Speaking as a tourist: language-based differences in service hospitality perceptions at Hong Kong's Cha Chaan Tengs

Purpose This study investigates how language differences shape tourists' perceptions of service hospitality in fast-paced, casual dining settings, focusing on Chinese-speaking and non-Chinese-speaking tourists. It explores the role of language proficiency and engagement in conversation, applying Communication Accommodation Theory. Design/methodology/approach A multi-group structural equation modeling approach was used to analyze survey data from 391 tourists. Confirmatory factor analysis and metric invariance tests were conducted to assess validity and group differences. Findings Metric non-invariance revealed that Chinese- and non-Chinese-speaking tourists interpret service cues differently. However, the mediation pathway – where engagement in conversation transmits the effect of service experience to perceived hospitality – was statistically equivalent across groups. Once staff provide basic linguistic accommodation (slower speech, simple Mandarin or English, warm tone), further tailoring yields no additional benefit, supporting a “good-enough” convergence threshold. Practical implications The findings highlight the importance of staff communication skills and basic linguistic accommodation in enhancing service hospitality for diverse tourists. Targeted staff training, multilingual service scripts, and heritage storytelling are recommended to strengthen destinations renowned for food tourism and to improve tourist experiences in crowded, culturally diverse casual dining venues. Originality/value This research extends Communication Accommodation Theory to casual, high-turnover dining environments, demonstrating that conversational engagement is a universal mediator of perceived hospitality. By showing simultaneous measurement divergence and structural convergence, the study clarifies a nuanced pattern often overlooked in cross-cultural service research and provides a roadmap for analyzing construct meaning versus construct functioning.