A study of students’ satisfaction with Mahallah cafeterias at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan, Pahang

Background: As the primary customers of the campus cafeterias, students largely depend on the food service provided to meet their dining needs without seeking off-campus alternatives. These services significantly impact students' overall quality of life, varying satisfaction across campus facilities, accommodations, and food choices. This study aims to evaluate students' satisfaction with campus cafeteria food services. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three student residential cafeterias at a university campus in Kuantan, Pahang. A total of 113 students participated in the study. A self-administered online questionnaire was distributed via messaging platforms using Google Forms. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: (1) sociodemographics, (2) visiting characteristics, (3) food service satisfaction questionnaire. Results: The majority of the students were satisfied with the cafeteria services. The total mean scores of all domains indicated that the respondents were satisfied with all food service attributes. Price and value fairness recorded the highest mean score, followed by ambience, service quality, food quality, and food variety. The correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between all food service attributes and overall satisfaction (p < 0.01). Service quality has the strongest positive correlation with the overall satisfaction score (r = 0.582, p < 0.01), and price and value fairness (r = 0.426, p < 0.01) has the weakest correlation with overall satisfaction. Conclusion: The results revealed that all domains, namely food quality, ambience, service quality, price and value fairness, and food variety have a significant relationship with students’ satisfaction levels, providing insights and practical recommendations to the food service providers on how to improve their service and increase students’ satisfaction levels.