FOOD SAFETY RESILIENCE MEASURES ON CUSTOMER RETENTION IN UNCLASSIFIED AFRICAN INDIGENOUS RESTAURANTS IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY
Abstract
Statement of the Problem:Food safety resilience measures are strategies and processes that help restaurants quickly identify weaknesses, implement interventions, and withstand future food hazard crises. Customer retention refers to a restaurant’s ability to encourage repeat visits.
Purpose of the Study: This study examined how food safety resilience measures influence customer retention in unclassified African indigenous restaurants in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Methodology:Using a concurrent mixed-methods design, the study collected both quantitative and qualitative data. Systematic sampling selected the restaurants, proportionate sampling chose food handlers, simple random sampling picked supervisors and managers, and convenience sampling targeted customers, totaling 766 respondents. Quantitative data were gathered through structured questionnaires and observation schedules, while interviews with managers provided qualitative insights. Analysis included central tendency tests, chi-square tests, Spearman correlation, and Kruskal-Wallis H tests for quantitative data, and content analysis with word frequency, text search, and Node matrix analysis for qualitative data.
Results: Findings showed that food safety resilience measures significantly impact customer retention, with food safety awareness having the strongest influence.
Recommendations: The study recommends that restaurant practitioners and policymakers fully implement food safety resilience measures, particularly focusing on raising food safety awareness among staff and customers to promote safe food practices.
Keywords: Food Safety, Resilience Measures, Customer Retention, Unclassified, African Indigenous Restaurants, Nairobi City County
References
Bell, R., Warren, V., & Schmidt, R. (2022). The application of concurrent or sequential mixed-methods research designs and their methodological implications: Investigating tacit knowledge, its use, and application in automotive development. SAGE Publications, limited.
Boutros, B. A., & Roberts, K. R. (2023). Assessing Food Safety Culture: A Comparative Study between Independent and Chain Mexican and Chinese Restaurants. Food Protection Trends, 43(1), ., 61-80.
Cole, R. (2023). Inter-Rater Reliability Methods in Qualitative Case Study Research. Sociological Methods & Research, 53(4), . https://doi.org/10.1177/00491241231156971 (Original work published 2024), 1944-1975.
Creswell , J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research (3rd ed.). . Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
De Freitas, R. S., & Stedefeldt, E. (2022). How to Build Food Safety Resilience in Commercial Restaurants?. . Food Systems Resilience, 161., 1-18.
FDA. (2022). Food Code. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. USA: FDA.
FMI. (2022). U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2022. Food Marketing Institute.
Halim-Lim, S. A., Mohamed, K., & Sukki, F. M. (2023). Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Food Handlers in Restaurants in Malé, Maldives. Sustainability, 15(17),, 12695.
Harris, K., Taylor, J. S., & DiPietro, R. B. (2021). Antecedents and outcomes of restaurant employees’ food safety intervention behaviors. International journal of hospitality management, 94, 102858.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. (2022). Economic Survey 2022. Retrieved from Economic Survey 2022.Nairobi: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.: https://www.knbs.or.ke/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-Economic-Survey1.pdf
Mugenda, A. G. (2017). Qualitative Research Methods. Nairobi, Kenya: Applied Research & Training Services Press.
Mugenda, O., & Mugenda, A. (2019). Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches (3rd ed); . Nairobi, Kenya: CLIG.
Mwangi, P. N. (2018). Food Handlers’ Hygiene Practices as Determinants of Customers’ Choice of Selected African Indigenous Restaurants’ In Nairobi City County, Kenya (Doctoral issertation, Kenyatta University). Nairobi: (Doctoral issertation, Kenyatta University).
National Restaurant Association. (2023). Restaurant Industry Outlook Report. National Restaurant Association.
Privitera, G. J. (2022). Research methods for the behavioral sciences. Sage Publications.
PwC. (2021). Experience is everything: Here’s how to get it right. PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Rezende, D., Gosling, M., & Castro, N. D. (2024). Consumer Behavior in Tourism in Health Crises: A Model Using the Theory of Protection Motivation in Farm Hotels. BBR. Brazilian Business Review, 21(3)., e20221256.
Smith, R. D., Johnson, M., & Lee, T. (2021). Corporate transparency and recall recovery: Insights from the food sector. Journal of Business Ethics, 169(3), , 541-556.
Soon, J. M. (2020). Consumer perceptions of food safety in restaurants. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 87,, 102511.
Tahir, S. (2024, November 30). An Assessment Of Food Safety Culture At Five Ethnic Group Restaurants In Dubai. Retrieved from University of Sanfold Machester: https://salford-repository.worktribe.com/output/3509896/an-assessment-of-food-safety-culture-at-five-ethnic-group-restaurants-in-dubai?utm_source=chatgpt.com
