Which service quality dimensions matter most? A dimension-level analysis of customer satisfaction in micro and small food service enterprises in Tanzania

Scholars agree that service quality is a multidimensional construct that influences customer satisfaction, although its dimensions may contribute variably across service contexts. Grounded in the SERVQUAL model, this study examines the relationship between the service quality dimensions, namely reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibility, and customer satisfaction in micro and small food service enterprises in Tanzania. This study employed a quantitative, explanatory, cross-sectional design. Using convenience sampling, data were collected from 401 diners through a SERVQUAL-based questionnaire, of which 392 responses were retained for analysis. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the data through IBM SPSS 23. The findings reveal that service quality dimensions contribute variably to customer satisfaction in micro and small food service enterprises. Reliability, responsiveness and tangibility showed significant positive relationships with customer satisfaction, while assurance and empathy produced significant negative coefficients in the multivariate model. However, the negative coefficients should be interpreted cautiously because both dimensions were positively correlated with customer satisfaction at the bivariate level, suggesting that shared variance among the SERVQUAL dimensions and possible suppression effects may have contributed to the sign reversal. Theoretically, the study supports a context-sensitive interpretation of SERVQUAL, indicating that the relative influence of its dimensions on customer satisfaction should not be indiscriminately generalized across foodservice settings. Practically, managers should prioritize consistent and accurate service delivery, prompt responsiveness, and appropriate physical service environments while maintaining assurance and empathy as important components of service quality rather than interpreting their negative conditional coefficients as reasons to reduce attention to these dimensions.