How the achievement of human-resources goals drives restaurant performance

Abstract In an effort to connect employee attitudes and behavior to a restaurant's business success, this study examined causal relationships between data measured a year apart. The data, drawn from 28 restaurants in a regional chain, show that employee satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, and employee retention, as measured in the first year, influence customer satisfaction and financial performance, as measured in the following year. The reverse relationship did not hold, providing evidence that good people management influences restaurant performance, rather than the other way around.