As Photo 1 demonstrates, lot can be read into service encounters whether they be people with disability as consumers or as employees serving others. The servicescape's physical and sensory dimensions create enabling or disabling environments for consumers and employees alike. The servicescape may dominate a person's experience or be overcome by well-trained staff who welcome people with disability and seek solutions to environmental barriers. However, what are consumer reactions to being served by people with disability?
This study out of the USA explored several types of interactions in restaurants between customers and service staff with and without disabilities. The findings were relatively surprising and led to the conclusion that service staff with disabilities should be employed in restaurants that target families rather than business or romantic clientele. As this study suggests, it is not just whether you "are you being served?" but some groups of consumers may have a negative disposition towards people with disability in a service context.
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Consumers' perspectives on service staff with disabilities in the hospitality industry
Valentini Kalargyrou
Abstract
Purpose – This exploratory study aims to investigate
consumers' perceptions, attitudes, and purchase intention for restaurants that
employ a significant amount of service staff with disabilities. The influences
of consumers' characteristics and dining occasions on purchase intention were
also examined.
Design/methodology/approach – The authors employed a single-factor (dining
occasion) experimental design. A convenient sample was used and a total of 192
consumers participated in this study.
Findings – Consumers demonstrated a moderately positive
purchase intention for a restaurant that employs a significant amount of
service staff with disabilities; however, the purchase intention varied by
dining occasions. The likelihood of choosing this type of restaurant was higher
in a family/friends occasion than in business or romantic occasions.
Research limitations/implications – This study employed a convenient sample and the findings might be limited to the casual dining restaurant context. Future research should examine the relationship between purchase intention and perceived social responsibility, restaurant image, or specific disabilities.
Practical
implications – This study suggests that hiring a
significant amount of service staff with disabilities might be a better
strategy for restaurants that target family/friends gatherings. Meanwhile,
managers need to be more strategic when they assign employees with disabilities
to serve guests who are in a business or romantic dining situation.
Originality/value – This is the first study that empirically
investigates consumers' perspectives on restaurant service staff with
disabilities in the USA.
Keywords: Dinning occasion, Hospitality industry, People with
disabilities, Purchase intention, Restaurant, Service staff
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