“Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Restaurant Services and Customer Experience: A Conceptual Framework for Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty”
Authors
Faculty of Business, UNITAR Universiti College Kuala Lumpur (UUCKL), Wisma Hong Leong, 18, Jalan Perak, 50450 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Article Information
DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS.2026.100900104
Subject Category: Artificial Intelligence
Volume/Issue: 10/9 | Page No: 1544-1552
Publication Timeline
Submitted: 2026-08-13
Accepted: 2026-08-18
Published: 2026-10-01
Abstract
AI is of increasing significance in the food service industry, reshaping the way restaurant operators serve customers, enhancing customer experience, and managing operations. A lot of restaurants are increasing their use of AI-enabled technologies, such as intelligent ordering systems, chatbots, personalized food recommendations, self-service technologies, service robots, and AI-powered mobile applications. While these technologies can increase operational convenience and efficiency, customer experience is more complicated. Consumers may enjoy speed, convenience, and individuality; privacy, trust, loss of human interaction, and even AI service glitches are also concerns. This concept paper attempts to fill this gap by suggesting a conceptual framework from the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) approach for examining the nexus between AI-powered restaurant services and customer experience, which will eventually lead into customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Keywords
Artificial intelligence, customer experience, restaurants, food service industry
Downloads
References
1. Brakus, J. J., Schmitt, B. H., & Zarantonello, L. (2009). Brand experience: What is it? How is it measured? Does it affect loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 73(3), 52–68. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.73.3.052 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
2. Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
3. Gentile, C., Spiller, N., & Noci, G. (2007). How to sustain the customer experience: An overview of experience components that co-create value with the customer. European Management Journal, 25(5), 395–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2007.08.005 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
4. Gursoy, D. (2025). Artificial intelligence (AI) technology, its applications and the use of AI powered devices in hospitality service experience creation and delivery. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 129, 104212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104212 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
5. Huang, D., Chen, Q., Huang, J., Li, Z., & Kong, S. (2021). Customer-robot interactions: Understanding customer experience with service robots. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 99, 103078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.103078 (ScienceDirect) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
6. Huang, M.-H., & Rust, R. T. (2018). Artificial intelligence in service. Journal of Service Research, 21(2), 155–172. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670517752459 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
7. Huang, M.-H., & Rust, R. T. (2021). A strategic framework for artificial intelligence in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 49, 30–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-020-00749-9 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
8. Kim, H., So, K. K. F., & Wirtz, J. (2022). Two decades of customer experience research in hospitality and tourism: A bibliometric analysis and thematic content analysis. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 100, 103082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.103082 (ScienceDirect) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
9. Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 69–96. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0420 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
10. Li, M., Sun, X., Hua, M., & Qiu, H. (2025). Artificial intelligence features and their service outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 34(1), 46–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2024.2391856 (Taylor & Francis Online) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
11. Li, M., Sun, X., Hua, M., & Qiu, H. (2022). Proactivity or passivity? An investigation of the effect of service robots' proactive behaviour on customer co-creation intention. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 106, 103271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103271 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
12. Mehrabian, A., & Russell, J. A. (1974). An approach to environmental psychology. MIT Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
13. Palau-Saumell, R., Forgas-Coll, S., Sánchez-García, J., & Robres, E. (2019). User acceptance of mobile apps for restaurants: An expanded and extended UTAUT-2. Sustainability, 11(4), 1210. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11041210 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
14. Seo, K. H., & Lee, J. H. (2021). The emergence of service robots at restaurants: Integrating trust, perceived risk, and satisfaction. Sustainability, 13(8), 4431. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084431 (IDEAS/RePEc) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
15. Shorbaji, M. F., Alalwan, A. A., & Algharabat, R. (2025). AI-enabled mobile food-ordering apps and customer experience: A systematic review and future research agenda. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 20(3), 156. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer20030156 (MDPI) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
16. Song, H., Wang, Y.-C., Yang, H., & Ma, E. (2022). Robotic employees vs. human employees: Customers' perceived authenticity at casual dining restaurants. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 106, 103301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103301 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
17. Wirtz, J., Patterson, P. G., Kunz, W. H., Gruber, T., Lu, V. N., Paluch, S., & Martins, A. (2018). Brave new world: Service robots in the frontline. Journal of Service Management, 29(5), 907–931. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-04-2018-0119 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
18. Zaitouni, M., & Murphy, K. S. (2025). Self-service technologies (SST) in the U.S. restaurant industry: An evaluation of consumer perceived value, satisfaction, and continuance intentions. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 28(2), 245–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2023.2229582 (Taylor & Francis Online) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
19. Meuter, M. L., Ostrom, A. L., Roundtree, R. I., & Bitner, M. J. (2000). Self-service technologies: Understanding customer satisfaction with technology-based service encounters. Journal of Marketing, 64(3), 50–64. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.64.3.50.18024 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
20. Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Malhotra, A. (2005). E-S-QUAL: A multiple-item scale for assessing electronic service quality. Journal of Service Research, 7(3), 213–233. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670504271156 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
21. Verhoef, P. C., Lemon, K. N., Parasuraman, A., Roggeveen, A., Tsiros, M., & Schlesinger, L. A. (2009). Customer experience creation: Determinants, dynamics and management strategies. Journal of Retailing, 85(1), 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2008.11.001 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
22. Klaus, P., & Maklan, S. (2013). Towards a better measure of customer experience. International Journal of Market Research, 55(2), 227–246. https://doi.org/10.2501/IJMR-2013-021 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
23. Kandampully, J., Zhang, T., & Jaakkola, E. (2018). Customer experience management in hospitality: A literature synthesis, new understanding and research agenda. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(1), 21–56. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2015-0549 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
24. Chathoth, P. K., Ungson, G. R., Harrington, R. J., & Chan, E. S. W. (2016). Co-creation and higher order customer engagement in hospitality and tourism: A critical review. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(2), 253–273. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2014-0152 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
25. Bolton, R. N., Gustafsson, A., McColl-Kennedy, J. R., Sirianni, N. J., & Tse, D. K. (2014). Small details that make big differences: A radical approach to consumption experience as a firm's differentiating strategy. Journal of Service Management, 25(2), 253–274. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-01-2014-0037 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
Metrics
Views & Downloads
Similar Articles
- The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Revolutionizing Library Services in Nairobi: Ethical Implications and Future Trends in User Interaction
- ESPYREAL: A Mobile Based Multi-Currency Identifier for Visually Impaired Individuals Using Convolutional Neural Network
- Comparative Analysis of AI-Driven IoT-Based Smart Agriculture Platforms with Blockchain-Enabled Marketplaces
- AI-Based Dish Recommender System for Reducing Fruit Waste through Spoilage Detection and Ripeness Assessment
- SEA-TALK: An AI-Powered Voice Translator and Southeast Asian Dialects Recognition