Line | In their study of whether offering a guarantee of |
| service quality will encourage customers to visit a |
| particular restaurant, Tucci and Talaga have found |
| that the effect of such guarantees is mixed. For |
(5) | higher-priced restaurants, there is some evidence |
| that offering a guarantee increases the likelihood of |
| customer selection, probably reflecting the greater |
| financial commitment involved in choosing an |
| expensive restaurant. For lower-priced restaurants, |
(10) | where one expects less assiduous service, Tucci and |
| Talaga found that a guarantee could actually have a |
| negative effect: a potential customer might think that |
| a restaurant offering a guarantee is worried about |
| its service. Moreover, since customers understand a |
(15) | restaurant’s product and know what to anticipate in |
| terms of service, they are empowered to question its |
| quality. This is not generally true in the case of skilled |
| activities such as electrical work, where, consequently, |
| a guarantee might have greater customer appeal. |
(20) | For restaurants generally, the main benefit of |
| a service guarantee probably lies not so much in |
| customer appeal as in managing and motivating staff. |
| Staff members would know what service standards |
| are expected of them and also know that the success |
(25) | of the business relies on their adhering to those |
| standards. Additionally, guarantees provide some |
| basis for defining the skills needed for successful |
| service in areas traditionally regarded as unskilled, |
| such as waiting tables. |