Customers’ Continued Adoption of Mobile Apps and Their Satisfaction with Restaurants: The Case of McDonald’s Memoriam

Background: The major purpose of this research is to examine Contactless Technology (CT) users’ post-adoption phenomena in the context of mobile apps (MA) run by a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR). It applies the Post-Adoption Model of Information System Continuance (PAMISC) to examine how QSR customers’ technology anxiety (TA), confirmation of initial expectations, perceived usefulness (PU), and satisfaction with CT relate to their continued intention of use. Furthermore, the study investigates the relationship between customers’ satisfaction with CT and their overall satisfaction with QSR. Methods: To test the research model, we collected survey data from 245 users of MA provided by McDonald’s restaurants in the US, which are analyzed through Partial Least Square analysis using SmartPLS 4.0. Results: The theoretical relationships in the PAMISC hold true in the context of QSR’s MA. Current QSR customers’ TA is negatively associated with their perceived usefulness, but is not related to the degree of confirmation of using MA. Customers’ continued intention of use and satisfaction with MA are positively related to overall satisfaction with QSR. Conclusion: Our study is among the first to provide empirical/practical evidence of the PAMISC in the context of IT-enabled hospitality services. It also extends the model in two important ways. First, the study examines the role of TA, an important personal trait relevant to individuals’ use of QSR technology. Second, it highlights customers’ satisfaction with firm-provided technology to improve their overall satisfaction with the firm in the context of QSRs. For practitioners, it is important for QSR managers to understand the impact of TA on customers’ adoption of MA, so that they can design their MA with simpler interfaces and more human aspects. Managers should also make sure that MA is well-designed to satisfy customers’ needs, which will then lead to those customers’ overall satisfaction with the QSR.