Abstract
The restaurant industry is people-centric, aiming to foster engagement between guests and employees to improve service delivery. However, a growing concern is customer incivility, which stems from the hospitality industry’s 'The customer is always right' or 'The customer is king' philosophy. Uncivil customer behaviour not only affects employees' health but also their service delivery and interactions with guests, and it impacts job satisfaction. The objective of the study is to analyse how customer behaviour affects restaurant employees' service delivery and explore its effects on employee engagement. This study employed a qualitative methodology, collecting data through interviews with 13 frontline restaurant employees in Melville, Johannesburg. The data was thematically analysed, coded, and patterns identified. The findings revealed that positive customer behaviours certainly impact employee engagement, service delivery, and job satisfaction. However, negative customer behaviours lead to employees reciprocating the same energies to guests, with a reduced quality in service leading to a lack of customer satisfaction. This study highlights the importance of restaurant employers recognising and supporting employees in the face of customer incivility. Recommendations include that employers should prioritise employees' work-life balance, offer educational training, and develop support systems in the workspace.