People, Processes, And Customer Satisfaction: A Review Study of Work–Life Balance and Operations in Food Delivery Services
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31674/ijrtbt.2026.v010i02.003Abstract
Food delivery services have exploded so thoroughly in the past few years, creating connections between delivery partners, process management, and satisfaction among the respective consumers. The study thus examines how individuals, processes, and customer expectations interact in and around the food delivery ecosystem to generate positive business outcomes in the food delivery ecosystem and, particularly, the work–life balance of delivery partners. Rapid growth in digital delivery platforms is a source of pressure for both riders and restaurants, and effective coordination and employee well-being must take top priority to keep customers satisfied. These things affect service and customer satisfaction. The objective of the study is to provide an understanding of the interplay of delivery partners, operational processes, and customer requirements in the quality-of-service delivery. The major object is to explore the association between work–life balance, delivery efficiency, and customer satisfaction. The study uses secondary data that consists of books, peer-reviewed journals, online publications, websites, and magazines. In conclusion, this study examines 8-10 pertinent research articles. In addition, the research finds important techniques in equitable work hours, communication, order assignment smoothness, and workload pressure relief. Key requirements include respectful customer engagement, supportive management, and realistic delivery targets as well as healthier workplaces, recovery breaks, and transparent evaluation systems. Using an analysis of people and processes, the study offers recommendations for how to improve experience for riders, improve service quality, and drive more efficiency overall.
Keywords:
Customer Satisfaction, Delivery Partners, Food delivery services, Operations Management, Restaurant Coordination, Service Quality, Work–Life BalanceDownloads
References
Ahmad, A., & Omar, E. N. (2023). Exploring challenges of food delivery riders in the gig economy–a conceptual model. Advances in Business Research International Journal, 9(3), 45-52.https://doi.org/10.24191/abrij.v9i3.4338
Belanche, D., Casaló, L. V., & Flavián, C. (2021). Frontline robots in tourism and hospitality: service enhancement or cost reduction?. Electron Markets31, 477–492 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-020-00432-5
Cano, M. R., Espelt, R., & Morell, M. F. (2021). Flexibility and freedom for whom? Precarity, freedom and flexibility in on-demand food delivery. Work Organisation, Labour & Globalisation, 15(1), 46-68. https://doi.org/10.13169/workorgalaboglob.15.1.0046
Dong, J., Zhang, G., & Wu, L. (2025). Life against algorithmic management: a study on burnout and its influencing factors among food delivery riders. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1531541.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1531541
Faizar, F. A., Mohd Ali, N., & Tarmazi, S. A. A. (2021). Online food ordering & delivery service: a study of satisfaction among students residing in UiTM Pulau Pinang during Movement Control Order (MCO). Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Culinary Arts, 13(3), 139-147. https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/67662
Gupta, R., Roy, S., Kumar, K., & Arora, C. (2019). Study of consumer behaviour towards online food delivery. Our Heritage, 67(2), 2047-2058.https://share.google/E8QIIkBYHGhoIzmuw
Hussain, M. S. (2024). Algorithmic Management of Workers through Food Delivery Platforms in India. Journal of Extreme Anthropology, 8(2), 74-106. https://doi.org/10.5617/jea.11784
Li, C., Mirosa, M., & Bremer, P. (2020). Review of online food delivery platforms and their impacts on sustainability. Sustainability, 12(14), 5528.https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145528
Mathur, S., & Gaur, M. P. (2022). An Emerical Study on Assessing the Impact of Online Food Buying Habits on Consumer Satisfaction. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts. 10(01), 463-476. https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2201389.pdf
Macias, W., Rodriguez, K., & Barriga, H. (2023). Determinants of satisfaction with online food delivery providers and their impact on restaurant brands. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 14(4), 557-578. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-04-2021-0117
Mensah, J., Oppong, P. K., & Addae, M. (2022). Effect of packaging on perceived quality and brand loyalty: the mediating role of brand association in over-the-counter market. Open Journal of Business and Management, 10(01), 297-313.https://doi.org/10.4236/ojbm.2022.101018
Nirmala, V., & Hidayathulla, S. (2022). Work–life balance and job satisfaction among delivery workers. International Journal of Management Studies, 29(4), 56–70. https://doi.org/10.55927/mudima.v2i12.2371
Nolas, B., & Fonceca, C. M. (2025). Work-Life Balance and Job Stress among Gig Workers. https://kronika.ac/wp-content/uploads/16-KKJ2415.pdf
Orcullo, K. G., & Grefalde, J. Q. (2025). Customer Satisfaction and Challenges in Online Food Delivery: A Study in Surigao Del Sur. International Journal of Scientific Research and Management (IJSRM), 13(5), 9039-9050 https://doi.org/10.18535/ijsrm/v13i05.em12
Parwez, S., & Ranjan, R. (2021). The platform economy and the precarisation of food delivery work in the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from India. Work Organisation, Labour & Globalisation, 15(1), 11-30. https://doi.org/10.13169/workorgalaboglob.15.1.0011
Prabha, D. D. & Mathipurani, V. B. (2022). Customer satisfaction towards online food delivery systems in Coimbatore. International Journal of Research in Management Studies, 12(1), 58–65. https://ir.psgcas.ac.in/id/eprint/1746/
Prasetyo, Y. T., Tanto, H., Mariyanto, M., Hanjaya, C., Young, M. N., Persada, S. F., ... & Redi, A. A. N. P. (2021). Factors affecting customer satisfaction and loyalty in online food delivery service during the COVID-19 pandemic: Its relation with open innovation. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, And Complexity, 7(1), 76. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc7010076
Praveen, S. V., & Rokith, M. (2024). A study on the job satisfaction among food delivery employees. International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, 5(10), 4515–4518. https://ijrpr.com/uploads/V5ISSUE10/IJRPR34368.pdf
Priyadharshini, I., Gounder, N., & Saranya, T. (2024). Customer Satisfaction with Online Food Delivery Services: A Systematic Review. In Conference paper. October 2024 Conference: Artificial Intelligence and E-commerce synergies.
Ray, A., Dhir, A., Bala, P. K., & Kaur, P. (2019). Why do people use food delivery apps (FDA)? A uses and gratification theory perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 51, 221-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.05.025
Shroff, A., Shah, B. J., & Gajjar, H. (2022). Online food delivery research: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 34(8), 2852-2883. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2021-1273
Singh, A., & Park, T. (2022, June). Automating care: Online food delivery work during the covid-19 crisis in India. In Proceedings of the 2022 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, 160-172 https://doi.org/10.1145/3531146.3533082
Sugumaran, T., & Vishwanathaan, A. (2023). An analysis of gig workers and the challenges surrounding their employment. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 5(6), 1-15. https://www.ijfmr.com/papers/2023/6/9766.pdf
Sutherland, W., & Jarrahi, M. H. (2017). The gig economy and information infrastructure: The case of the digital nomad community. Proceedings of the ACM on human-computer interaction, 1(CSCW), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1145/3134732
Thuannadee, S., & Praneetpholkrang, P. (2026). Effects of service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction on behavioral intentions in platform-based online food delivery services. British Food Journal, 128(5), 1874-1892. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-05-2025-0611
Tong, L., & Sutunyarak, C. (2024). The Impact of Food Delivery Riders’ Perception of Fairness on Organizational Identification in the Digital Economy: Based on the Intermediary Perspective of Organizational Trust in the Context of Digital Technology. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 17(8), 361.https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm17080361
Useche, S. A., Traficante, S., Llamazares, F. J., & Marin, C. (2025). The human cost of fast deliveries: A systematic literature review of occupational risks and safety outcomes in last-mile delivery workers. Journal of Transport & Health, 44, 102133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2025.102133
Won, J., Lee, D., & Lee, J. (2023). Understanding experiences of food-delivery-platform workers under algorithmic management using topic modeling. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 190, 122369.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122369
Wotschack, P., Hellbach, L., & Butollo, F. (2024). Algorithmic Management in the Food-Delivery Sector–a Contested Terrain?. Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society, 4(3), 1-22.https://doi.org/10.34669/WI.WJDS/4.3.5
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal on Recent Trends in Business and Tourism (IJRTBT)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
























