Automated, human, or semi-automated service in restaurants? An investigation of technology-enabled service designs and customer attribution

• Published in: International journal of hospitality management Vol. 104; p. 103217
• Main Authors: Park, Soona, Lehto, Xinran
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2022
• Subjects: Attribution theory; Restaurant service automation; Restaurant service design; Self-serving bias; Semi-automation service; Service failure; Semi-automation service; Restaurant service automation; Service failure; Attribution theory; Self-serving bias; Restaurant service design
• ISSN: 0278-4319; 1873-4693
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103217

Self-serving bias tends to lead customers to attribute ideal outcomes to themselves while blaming external factors for non-ideal outcomes. This attribution process complicates the current service configuration owing to service increasingly incorporating automated or semi-automated processes where the traditional human services are replaced or reduced. This research provides insights into how such changing service dynamics may impact restaurant customers' attribution behavior. By utilizing a 2 × 3 between-subject scenario-based experimental design, this study shows that restaurant service types (automated, employee, and semi-automated services) and service outcomes (with and without service failure) influence consumer attribution and subsequent service satisfaction. This study allows a better understanding of how customers perceive a service failure and the absence of service failure when such services interface with technology-enabled hospitality configurations. •Restaurant customers showed stronger external attribution when they experienced failure service compared to non-failure service.•When restaurant customers were given semi-automated service, they attributed to restaurants the least.•Overall, restaurant customers with stronger internal attribution held a higher level of satisfaction.•Despite the positive effect of internal attribution on satisfaction, restaurant customers with employee service showed the highest satisfaction level.