Assessing the Effect of Key Factors on Street Food Customer Satisfaction in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Street food holds a pivotal role in Sri Lanka’s culinary culture, offering affordable and accessible dining options while enriching the nation’s social and cultural fabric. Customer satisfaction is critical for fostering repeated consumption and generating positive word-of-mouth promotion, yet the key factors behind customer satisfaction in this sector remain poorly understood. Addressing this knowledge gap is imperative for enhancing service quality and promoting the sustainable growth of the street food industry. Despite efforts by the Sri Lankan government to improve hygiene standards, a comprehensive understanding of the impact of key factors on customer satisfaction is essential to achieving a competitive edge both locally and globally. This study aims to identify and analyse the effect of key factors on customer satisfaction with street food in Sri Lanka. The study used a quantitative methodology grounded in an objective ontology, a positivist paradigm, and a deductive research approach to collect primary data from 163 consumers across diverse regions. The findings analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach, reveal that customer satisfaction is primarily influenced by cleanliness, convenience, sensory appeal, and the vendors’ behaviours. Notably, healthiness and food safety knowledge were found to have no significant impact on customer satisfaction, suggesting that consumers prioritise immediate gratification over long-term health considerations. This preference underscores a critical challenge for the industry where the potential contribution to a decline in public health is due to insufficient attention to nutrition and safety in street food consumption. While street food serves as a vital social and economic lifeline in Sri Lanka, emphasizing healthiness and safety in the sector could mitigate long-term health risks and support the creation of a healthier society. Furthermore, aligning industry practices with global standards of food safety and quality can enhance Sri Lanka's competitive position in the global market. This study provides actionable insights for stakeholders, including policymakers, vendors, and industry practitioners, to prioritize consumer-driven factors while integrating health and safety measures to ensure both immediate satisfaction and long-term societal well-being.