Curbside pickup is a convenient service valued by both consumers and restaurants. Yet, it remains unclear what parts of the curbside pickup experiences matter most to restaurant customers – and how restaurants can deliver better service. The Makeup of Consumers’ Restaurant Curbside Pickup Experiences According to the service encounter framework, consumers typically experience four phases in their “journey” with a restaurant curbside pickup service (Figure 1). They are Information search experience during word-of-mouth encounter (e.g., browsing online reviews and products on the app) Ordering experience during function encounter (e.g., placing and tracking orders on the app or website) Pickup experience during distributor encounter (e.g., waiting for the order and interacting with the staff onsite) Food consumption experience during service results encounter (e.g., consuming the food) Inspiration for the Study It is unlikely that all four phases of service encounter experienc...
Many organizations delegate the HR department to manage their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and sustainability is an incremental component of such efforts. However, an organization's sustainability efforts go beyond building a strong employment brand for current and prospective employees. It also affects a company's bottom line. Hotels, for example, ensure guests continue to choose their property amongst the rest by providing great customer experiences, high-quality services, and a comfortable stay. Recently, another factor affecting travelers' hotel choice and perception of a hotel brand is on the rise in importance: sustainability. Sustainability is becoming a core focus as it has grown to be a make-or-break for brand images and reputations as their environmental impact comes to light. This brings in the question: How can hotels remain a strong competitor when adapting to the growing importance of sustainability practices within the industry? Sustain...