043* .6790* .5614* .4810* .6553* .4850* .4664* .5083* 100,000 and over 100,000 and over .4620* .4659* Less than 25,000 .4941* .4701* 25,00049,999 .4941* 100,000 and over .3824* 100,000 and over .5409* 100,000 and over .4494* 100,000 and over .4216* 0.19243 0.16873 0.20238 0.17745 0.19376 0.167 0.19376 0.20241 0.18749 0.1993 0.33506 0.28549 0.21546 0.27694 0.28217 0.21295 0.2271 0.19987 0.20144 0.18295 50,00074,999 .3521* 0.15678 100,000 and over 0.217019822 0.102406 0.035 0.025 0.029 0.008 0.008 0.032 0.011 0.005 0.011 0.023 0.013 0.008 0.018 0.006 0.02 0.015 0.047 0.025 0.004 0.016 0.021 0.006 (J) Household Income Mean Difference (IJ) Std. Error Sig.

Dependent Variable

Quality

Freshness of food Cleanliness and Comfort

Comfortable seating

Ambience

Bright Lights

Background Music

Lots of space inside

Modern interior design

Decorations on the wall

Childcare

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

Children menu available

Toys with children meal

Children play area

Presentation

Low calorie (low-fat) food

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with income as an independent variable

Nutrition value of food

57

58

Table 9

Marital Status (I) Household Income Type III Sum of Squares 20.53264827 5.965867957 83.25241487 73.25635913 114.9831162 10.56176528 15.8334747 10.06792516 14.72580506 4.053627201 1 1 1 1 1 10.56176528 15.8334747 10.06792516 14.72580506 4.053627201 1 114.9831162 1 73.25635913 1 83.25241487 1 5.965867957 1 20.53264827 23.06768 4.44134 43.99635 40.82763 66.56238 10.17182 9.543034 5.857223 17.83605 5.066268 df Mean Square F (J) Household Income Mean Difference (IJ) Std. Error Sig. Sig. 2E-06 0.036 1E-10 5E-10 7E-15 0.002 0.002 0.016 3E-05 0.025

Dependent Variable

Dependent Variable

A.A. Rauf and I. Butt

Ambience

Lots of space inside

Modern interior design

Childcare

Children menu available

Toys with children meal

Children play area

Presentation and Health

Presentation of food

Low calorie (low-fat) food

Nutrition value of food

Staff service

Polite and courteous servers (waiters)

Staff Outlook

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with marital status as an independent variable

Friendliness of staff

Table 10

Occupation (I) Household Income Student Self-employed Student Housewife Salaried employee Self-employed Government Salaried employee Student Self-employed Student Business owner Student Government Housewife Student Salaried employee Student Housewife Self-employed Business owner Government Student Student Student Student Housewife Housewife Government Student Government Government 1.0208 1.2911* 1.2197* 1.0922* 2.3119* 1.3141* .9978* 1.0283* .3955* .6117* 1.0071* .6208* 1.4238* 1.0071* .6363* Government 1.6756* Student .6657* Student .6815* Self-employed .6188* 0.29884 0.29499 0.32754 0.4147 0.17649 0.51919 0.35879 0.44277 0.23497 0.40894 0.47447 0.29034 0.4179 0.17785 0.30069 0.36156 0.23679 0.4121 0.29258 .7712* 0.36219 .6308* 0.2985 Business owner .8424* 0.32843 Housewife .4941* 0.22725 0.03 0.011 0.035 0.034 0.039 0.021 0.043 0 0 0.05 0 0.006 0 0 0.006 0.001 0.014 0.027 0.043 0.006 0.009 0.001 0.001 (J) Household Income Mean Difference (IJ) Std. Error Sig.

Dependent Variable

Ambience

Bright Lights

Background Music

Modern interior design

Decorations on the wall

Childcare

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

Children menu available

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with occupation as an independent variable

Toys with children meal

59

60

Table 10

Dependent Variable Childcare Children play area Salaried employee

(I) Household Income

Occupation (J) Household Income Mean Difference (IJ) Std. Error Sig.

Self-employed Business owner Government Student Salaried employee

A.A. Rauf and I. Butt

Self-employed Government Student Business owner Student Government Student Student Housewife Housewife

.8883* 1.3883* .7617* 1.0000* 1.6500* 1.5000* .6500* 2.1500* 1.0000* 1.1500*

0.35761 0.40594 0.17276 0.38852 0.3512 0.43341 0.23001 0.4003 0.46445 0.2842

0.013 0.001 0 0.01 0 0.001 0.005 0 0.032 0

Presentation and Health Variety of dishes in the menu

Presentation of food

Self-employed Business owner Government Student Salaried employee

Low calorie (low-fat) food

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with occupation as an independent variable (continued)

Nutrition value of food

Business owner Government Student Salaried employee Business owner Government Student Salaried employee Business owner Government

Student Housewife Student Housewife Student Housewife Business owner Student Student Student Housewife Student Student Student Housewife Student Student Student

0.243 .4433* .5096* 0.4796 .6918* .6863* 0.3275 .3956* .7232* .8629* .5140* .6210* .6078* .8543* 0.4752 .4671* .5155* 1.0100*

0.12398 0.21609 0.24996 0.24411 0.29711 0.21099 0.1696 0.12051 0.16342 0.28879 0.20509 0.15401 0.20885 0.36908 0.2621 0.15645 0.21215 0.37492

0.051 0.041 0.042 0.05 0.02 0.001 0.054 0.001 0 0.003 0.013 0 0.004 0.021 0.071 0.003 0.016 0.007

Table 10

Occupation (I) Household Income Salaried employee Self-employed (J) Household Income Mean Difference (IJ) Std. Error Sig.

Dependent Variable

Location & Price Convenient, easily accessible location

Located close to the house

Government Student Salaried employee Business owner Government

Housewife Business owner Student Housewife Housewife Housewife Government Government Student Housewife Student Student Student Student Housewife Student .4047* 0.3957 .4652* .6227* .4815* .2657* 0.10757 0.21811 0.14551 0.23571 0.18697 0.10892

.3891* .4909* 0.3933 .7256* 0.4905 0.3323 0.616 0.6776 0.6199 0.7286

0.19255 0.24889 0.2234 0.27373 0.29467 0.18857 0.33122 0.35768 0.32723 0.38785

0.044 0.049 0.079 0.008 0.097 0.079 0.064 0.059 0.059 0.061 0 0.07 0.002 0.009 0.01 0.015

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

Staff service Polite and courteous servers (waiters) Salaried employee Self-employed Business owner Government Student Salaried employee

Clear communication while taking orders Staff outlook Friendliness of staff Salaried employee Business owner Salaried employee Business owner Government Student Student Student Business owner Student Student Student Housewife

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with occupation as an independent variable (continued)

Neat and clean looking staff

.2548* .3141* 0.2392 .2676* .5068* .4876* 0.3447

0.10825 0.14484 0.14483 0.10463 0.13999 0.23006 0.17971

0.019 0.031 0.099 0.011 0 0.035 0.056

61

62

Table 11

Price for a fast food meal should be (I) Household Income Less than 200 Less than 200 200299 300399 500599 Less than 200 200299 300399 400499 500599 Less than 200 Less than 200 200299 Less than 200 300399 500599 200299 300399 400499 600 and above 600 and above 600 and above 600 and above 600 and above 600 and above 500599 500599 400499 600 and above 600 and above 600 and above 2.3871* 2.2750* 2.0000* .3886* .6480* .7784* 1.6364* 1.6613* 1.9706* 2.3562* 2.0625* 2.4677* 600 and above 2.2619* 600 and above 2.3939* 600 and above 1.4000* 600 and above 1.2903* 600 and above 1.1824* 0.59414 0.59699 0.61951 0.83335 0.82587 0.82978 0.84128 0.86795 0.19368 0.31212 0.29207 0.81092 0.80745 0.84459 1.02561 1.03163 1.05133 600 and above 1.2308* 0.59969 500599 .3455* 0.17026 (J) Household Income Mean Difference (I J) Std. Error Sig. 0.043 0.041 0.047 0.031 0.024 0.004 0.006 0.004 0.007 0.022 0.045 0.039 0.008 0.044 0.04 0.02 0.022 0.046 0.02

Dependent Variable

Quality

Freshness of food

Cleanliness and comfort

A.A. Rauf and I. Butt

Comfortable seating

Ambience

Background music

Lots of space inside

Modern interior design

Decorations on the wall

Childcare

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with price expectation as an independent variable

Children menu available

Table 11

Price for a fast food meal should be (I) Household Income Less than 200 400499 600 and above 200299 Less than 200 200299 600 and above 200299 300399 400499 300399 500599 Less than 200 Less than 200 300399 400499 500599 600 and above 300399 600 and above 600 and above 500599 500599 500599 .8209* .8455* .7694* 1.1429 1.1 0.3714 .3736* .3846* .5038* 1.1538 1.8765* 500599 .7098* 200299 .4534* 600 and above 1.4529 1.6462* .4462* 0.20922 0.74741 0.74049 0.1876 0.31885 0.91495 0.32383 0.33702 0.37081 0.63874 0.66267 0.19445 0.1555 0.19395 0.24485 0.68742 300399 .3385* 0.16907 (J) Household Income Mean Difference (I J) Std. Error Sig. 0.046 0.034 0.028 0.05 0.016 0.027 0.041 0.012 0.013 0.039 0.074 0.098 0.057 0.017 0.048 0.04 0.094

Dependent Variable

Presentation and health

Variety of dishes in the menu

Low calorie (low-fat) food

Nutrition value of food

Location and price

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

Convenient, easily accessible location

Located close to the house

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with price expectation as an independent variable (continued)

Prices comparable to similar restaurants

63

64

Table 11

Price for a fast food meal should be (I) Household Income Less than 200 300399 400499 500599 600 and above 200299 500599 600 and above 300399 400499 Less than 200 200299 300399 400499 500599 200299 200299 600 and above 600 and above 300399 500599 600 and above 600 and above 600 and above 500599 500599 .6335* .6115* 1.2687 1.1471 1.1087 1.3 1.25 0.2215 .4447* 1.2193 .8693* 300399 0.2358 1.6231* 1.2731* .6615* 0.20492 0.2587 0.72632 0.13128 0.23909 0.71957 0.24985 0.27825 0.65986 0.65404 0.65726 0.66628 0.68196 0.11651 0.20974 .6396* 0.1643 200299 .4038* 0.14742 (J) Household Income Mean Difference (I J) Std. Error Sig. 0.006 0 0.001 0 0.026 0.073 0 0.091 0.012 0.029 0.055 0.08 0.092 0.052 0.068 0.058 0.035

Dependent Variable

Location and price

A.A. Rauf and I. Butt

Low prices

Staff service

Clear communication while taking orders

Staff outlook

Friendliness of staff

Results of multivariate analysis of variance with price expectation as an independent variable (continued)

Neat and clean looking staff

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

65

Discussion and implications

Today consumers have many choices while selecting fast food restaurants. Thus, to achieve sustainable competitive advantage, companies need to recognise and understand the varying needs and wants of fast food consumers (Bhuian, 2000). Fast food restaurant attributes have particular usefulness for marketers in the food retail industry. By discerning which attributes matter most to consumers, marketers can create campaigns that position their brands effectively using those attributes. This knowledge can help those foreign or local fast food franchises that are already established in Pakistan as well as those companies that are looking to set up a new in the country. In addition, consumer preference data can also be useful to those gourmet or casual local dining brands like Ziafat or Mirchi that may wish to expand into fast food operations. Current fast food chains can also use preference information to keep check of in-house operations and implement sterner controls on those attributes that influence consumer choice of preference. As Pakistan is a rapidly developing country, these consumer insights could provide significant leverage to capture market share in a booming industry. Oyewoles (2007) result that frequency of visits to fast food restaurants is affected by age is in line with our findings from the Chi-square analysis. In addition, our research confirmed Oyewoles finding that young adults tend to be more frequent samplers of fast food than older people. This study also showed that household size and occupation were important factors in determining frequency of patronage. However unlike Oyewoles study, our analysis could not support that gender, income and marital status also influence frequency of patronage to fast food outlets in Pakistan. Moreover, similar to their Indian counterparts, we saw that younger Pakistani people tended to be more frequent visitors to fast food restaurants. Moreover, households with threefive people, students and salaried employees all appeared to frequent fast food outlets more than other demographic groups. Similarly the older generation (age 35 and above), people who are self-employed, government servants and housewives were less inclined to go to fast food restaurants. Also people living alone, couples and people living in a group of more than eight were less frequent visitors to fast food outlets. Managers who wish to target heavy indulgers of fast food would find these conclusions valuable. In the independent samples t-test analysis, respondents who were at a fast food restaurant rated fast food outlets higher on ambience, childcare, nutrition, health care and presentation than those who were at a traditional restaurant. This important finding shows that these attributes of preference may determine why people end up visiting a fast food outlet when deciding to choose between two restaurant types. The results of the factor analysis showed key attributes for Pakistani consumers when making a selection decision about a fast food outlet. These were quality, cleanliness and comfort, ambience, childcare, presentation and healthiness, location and price, staff service and staff outlook. These results match Kivelas (1997) observation that showed food quality is among the most often mentioned variables for dining out occasions for Hong Kong consumers. Our findings also corroborate Lee and Ulgados (1997) results that indicated Korean consumers consider reliability and lower prices as the most significant variables for service. Our results are also in line with those of Bhuians (2000) study. Results show that both Pakistani and Saudi consumers feel the attributes of nutrition, price, taste, speed, variety and location friendliness are significant in determining their choice of fast food restaurant. We also observe similarities in Pakistani

66

A.A. Rauf and I. Butt

preferences with those of Indian consumers as reported by Chavadi and Kokatnur (2008) and Goyal and Singh (2007). Both Pakistani and Indian consumers are affected by physical evidence, value pricing, high-quality service and good quality food. The MANOVA results revealed that age, gender, marital status, education, household size, income and occupation and price expectation influenced the ratings of all attribute variables for selection of a fast food restaurant. Findings from Bhuian (2000) and Oyewole (2007) concur with our MANOVA conclusions. In the MANOVA tests, our analysis revealed that some groups found certain attributes more important than other groups. Managerial implications for these are obvious, yet vital. While positioning their brands, marketing think-tanks would want to present certain attributes more vividly in their promotion schemes depending on who they are targeting. For instance if a certain brand is targeted to women, it could differentiate itself on cleanliness and friendliness of staff. In the same vein, we noticed that students, when compared to other occupation groups, seemed to be least bothered about staff outlook and staff service. Hence, marketers may ignore this aspect in promotional messages if students are meant to be the primary targets.

10 Limitations and future research avenues

Since the fast food market in Pakistan is still small (yet rapidly expanding), it is not embedded in the countrys culture. Lee and Ulgados (1997) research showed that the more fast food restaurants become a part of culture, the more the promotional emphasis shifts from brand experience to the price and consistency of quality. This shift can become the subject of future research. The study was conducted in the city of Lahore, which may or may not be representative of Pakistani fast food preference in general. Future studies can aim to explore preferences in Karachi and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. These cities, along with Lahore, comprise Pakistans major urban centres. Follow-up research may also embark on another angle of the fast food industry in emerging markets, i.e. the influence of national identity and patriotism on the perception of fast food restaurants. Feelings of anti-Americanism in Pakistan have been reported frequently in the past. Further studies may intend to see whether this translates into refraining from purchase of US products and services. To increase generalisability, samples in subsequent studies should include those interviewed during lunchtime or afternoon. Investigators may also wish to interview respondents in different seasons like winter and summer. Further research could also look at prioritising attributes that affect consumer choice of restaurant. Additional areas of interest may include expenditure patterns, types of fast food preferred and types of meals preferred. Subsequent studies could also explore how various fast food brands differ on various attributes of consumer perception of and brand loyalty. Researchers may also conduct an in-depth study on a particular attribute like location. This would see how far consumers are willing to go to dine at a particular fast food place and what characteristics, e.g. income, may be important factors in influencing such preferences.

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

67

We used a judgemental sample for this research. Further studies could use random samples. Future surveys could also be conducted in Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, instead of English. In addition, subsequent studies could also survey perceptions both before and after a meal is consumed. Moreover, further research could look at how perceptions vary when a survey is carried out on-premises than when it is conducted off-premises. An additional investigation could explore with whom and when customers make the decision to visit a particular restaurant. Follow-up studies may also compare other types of restaurants (traditional, Chinese, etc.) with foreign fast food brands. Another avenue for research could explore how Pakistani consumers perceive offerings like McDonalds Chicken McArabia and Pizza Huts Chicken Tikka pizza that are customised to local taste buds. Finally an additional cross-national study could see how Pakistani perceptions differ from those of consumers in another developing or developed country.

References
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MSN.com (2010) MSN Money. Available online at: http://www.msn.com/ (accessed on 30 April 2010). Oyewole, P. (2007) Fast food marketing and the African American consumers: the impact of socio-economic and demographic characteristics, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp.75108. Particelli, M.C. (1990) A global arena, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp.4352. Planet Retail Ltd. (2009a) Company profile: Carrefour in Pakistan. Available online at: http://www.planetretail.net/ (accessed on 12 November 2009). Planet Retail Ltd. (2009b) Grocery Retailing in Pakistan. Available online at: http://www.planetretail.net/ (accessed on 12 November 2009). PricewaterhousecoopersSouth Africa (2010) Asia Represents The Best Growth Prospects for Retailers and Consumer-Products Companies. Available online at: http://www.pwc.com/za/ (accessed on 11 May 2010). Reilly, M.D. and Wallendorf, M. (1987, September) A comparison of group differences in food consumption using household refuse, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp.289293. Report Buyer (2008) Report: China Fast Food Analysis (Rcs00496). Available online at: http://www.reportbuyer.com/ (accessed on 11 May 2010). ResearchandMarkets.com (2010) Fast Food: Global industry guideMarket research reports Research and markets. Available online at: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/ (accessed on 11 May 2010). Tiwari, P. and Verma, H. (2008) Consumer perception about fast food in India: an empirical study of Dehradun City, The Icfai University Journal of Consumer Behavior, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp.8091. Wikinvest (2009) Industry: Fast food restaurants (QSR). Available online at: http://www. wikinvest.com/ (accessed on 11 May 2010).


Category Environment Food Price Service Food Convenience Service Environment Food Convenience Delivery Environment Other Billing Billing Brand Name Brand Name Children Children Service Convenience Delivery x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Chavadi and Kakatnur (2008) Oweyole (2007) Bhuian (2000) Kara et al. (1995) Kivela (1997) 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Tiwari and Verma (2008) Total

Appendix A:

Attribute

Cleanliness (Hygiene)

Variety of food/menu

Price

Service speed

Taste of food

Location

Friendliness of personnel

Ambience

Quality of food

Parking space/facility

Delivery service

Attributes selected for study

Seating capacity/facilities

Comforts

Billing

Credit cards

Consumer perceptions of foreign fast food restaurants

Service establishment

Prestige

Love of children

Novelties for children

Ease of complaint

Nearness

Home delivery

69

70

Appendix A:

Attribute Service Service Service Service Service Environment Food Food Food Food Hours Hours Other Other Other Other Other Other Other Other Service Service x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Category

Chavadi and Kakatnur (2008) Oweyole (2007) Bhuian (2000) Kara et al. (1995) Kivela (1997) Total

Tiwari and Verma (2008)

Communication

Courtesy

Employee behaviour

Expeditiousness

A.A. Rauf and I. Butt

Prompt service

Seating arrangement

Novelties

Nutrition

Calorie content

Health-consciousness

Business hours

Early opening

Availability

Coupons

Orderliness

Packaging

Attributes selected for study (continued)

Reliability

Taking order over phone

Convenience

New experience

Competent waiting

Prompt handling of complaint(s)