ITHACA, NY, October 8, 2008. An article published in the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (CQ) has been named as one of the 50 best articles published in the world's top management journals in 2007. The article, “Guest Satisfaction and Restaurant Performance,” by Sachin Gupta, Edward McLaughlin, and Miguel Gomez, has won the Emerald Management Reviews Citation of Excellence.

Chosen from 15,000 articles that were reviewed for this award, the article was published in the August 2007 issue of the CQ, which was then known as Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly.

Gupta, McLaughlin, and Gomez present seminal research that specifically connects a measure of restaurant customers' satisfaction—intent to return—with increased restaurant sales. “Our study analyzed what we believe is a key point of the concept known as the customer-value chain,” said Gupta. “The critical point is this: satisfied customers are expected not only to return but to contribute to a restaurant's profitability. We identified the factors that make that connection.”

Specifically, for the restaurant chains that they studied, the researchers found that delicious food, an appropriate cost, a cheerful greeting, and attentive service drove customer satisfaction and sales. Gupta, McLaughlin, and Gomez are professors at Cornell University.

Emerald Management Reviews is an abstracting and indexing database that covers every article in the world's top 400 business and management journals worldwide including the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, Administrative Science Quarterly (also published by Cornell), Academy of Management Journal, and the Journal of Finance.

The article is available for download from the Center for Hospitality Research, which publishes the journal:
http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/pubs/quarterly/winner.html.

Subscriptions to the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly are available through Sage Publishing (http://cqx.sagepub.com/), which manages the journal.

About The Center for Hospitality Research
A unit of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, The Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) sponsors research designed to improve practices in the hospitality industry. Under the lead of the center's 73 corporate affiliates, experienced scholars work closely with business executives to discover new insights into strategic, managerial and operating practices. The center also publishes the award-winning hospitality journal, the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (formerly the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly). To learn more about center and its projects, visit www.chr.cornell.edu.

Center partners and sponsors: AIG Global Real Estate Investment, American Airlines Admirals Club, Davis & Gilbert LLP, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, Denihan Hospitality Group, Expedia, Inc., Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Fox Rothschild LLP, FX Real Estate and Entertainment, Inc., General Growth Properties, Inc., HVS, InterContinental Hotels Group, job.travel, JohnsonDiversey, Inc., Jumeirah Group, LRP Publications, Marriott International, Inc., Marsh's Hospitality Practice, Mobil Travel Guide, Inc., Nestlé, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Proskauer Rose LLP, Smith Travel Research, Southern Wine and Spirits of America, Inc., SynXis (a Sabre Holdings Corporation), Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, Thayer Lodging Group, TIG Global, Travelport, WATG, and WhiteSand Consulting.

Center friends: 4Hoteliers.com • American Tescor, LLC • Argyle Executive Forum • Caribbean Hotel and Restaurant Buyers Guide • Cody Kramer Imports • Cruise Industry News • DK Shifflet & Associates • ehotelier.com • EyeforTravel • Fireman's Fund Insurance Company • Gerencia de Hoteles & Restaurantes • Global Hospitality Resources • Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) • hospitalityInside.com • hospitalitynet.org • Hospitality Technology Magazine • Hotel Asia Pacific • Hotel China • HotelExecutive.com • Hotel Interactive • Hotel Resource • International CHRIE • International Hotel and Restaurant Association • International Hotel Conference • International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) • iPerceptions • Lodging Hospitality • Lodging Magazine • Milestone Internet Marketing • MindFolio • Parasol • PKF Hospitality Research • The Resort Trades • RealShare Hotel Investment & Finance Summit • Resort+Recreation Magazine • RestaurantEdge.com • Shibata Publishing Co. • Synovate • The Lodging Conference • TravelCLICK • UniFocus • WageWatch, Inc. • WIWIH.COM

Contact:
Glenn Withiam
607.255.3025
grw4@cornell.edu