Job Satisfaction Of Restaurant Employees: An Empirical Investigation Using The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to examine job satisfaction of restaurant employees working in nonsupervisory positions. A survey instrument including the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) short form and demographic questions was used in the study. Factor analysis was conducted to investigate the dimensions of the MSQ short form. A total of 798 usable surveys from 52 restaurants, representing a 50.5% response rate, were included in the analysis. The factor analysis resulted in a four-factor structure of the MSQ short form. A low level of satisfaction was indicated by 50.2% of the respondents, whereas 25.6% indicated an average level and 24.2% a high level of job satisfaction. Security was ranked as the highest and compensation was ranked as the lowest of the examined items. Significant differences in job satisfaction scores were found between the pairs within the subgroups of age, job tenure, gender, and job type.