"It's not just food; it's also an experience!": identifying causes of value co-destruction in restaurants in Brasília.

Alves Oliveira, Daniel; Silva Farias, Josivania; Calhau Codá, Renato

Goal: Analyze the causes of value co-destruction (VCD) in restaurants in Brasília based on online customer reviews, which highlight negative service experiences. Methodology/approach: 1,000 online customer reviews published on Google Maps were extracted, referring to 20 restaurants established in Brasília. Data analysis was performed with the aid of IRAMUTEQ software. Originality/ relevance: The study contributes to developing services marketing literature, particularly the value co-destruction approach in Brazil and Latin America, which are still incipiently exploring the VCD construct. Main findings: The research highlights 10 reasons that can lead to the value co-destruction (VCD) in the restaurants investigated, and most of the reasons are related to the misalignment between operational resources, that is, intangible aspects of service. Theoretical contributions: The study identifies ten factors that lead to VCD in restaurants, including service failures, lack of information, inconsistent marketing, exaggerated expectations, inappropriate behavior by employees and customers, errors, delays, business failures, and contextual rigidity. Most complaints are linked to subjective aspects of service, highlighting an approach that is underexplored in service marketing literature, particularly in Brazil and Latin America. Management contributions: The practical implications of this study indicate that service is one of the most critical points for a positive service experience; therefore, the performance of front-line employees is crucial for restaurants.

CONSUMER behavior; JOB performance; QUALITY of service; MARKETING literature; BUSINESS failures; PERFORMANCE management

Revista de Ciências da Administração, 2024, Vol 26, Issue 66, p1

1516-3865

Academic Journal

10.5007/2175-8077.2024.e97347