An Empirical Analysis of Canteen Service Quality and Student Satisfaction in Multi-Ethnic Universities in Northwest China
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63053/ijmea.88Keywords:
Northwest China; multi-ethnic university; university canteen; student satisfaction; factor analysis.Abstract
This study aims to identify practical gaps in canteen service quality and the heterogeneous patterns of its influencing factors in multi-ethnic normal universities, taking Northwest Normal University as the research sample. Data were collected via an online questionnaire survey using stratified sampling over a three-month period. A total of 620 questionnaires were distributed and 586 were returned, yielding a response rate of 94.52%. After excluding 26 invalid responses, 560 valid samples were retained, with an effective rate of 90.32%.Grounded in established frameworks including the ACSI student satisfaction model and the SERVQUAL service quality scale, this study conducts quantitative empirical analysis via Stata 15.0, integrating one-way ANOVA, cross-tabulation analysis, reliability and validity tests, factor analysis, multiple linear regression, and the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) model.Results indicate that the overall student satisfaction with university canteens reaches 4.38 on a 5-point scale, representing a relatively high level, yet significant disparities exist across evaluation dimensions. Building on three tiers of governance—frontline canteen operation, logistics coordination, and university-level decision-making—this paper proposes hierarchical and actionable optimization strategies covering standardized food supply, staggered peak flow diversion, full-scope hygiene management, smart canteen upgrading, closed-loop supervision, multi-ethnic dietary support, and targeted funding allocation.
References
[1] Ng K C. Customer satisfaction with university cafeteria foodservice in Malaysia[J]. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 2005, 8(4): 67-86.
[2] Lee S S, Kim H C, Gregoire M B. University students' expectations of brand-name foodservice operations[J]. Journal of Foodservice Research, 2007, 10(2): 1-18.
[3] Wang Y. Empirical analysis of influencing factors of university canteen student satisfaction[J]. Modern Business Trade Industry, 2020, 41(10): 89-90.
[4] Xiao Y. Analysis of influencing factors of university canteen student satisfaction[J]. Modern Marketing (Management Edition), 2021(6): 167-168.
[5] Hu D. The impact of university canteen service quality on student satisfaction[J]. China Business Review, 2018(15): 175-176.
[6] Liu H. Research on university canteen service quality evaluation based on factor analysis[J]. Science & Technology Economic Guide, 2019, 27(32): 194-195.
[7] Liu R. Research on peak dining optimization of university canteens based on queuing theory[J]. Logistics Technology, 2020, 39(7): 68-71.
[8] Zhang K. Evaluation of university canteen service quality based on fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method[J]. Commercial Economic Research, 2020(15): 103-104.
[9] Yu W. Difference analysis of university canteen satisfaction among students of different grades[J]. University Logistics Research, 2021(4): 34-36.
[10] Han D, Ren X. Investigation and countermeasure analysis of university canteen satisfaction[J]. Modern Business, 2022(18): 186-188.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Authors

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
License Terms
The International Journal of Applied Research in Management, Economics and Accounting (IJMEA) publishes its articles under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
This license promotes the broad dissemination and reuse of published research while ensuring that appropriate credit is given to the original authors.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Unless otherwise stated, all articles published by IJMEA are licensed under the CC BY 4.0 License.
Under this license, users are permitted to:
-
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
-
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercial purposes.
These permissions are granted provided that appropriate attribution is given to the original authors and the source of the publication.
Attribution Requirements
When reusing or adapting an IJMEA article, users should:
-
Give appropriate credit to the author(s).
-
Provide the title of the article.
-
Identify IJMEA as the original publication venue.
-
Provide a link to the applicable Creative Commons license.
-
Indicate whether changes were made to the original material.
-
Avoid suggesting that the original authors or IJMEA endorse the reuse.
An appropriate attribution may include:
"Author(s), [Article Title], International Journal of Applied Research in Management, Economics and Accounting (IJMEA), [Year]. Licensed under CC BY 4.0."
Copyright
Copyright remains with the author(s) of the published work.
By submitting a manuscript to IJMEA and upon acceptance for publication, authors grant the journal the non-exclusive rights necessary to publish, reproduce, distribute, archive, and make the article publicly available.
The CC BY 4.0 license allows others to reuse the published work in accordance with the terms of the license while preserving the authors' copyright.
Author Rights
Authors retain the right to:
-
Share and distribute their published work.
-
Deposit the article in institutional or subject repositories.
-
Use the article for educational and research purposes.
-
Include the article in a thesis or dissertation.
-
Create derivative works based on the article.
-
Enter into separate non-exclusive agreements for additional distribution of the work, provided that the original publication by IJMEA is properly acknowledged.
Third-Party Material
Authors are responsible for ensuring that any third-party material included in their manuscript is appropriately credited and can legally be published under the applicable license.
Material that is not covered by the CC BY 4.0 license should be clearly identified, where applicable, and may require separate permission from the copyright holder.
License Statement
The following statement should appear on published articles:
© [Year] The Author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
For more information about the license, readers may consult the official Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License terms.
Transparency and Open Access
IJMEA is committed to making scholarly research openly accessible while respecting authors' copyright and promoting responsible reuse of published academic work.
The application of the CC BY 4.0 license supports the journal's open-access policy and enables researchers, educators, institutions, and other users to access, share, and build upon published research with appropriate attribution.


