Causes for complaining behaviour intentions: the moderator effect of previous customer experience of the restaurant

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the main causes for complaining behaviour intentions expressed in three dimensions: private response, complaining response and complaining to third parties. The objectives are, first to study the direct influence of a set of antecedents and complaining behaviour intentions and second, to analyse the moderator effect of previous restaurant experience on subsequent relations. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative research method was used based on a self‐administered ad‐hoc questionnaire on a sample of 388 individuals who remembered an unsatisfactory experience in a restaurant. Findings – The results show that the following variables have significant effects on intentions: attitudes towards complaining, level of information and complaining experience, level of dissatisfaction and likelihood of success with the complaint. An increased effect of attitudes towards complaining has been found in customers with no previous experience of the restaurant. Originality/value – This work shows that the customer's previous experience is important in the formation of complaining behaviour intentions and therefore research is needed on new variables which may play a moderator role.