More Than a Good Cup of Coffee: Validating the Relationship Between Customer Loyalty and Service Quality in Coffee Shops

In the hyper-competitive global food and beverage landscape, where customer acquisition costs continually escalate, customer loyalty stands as the ultimate, indispensable metric for long-term viability and profitable growth. This study focuses on the most significant antecedent of loyalty: Service Quality. Despite this universal consensus, a glaring geographic knowledge gap persists, particularly within the emerging coffee industry frontiers of the Philippines. This research situates the investigation within Cotabato Province in the SOCCSKSARGEN region, Philippines, where the local coffee shop industry is undergoing rapid, uncharted growth. Furthermore, this research utilized a quantitative descriptive correlation research design. Researchers conducted the study among coffee shop customers in the selected municipalities and lone city of Cotabato Province. A total sample size of 100 customers was chosen, utilizing a combination of convenience and area sampling. This investigation confirms a foundational truth for the coffee shop market: exceptional service is the undeniable driver of customer loyalty. The connection was successfully validated through the lens of Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory, which, in simple terms, states that satisfaction that leads to loyalty is determined by how well a service meets or exceeds expectations. Thus, coffee shop owners and managers in Cotabato Province should continue to invest in training that emphasizes polite communication and respect to maintain the highest-rated service aspects. Additionally, management should actively seek solutions to provide more adequate parking spaces for customers, as the perceived availability of parking influences customer return. Furthermore, future researchers are encouraged to broaden the scope of their studies to include varied locations and additional factors that may influence customer loyalty.