Fast food restaurant industry scenario in Malaysia:college students' perceptions / Ahmad Esa Abdul Rahman , Sharifah Nadzrah Syed Omar

The proliferation of fast food restaurants is one of the most notable developments in
the Malaysian foodservice industry. The sector has grown at a rapid rate over the past
20 years. Despite the continuing debate in western countries about fast food's role and
contributions toward the deterioration of public health, the industry is believed to be
benefiting from current local demographic trends, urbanization and changing
lifestyles. Given that college students are considered as major customers of the fast
food industry, it is noteworthy to investigate how they perceive the industry in
Malaysia. The study initially explores college students' perceptions of fast food
restaurant's service quality. It also examines the attributes that influence consumer
preferences for fast food restaurants and analyses different fast food brand positions in
the college market. This quantitative study was conducted at various public and
private higher learning institutions in Klang Valley. A survey was conducted through
distributing questionnaires to college students from different academic programs. A
total of 1000 self-administered questionnaires were distributed with a 98.5% response
rate. Using quantitative analysis, the data was computed and analyzed by using SPSS
program. The results indicate that college students perceive fast food restaurants in
Malaysia to be of a high quality. Their fast food restaurant choices were strongly
influenced by the restaurant's cleanliness, consistency of menu items, and location.
The results further suggest that McDonald's is the strongest fast food brand in
Malaysia, followed by KFC and then Burger King, giving a clear dichotomy between
those restaurants that have an established image and those that have not. Marketers
need to identify the factors that local customers consider more important when
making a decision on the selection of a fast food restaurant, and their marketing
strategies should have a sound understanding of consumer perceptions and
preferences and how they differ across different cultures.