Drivers of customers’ service experiencesA customer perspective on co-creation of restaurant services, focusing on interactions, processes and activities

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ÖREBRO STUDIES IN CULINARY ARTS AND MEAL SCIENCE 8 2011 issn 1652-2974 isbn 978-91-7668-790-1

Ute Walter holds a MSc in Business Administration

from Stockholm University. In her university studies she combined studies in service management, tourism and education. She also has extensive practical experience from the field of Culinary Arts, where she held different positions in both restaurant and kitchen. She has worked for companies such as Steigenberger Hotels and Resorts, Radisson SAS and a number of small luxury restaurant companies. After her university studies Ute worked as a coordinator of masters programs in Management of Growth and Entrepreneurship at Gothenburg University, School of Business, Economics and Law. As a consultant she also has led a number of organiza-tional, regional, rural and tourism development projects. In 2005 she began work as a coordinator of the Hotel programme at the School of Hospital-ity, Culinary Arts and Meals Science at Örebro University and in 2006 she started her PhD studies. Her research area is customer service experiences at restaurants with a particular interest in the dynamic processes of interactions in restaurant services.

The central theme of the thesis is drivers of customers’ favourable and un-favourable service experiences at restaurants. Special attention is paid to interactions, activities and processes, characterising the dynamic nature of restaurant services. In particular the central role of social interactions as a link between actors and resources available in the context is examined and discussed.