The Nature of Customer Entitlement in Fine-Dining Restaurants: A Qualitative Study of Waitstaff Perspectives

Coutts, Cameron

The Nature of Customer Entitlement in Fine-Dining Restaurants: A Qualitative Study of Waitstaff Perspectives

Master Thesis

2019

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of customer entitlement from the perspective of fine-dining waitstaff in South Africa. A power imbalance between customers and waitstaff is especially likely in restaurant environments because of the expectations of customer acquiescence and the notion that “customers are always right” (Fisk & Neville, 2011). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven waitstaff who were employed full-time in a fine-dining restaurant. Theoretical thematic analysis yielded five themes: (1) excessive demands, (2) mistreatment of waitstaff, (3) openly and excessive criticism of service quality, (4) entitled behaviour that affects other customers, and (5) aggressive behavioral reactions to unmet expectations. This study contributes to the limited research on customer entitlement in restaurant environments and provides a foundation for further research in this area.

Keywords

Organisational Psychology

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