It’s all your fault! restaurant vs. platform blame attribution in food delivery service failures

Bibliographic Data

ID21295158
AuthorsSarah Lefebvre (0009-0003-5999-6930, Murray State University), Marissa Orlowski (0000-0002-2429-9209, University of Colorado Hospital), Laura Boman (0000-0002-9669-825X, Kennesaw State University)
Year2024
Volume126
Issue8
Pages3037-3050
Publication date2024-07-23
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Food Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-070X • E-ISSN: 1758-4108
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/bfj-12-2023-1103
OpenAlexW4400651131
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited37

Purpose While third-party food delivery continues to increase in popularity, surveys suggest nearly a quarter of deliveries suffer from service failures. With the limited research on third-party food delivery, we explore the important questions of (1) where customers place blame in the case of service failures with third-party food delivery (i.e. the platform or the restaurant) and (2) does this depend on the type of service failure? Drawing on blame attribution theory, signaling theory, and an exploratory study, we demonstrate that customers typically perceive such mishaps to be the responsibility of the restaurant rather than the delivery platform itself. We also examine the effect of visible service failure preventative actions taken by the restaurant on blame attribution and re-order intention. Design/methodology/approach We conducted two online scenario-based studies to explore customer blame attribution in the case of third-party food delivery service failure. First, an exploratory study approach (N Study1 = 512 ) was taken to provide additional support for the hypothesis development. An experiment (N Study2 = 252 ) was then conducted to examine the hypothesized effects. Findings First, the results of an exploratory study demonstrate that customers attribute service failures such as wrong items, missing items, cold food, or leaking containers to restaurants over third-party food delivery platforms. Second, the results of an experimental study suggest inclusion of an observable cue indicating preventative action, such as time-stamp information indicating when an order was received and packaged for delivery, increases customer re-order intention through the underlying mechanism of blame attribution. Originality/value We contribute to the underexplored area of third-party food delivery service failure and to our understanding of blame attribution in service failure scenarios. Further, we demonstrate a practical method to shift the blame away from restaurants for service failures that are outside of the establishment’s control

Advertising · Attribution · Blame · Business · Food delivery · Food service · Service (business) · Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Consumer Retail Behavior Studies · Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability · Marketing · Psychology · Social Psychology

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