Non-disabled and disabled baristas: How differently do employee service attributes affect customer satisfaction?

The current study examined how perceived employee service attributes affect customer satisfaction, forming attitudes toward a brand and revisiting intention in a coffee retailing setting. This study also explored the moderating effect of baristas’ physical disability status on the relationship between these service attributes and customer satisfaction. In this study, quantitative research was conducted by collecting data from customers in South Korea who had used Starbucks, in order to test the hypotheses in the research model. More specifically, data were collected from 291 customers at coffee shops where baristas without disabilities provide services and from 286 customers at coffee shops where baristas with disabilities offer services. The aggregated data confirmed the significant effects of expertise, customer orientation, and likeability in forming customer satisfaction. Furthermore, customer satisfaction enhanced brand attitude and revisiting intentions. For non-disabled baristas, customer orientation, responsiveness, and expertise (in the order of their relative weights) were significant in predicting customer satisfaction. In contrast, for disabled baristas, only expertise was significant in determining customer satisfaction. The findings are meaningful, revealing that the factors contributing to customer satisfaction vary based on employees’ disability status, a distinction not previously identified in research. The findings challenge the stereotype that disabled baristas have a limited capacity to provide satisfactory customer services because of their physical limitations. It appears that consumers value the expertise leads of employees with disabilities, which determines their satisfaction.