The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, it explained the relationship between service quality and benefit perception. Second, it studied the role of customers' intent in the relationship. Following a descriptive design, data were gathered from a sample of 202 restaurant customers in Goa, India during the year 2017. Empirically validated tools were used for data collection. Data were statistically analyzed for direct as well as for moderated impacts using regression analysis and testing coefficient differences. Service quality was found to be positively impacting overall benefit perception. The impact of service quality on utilitarian benefits was stronger than that on hedonic benefits. While all five dimensions of service quality were found to be impacting utilitarian benefit perception, only tangibles and assurance dimensions were found to be impacting hedonic benefit perception. Customer intent, whether hedonic or utilitarian, moderated the relationship between service quality and benefit perception. A utilitarian intent positively moderated the relationship, while a hedonic intent moderated negatively. Besides its theoretical relevance, the study is also relevant for practice. The areas of practical relevance included market segmentation based on customer intent, service quality levers that influence utilitarian versus hedonic benefit perception, and adaptations in service design and delivery to address customer induced variability. As a first effort to understand the role of intent in quality-benefit relationship, the study makes original contribution to the existing body of knowledge.

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