DINESERV-Based Evaluation of University Canteen Service Quality and Its Influence on Student Satisfaction, Return Intention and Word-Of-Mouth

University foodservice forms an important part of students' campus experience, yet the mechanisms linking dining-service quality with subsequent behavioral responses remain insufficiently examined in private higher education contexts. The study examined the relationships among Institutional DINESERV, Customer Satisfaction, Return Intention, and Word-of-Mouth (WOM) Endorsement among students of a Cebu-based private higher educational institution. A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational design was employed with 770 student respondents. Data were collected using an adapted Institutional DINESERV instrument covering Food Quality, Service Quality, Price and Value, Atmosphere, and Convenience, together with measures of Customer Satisfaction, Return Intention, and WOM Endorsement. Reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation, and mediation analysis were conducted using jamovi. The measurement results supported the internal consistency and factorial structure of the adapted instrument. Respondents reported high levels of all DINESERV dimensions, Customer Satisfaction, Return Intention, and WOM Endorsement. Correlation analysis showed significant positive associations among the study variables. Mediation analysis further established that Customer Satisfaction significantly mediated the relationships between Institutional DINESERV and both Return Intention and WOM Endorsement. In both models, the direct and indirect effects were positive and significant, indicating complementary partial mediation. The findings suggest that favorable evaluations of university dining services are associated with behavioral responses both directly and through enhanced customer satisfaction. The study highlights the importance of managing food quality, service quality, value, atmosphere, and convenience as interconnected components of the student dining experience.