An Empirical Study on Customers Preferences on Online Food Ordering

and Eating Out

Adith Narayanan Kumarankandam Siya Rahman

Matrikel-Nr: 625034 Matrikel-Nr: 672236
Technical University of chemnitz Technical University of chemnitz

Abstract items. Websites featuring interactive menus that

allow clients to make orders featuring regional
Today’s consumers rely heavily on the dig-
restaurants and food groups are known as online
ital world to obtain essential items such
meal ordering services. Many of these, like pur-
as cosmetics, electrical devices, and en-
chasing consumer products online, allow users to
tertainment. Consumers have recently be-
create accounts with them to make regular order-
gun to place internet meal orders. As
ing easier. A consumer will look for a fancy
a result, numerous service providers are
food,choose items from the menu, then select de-
compelled to migrate to a digital environ-
livery or pick-up.[1] Several technological trends
ment. There are several service providers
have emerged as a result of the development of a
who offer an online meal ordering system,
reasonably inexpensive and consumer digital in-
which is popular among young folks. [1]
frastructure during the last few decades. Individu-
Objective: In this qualitative approach,
als’ lifestyles and organizational working cultures
we look at the community’s expectations
have been revolutionized by new digital infrastruc-
of those who order food online and eat out.
ture. The combination of mobile communication
Method: We performed a survey with
with the Internet created a slew of new possibil-
people from all walks of life, including
ities in wireless data communication, drastically
students, employees, and housewives, to
altering how people interact and work. Individ-
find out how often people buy meals from
uals living in metropolitan areas who are active
restaurants or purchase it online. Which
and want their meals to be brought to their par-
one is their favorite? Why do they pur-
ticular location benefit from online food ordering.
sue each other? The findings of this
The Internet, which serves as a quick avenue for
study reveal that numerous factors, such
everyday buying, has made this possible. Fur-
as sales and popularity, impact how cus-
thermore, advances in Internet technology have
tomers pick food online or restaurants for
considerably aided customer’s capacity to easily
ordering food online.
look for and compare meal costs online, whether
Result: This research examines the func-
through restaurant or service provider websites or
tion of customer satisfaction as a mediator
applications. Furthermore, the study’s sample size
in the link between service provider satis-
is merely 206 participants. The purpose of this
faction and loyalty.
analysis is to determine how we as a society view
Key words – Customer Loyalty, Customer Satis- food, whether we eat it in a restaurant or order it
faction, Comfort, Convenience, Eating Out. online. What makes this knowledge so important?
Which Strategy will be the most Time Consuming
1 Introduction and effective for the general public? Which setting
provides the most comfort to the users? What is
Eating is something we do on a regular basis, thus
the most convenient manner to consume the food?
the food we choose to eat is a significant aspect
This study examines the link among numerous ser-
of our overall health and lifestyle. Eating food
vice requirements and customer satisfaction, and
that are bad for us, as well as eating too much
yet this report is meant to transmit the results of
food, which influences consumer satisfaction can
a recent survey on consumer perception of meal
put our health at danger. When we eat, we fre-
ordering and eating out. Researchers developed
quently take the easy way out and eat unhealthy
a conceptual model that includes various factors
such as customer experience, purchase intention,
quality, and ambience to study the relationship be-
tween consumer satisfaction and several qualities
such as service quality, pricing fairness, quality,
and atmosphere. The outcomes of the study re-
veal that the multiple quality parameters investi-
gated are positively associated with customer sat-
isfaction and have a significant impact on public
satisfaction.Customers purchase meals from local
companies via a website page or an app, which is
similar to ordering things. The online food order-
ing system accepts cash and credit cards as well as
internet payments.Thanks to technology improve-
ments, restaurants and retail delivery companies
may now employ an online meal ordering sys-
tem.[1] Food delivery is growing more popular,
mostly among and busy people. So for a result,
it is crucial that internet services understand the
nature and expectations of their clients, as they de-
mand critical aspects of the whole sector that are
supposed to be control measures throughout this
rapidly increasing industry. The increasing growth
of online meal ordering in the general public has
increased demand among restaurant service sup-
pliers.
2 Experimental Design
2.1 Objecive
The purpose of the study was to collect observa-
tional data from customers of what they prefer.
• To find out the demographic profile of the sample
respondents.
• To know about the satisfaction level.
2.2 Independent Variables
In this study, we concluded with four independent
variables.
Food Quality: It’s crucial in influencing and
developing people’s happiness. In food service
businesses, quality attributes such as taste, odour,
crispness, visual appeal, size, shape, color, gloss,
continuity, and contour play a larger role in
achieving or exceeding customer satisfaction
and expectations. Caterers choose food products
for display and sale based on their color and
appearance attributes. These characteristics aid
in attracting customer attention and, as a result,
influence the choice to buy or not to buy. In a
food establishment, clients’ initial impression is
formed by color and other physical characteris-
tics. Food service excellence is one of the most
important aspects of customer satisfaction, and
it is a good indication of whether or not a client
would return to a certain restaurant. Meal quality
measurement includes the overall flavor of the
food, the freshness of the food items, and the
aesthetic attractiveness of the food.[1]
Service Quality: Service quality may be
researched as a phenomenon that relates con-
sumer’s expectations and impressions of the
service supplied. Customer happiness is heavily
influenced by service quality. In other words,
client evaluations of service can influence service
quality. Depending on the consumer’s view of
the service supplied, the same service might be
perceived as low quality by one customer and high
quality by another. People have different needs
and perspectives when it comes to service quality
[1].As a result of this disparity, the corporate
climate becomes more perplexing and adversarial,
making it difficult to assess service quality. Be-
cause services are intangible, measuring service
quality is tough and complex. The performance
of staff, their responsiveness to client concerns
or difficulties, thoughtfulness, and friendliness of
employees to consumers might all be intangible
qualities. It is critical for food service businesses
to improve the quality of service they deliver to
the general population.
Price and Value: Because they have limited
funds, price and value are important considera-
tions while selecting a restaurant. People want
to buy food and beverages at a lower cost, hence
cost is the most important issue in food service
operations.[1]. Similarly, they stated that if food
expenses are too high in a particular location,
customers would seek to purchase foods and
drinks from less priced food service companies.
Receiving the best value for money is one of the
most important factors that encourage consumers
to return to a restaurant, leading in public satis-
faction. Client’s quality expectations are based on
the price they pay for a service, and as the price
rises, so will the quality expectations.
Ambience: Cafeteria ambience is determined
by the spatial layout of seats, the diversity of
inside decorations, and the suitability of ambient
tunes, all of which are important contributors
to cafeteria satisfaction. Furthermore, food
packaging, amount size, and cafeteria lighting
have an affect on an individual’s prompt setting.
Customer’s perceptions of service quality are
also influenced by the physical environment.
Food data, food quality, dietary behaviors, dining
conditions, and food supply settings are all
linked. The environment is an intangible element
comprised of everything brand - related which
will leave an impact on the specific area. The
mood is created by the eating setting, aesthetic
arrangement, interior design and color scheme,
textures, and the cuisine. The right ambience may
elevate the quality of the cuisine, service, and
overall eating experience. All of these factors are
extremely important and have a direct impact on
the customer’s view.[1]
2.3 Dependent Variables
Figure 1: Independent and Dependent Variables
[1]
Customer Satisfaction: Hundreds of aca-
demics have researched customer happiness for
a long time. Consumer loyalty is at the heart of
each marketing campaign. Consumer loyalty is
typically the focus of attention since it is used
to determine a customer’s anticipation of repeat
purchases, which is then used to estimate a
company’s turnover or profit. Restaurants, like
any other company, need to be able to delight their
customers. As a result, a customer’s decision to
pick a restaurant product or service is dependent
on that service’s or product’s capacity to pro-
vide delightful customer satisfaction. Customer
contentment was first thought to be a good pre-
dictor of a customer’s future purchase intentions.
Customers’ intentions to visit the restaurant
were substantially influenced by the restaurant’s
comfortable lounging and dining space, as well
as the restaurant’s environment. Apart from
the aforementioned traits, brand knowledge and
brand recognition are also linked to consumer
satisfaction, since customers are satisfied with all
of them.[3] [5]
2.4 Survey Setup
In this section, we give a detailed overview of our
survey. Based on our study, listed below in the fig-
ure are our research questions that we asked our
participants. RQ1: To understand the customer’s
awareness of online Food ordering and eating out.
RQ2: To understand the customer’s satisfaction
level. The long - term storage for this inquiry
were collected using a questionnaire technique.
Additional information was obtained from pub-
lications, papers,magazines, and internet, among
other places. [2] [3] The sample size was deter-
mined by surveying a sum of 206 people. The ran-
dom sample method was used in this inquiry.The
research’s limitations are based on user input, and
the statistical techniques used in this study are
simple percentage assessment. We used Google
Forms for our survey.
2.4.1 Participants
As participants, we chose people at random from
our connections and sent them survey forms to
complete. Students from TU Chemnitz, students
from various Indian universities and schools, self-
employed and privately employed persons from
various areas of India, and housewives are among
the participants.
2.4.2 Questionnaire and Conduct
We created a questionnaire that focuses on
customer satisfaction and includes numerous
components of empirical research. We asked
numerous closed questions, such as how fre-
quently they purchase internet and how much
they spend every month. We present all of the
survey questions in Figure 2 and link them to our
research topics.
 Figure 2: QUESTIONS OF THE SURVEY TO ANSWER THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES (RO)

3 Results, Analysis and Interpretation

Rather than addressing all of the categories that
have been found, we have organized this sec-
tion around our study goals. We offer descrip-
tive statistics of the closed questions for each tar-
get, followed by a description of the categories we
discovered with as little interpretation as possible.
We present all identified categories per question,
as well as their frequency of recurrence, on the
supplemental Web site [6] [7].We’ll wrap off this
part with a summary of our findings and interpre-
tations.[3]
Figure 3: Histogram
3.1 Descriptive Analysis
Figure 4 shows the demographic information of
the respondents. It shows the demographics of services, while the remaining 68 percent (140
206 people who took part in the survey. The respondents) do not use online food delivery
participants in this study were divided into two services and prefer to eat out.
groups: 25.2 percent females and 74.8 percent
males. The majority of the respondents are
between the ages of 21 and 30, accounting for With the study from above histogram (Figure
66.9 percent of the total, followed by the age 3), out of 190 respondents, 373 responses were
group 31-40, accounting for 22.3 percent, and received, among which “enjoy a Casual social
the two age categories, below 20 and beyond 40, Dining Experience is the most important factor
accounting for 5.3 percent each. which hinders customers to choose eating out
over online ordering, followed by influence from
Our first research goal was to learn more “desire to eat with loved ones”, “Quality of
about customer’s preferences for eating out versus the food”, Comfort and Convenience”,” Time
ordering online, and based on the results, it can be Efficiency” , “Ambience”.
concluded that: out of 206 total respondents, 32
percent (66 respondents) use online food delivery Our second research goal was to find out how
satisfied clients were. We deduced the following
 Figure 4: QUESTIONS OF THE SURVEY TO ANSWER THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES (RO)

Figure 5: Satisfaction Level when you Eat out in a

Restaurant Figure 6: Satisfaction Level when you do Online
Food Ordering
from the above pie chart (Figure 5 and 6): Out of
206 responses, 82.5 percent are extremely satisfied
data. However, given the large number of indi-
with eating at restaurants (i.e. 170 participants),
viduals, there is a good likelihood that some of
16.5 percent are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
the questions were misunderstood and the data
with eating at restaurants (i.e. 34 participants), and
was misinterpreted. Also, because we sent the
1percent are not satisfied (i.e. 2 participants). Out
queries to the individuals through instant mes-
of 206 responses, 52.9 percent (109 people) are
sage, we received a speedy response, which may
pleased with ordering meals online, 41.3 percent
have resulted in some incorrect data sets. Other
(85 participants) are neither satisfied nor unsatis-
variables might have influenced the participant’s
fied, and 5.8 percent are not satisfied (i.e. 12 par-
attitudes while filling out the questionnaire at
ticipants).
that specific moment, resulting incorrect data sets
4 Threats to Validity being obtained.[4]

4.1 Internal Validity

We gathered survey data regarding the partic- 4.2 External Validity
ipant’s interest and degree of pleasure while The poll respondents are either young teens,
buying online and dining out. The finding reached parents, or elderly people, which can have an
was based on a broad interpretation of the poll impact on the polling data because their areas of
interest diverge from one another. For instance,
most students have made it a habit or practice to
order food online, whereas senior citizens will
indeed prefer to cook or go out to a restaurant. All
of these issues might compromise validity.[4]
5 Conclusion
[5] S. Gnana Sugirtham V. Sindhu. 2021. An Analy-
sis of Consumer Satisfaction towards Online Food-
Ordering Apps. India.
[6] ERIC M. VANEPPS, JULIE S. DOWNS, and
GEORGE LOEWENSTEIN. 2016. Advance
Ordering for Healthier Eating? Field Experi-
ments on the Relationship Between the Meal Or-
der–Consumption Time Delay and Meal Content .
USA.

People’s preference for restaurant cuisine repre- [7] Jyotishman Das . 2018. CONSUMER PER-
sents greater votes, as seen by public responses in CEPTION TOWARDS ‘ONLINE FOOD ORDER-
ING AND DELIVERY SERVICES’: AN EMPIRICAL
many sectors, and they have various reasons for
STUDY. pune, India.
sticking with their choices. The first and most
essential finding of our study is that people like
a casual communal eating experience, which will
be the primary source of relaxation in modern
life. Second, it is the urge to dine with loved
ones, which is regarded as one of the best ways
to unwind with friends and family in our hectic
world.The third is to be exposed to a different at-
mosphere and to eat high-quality cuisine. Then
there’s comfort and convenience, and then there’s
time-efficiency. Apart from that, there is an oppor-
tunity to get food online, even though the propor-
tion of people ordering food online is lower than
the percentage of people ordering food in a restau-
rant. The primary reason for approaching online
meal delivery is the wonderful prices and offers.
Second, it’s the comfort and convenience, which
implies it’ll be highly convenient for students or
full-time workers. Third, time management is re-
flected, which is followed by certain personal rea-
sons, cost-effectiveness, and real-time information
and notifications.

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