This study identifies potentially contaminated surfaces in school dining areas and compared objective contamination levels with subjective hygiene perceptions. It also examines occupational differences to reveal perception–reality gaps and their implications for foodservice management.
A mixed-methods design was employed, integrating focus group interviews, a structured survey (n = 568) and adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence testing across 11 elementary schools in Seoul. Subjective perceptions were systematically compared with ATP-based contamination levels across four occupational groups: school dietitians, kitchen staff, serving assistants and homeroom teachers.
High-touch but low-visibility surfaces, such as table edges, exhibited pronounced perception–reality gaps, exposing hygiene blind spots often overlooked in routine inspections. Kitchen staff and serving assistants generally perceived surfaces as cleaner than they were, reflecting in-group bias. However, absolute gap analyses indicated that frontline staff’s perceptions aligned more closely with ATP results, suggesting greater accuracy through direct operational involvement.
Hygiene management should be regarded not merely as a technical procedure but also as an educational and organizational priority. Reducing perception–reality gaps and aligning hygiene conditions with stakeholder expectations require stronger staff training and a service-oriented culture, with objective tools such as ATP testing providing effective support.
This study provides novel evidence linking role identity and cognitive bias to hygiene perceptions in institutional foodservice. By examining intra-staff differences, it extends service quality research beyond the customer perspective and proposes a new theoretical framework connecting occupational roles with hygiene perception.
