The Role of Food Quality in Shaping Customer Satisfaction and Repurchase Intentions: Insights from Malaysia’s Street Food Industr

he street food industry plays a significant role in Malaysia’s informal food sector, offering convenient, affordable, and culturally rich meal options. This research examines how food quality factors (including taste, healthiness, variety, freshness, and presentation) affect customer satisfaction and the intention to repurchase, focusing on street food consumption in Malaysia. Customer satisfaction is also examined as a mediating variable in the relationship between food quality and repurchase intention. A total of 384 responses were collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The data were analyzed, and the primary findings were assessed to explore the relationship between food quality attributes and both customer satisfaction and repurchase intention. From the results, all food quality attributes were found to have a significant positive effect on customer satisfaction, with variety emerging as the most influential factor. Additionally, customer satisfaction significantly predicted repurchase intention and successfully mediated the relationship between individual food quality attributes and customers repurchase behavior. These findings highlight the critical role of upholding high food quality standards in boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty in the street food sector. The study offers valuable insights for street food vendors and policymakers in improving service quality and sustaining business growth in Malaysia’s informal food industry