STRATEGIC CUSTOMER RETENTION AND MANAGEMENT IN A RESTAURANT SETTING: A STUDY OF THE IDAH CHOP HOUSE

The study evaluated Strategic Customer Retention and Management in a restaurant setting. A study of the Idah Chop House. The objective of the study was to identify the customer retention strategies implemented by The Idah Chophouse, to assess customer satisfaction levels and loyalty to the restaurant, to determine the impact of customer management practices on customer patronage and to assess the quality of service offered at the restaurant. The researcher employed the use of survey techniques in the conduct of the study. 210 of the respondents were used for the study. The test of hypotheses formulated was conducted through statistical tool, the multivariate linear regression in IBM SPSS versions, 23. It was revealed from the study that service quality has positive impact on referral intention of chophouse restaurant in Idah, Kogi State. It discovered from the study that customer satisfaction has positive significant impact on referral intention of chophouse restaurant in Idah, Kogi State. It was found out from the study corporate image has negative impact on referral intention of chophouse restaurant in Idah, Kogi State. The study found out that customer trust has positive impact on referral intentions of chophouse restaurant in Idah, Kogi State. Conclusively, customer retention is not given the attention due to it, by most firms especially the fast-food industry. It has been found that customer retention has more impact on profits than market share, economies of scale and other variables that are considered to provide competitive advantage to a firm. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that customer satisfaction to should be the focal point of the services rendered as this would determine the amount of referrals the company needs to grows. It is also recommended that there should provide quality service to the customers as this will also yield positive patronage.