Investigating the antecedents of African fast food customers' loyalty: a self-congruity perspective

Does customer self-congruity drive loyalty in fast-food restaurants? A literature-based model has been tested using Structural Equation Modeling, on a sample of 911 North African fast-food customers (Egypt and Morocco). The model estimates both the direct and indirect relationships between self-congruity and loyalty. The indirect relationships estimated in the model are mediated by some key restaurant cues derived from existing literature on fast-food restaurants. The analysis is carried out in a quite underexplored context (North African markets), that needs to be further explored by academic research. Results clearly show the dominant role of self-congruity as an antecedent of loyalty in fast-food restaurants, and the prominent role of food as a mediator in the relationship self-congruity/loyalty. Findings should suggest managers the need to consider self-congruity as a key determinant of customer positioning.