Search

Dockless shared micromobility services have grown substantially in recent years, but their impact on consumer demand has remained largely unstudied. The authors estimate how the largest and fastest-growing segment of this market--the dockless electric scooter ("e-scooter") sharing industry--impacts spending in one of the largest segments of the local economy, the restaurant industry. Using data covering 391 companies in 98 U.S. cities, the authors find that the introduction of e-scooters in a city significantly impacts restaurant spending, increasing spending by approximately 5.2% for e-scooter users, driving incremental spending of at least $11.3 million annually across all cities that first allowed e-scooters to operate over summer 2018. Impact varies by restaurant subcategory, with a stronger positive effect on fast-food restaurant spending, and a weaker effect on sit-down restaurant spending. E-scooter entry has a larger impact on companies with higher historical revenues selling at lower prices. It facilitates discovery of new restaurants from prospective customers and repeat business from already-acquired customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on restaurant consumer behavior remains largely unexplored. The current paper examined how adherence to COVID-19 restrictions impacts willingness-to-pay by restaurant consumers. We examined the results of a survey of 634 participants with choice-based conjoint analysis. The results found that employees in masks, customers in masks, and seating capacity significantly impacted willingness-to-pay by restaurant consumers. Employees in masks had the largest increase on WTP while employees not wearing masks had the largest decrease on WTP. Additionally, consumers dining behavior and changes based on COVID-19 restrictions were the most accurate predictors of their post-vaccine dining behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to explain restaurant patrons' behavioral intentions toward QR code menu utilization in restaurant servicescapes (restaurant-scapes) under pandemic constraints. The study consists of 844 participants from the U.S.and employs multivariate analyses. With only five direct determinants without interaction terms, our proposed model performed better in explaining the error variance (62%) in behavioral intentions over and beyond the extant models of technology acceptance – the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model (UTAUT henceforth) and UTAUT2, both of which explain only 35% and 44% respectively. Our findings indicate the importance of an overlooked construct (Trialability) in a consumer context, particularly in servicescapes, and a contextual construct (hygiene) in explaining the intention to accept technology under the conditions originated by environmental factors (COVID-19). Technology acceptance models are middle-level theories attempting to explain behavioral intentions toward technology adoption, not general theories aiming to explain broad human behavior. This means that the extension of these theoretical models is necessary for particular contexts. Thus, contextual factors originating from environmental conditions (e.g. COVID-19) have a critical role in explaining behavioral intentions toward particular technology adoption. In a consumer context, acceptance of technology adoption is assumed as voluntary/quasi-voluntary. Therefore, practitioners should ensure that the purpose of technology adoption is obvious to customers. Additionally, first-time users, particularly, may need to receive assistance with operating the technology in restaurant-scapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines perceived value as an alternative antecedent of customer delight in the fine-dining industry. Specifically, a conceptual model is developed by bifurcating the means-end loyalty chain that depicts the hedonic and utilitarian routes to loyalty. This model encompasses the differential effect of the hedonic and utilitarian dimensions of perceived value conceptualized by Holbrook relative to customer satisfaction and customer delight and ultimately influences customer loyalty dimensions. Regression analysis suggests perceived hedonic value dimensions are more significant determinants of customer delight than utilitarian value dimensions. The findings will serve as the basis for the restaurants to develop and implement successful consumer relationship marketing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of eCCI (electronic customer-to-customer interaction) is rapidly growing as customers increasingly employ online tools to reach fellow customers and voice their opinions, especially after service failures. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, this research examines the impact of eCCI on restaurant customers, considering their need for approval. A total of 201 responses were obtained for the main experiment (Study 1). Results indicated that people with a lower need for approval reported greater social media engagement, customer-customer interaction justice, and empathy quality in the condition of positive eCCI. People with a higher need for approval exhibited similar responses on all dependent variables, regardless of the eCCI condition. The results remained stable across different restaurants' response strategies (Study 2). This paper examines the novel eCCI phenomenon and adds a new twist to the literature on CCI and customer reviews. It further offers valuable guidelines for managerial involvement in digital customer service encounters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repeat customers are crucial for business success. Previous studies have mainly focused on those factors that affect repeat patronage but ignored how repeat customers reevaluate the same service provider after consumption. We obtained a dataset containing 637,748 reviews of restaurants in New York City and used a generalized difference-in-differences design to further explore the rating behavior of local repeat customers. The results of this study contribute to theories of customer satisfaction, repeat patronage, and customer location in the context of user-generated content as repeat customers are found to be sensitive to quality variations. Such sensitivity is even accentuated by local customers. Relevant practical implications for restaurant managers are also drawn from the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how sustainable practices in restaurants affect consumer behavior through the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model. It defines sustainability with multi-faceted dimensions of sustainable food, waste management, energy/water conservation, and social engagement. This research also examines how positive emotions and perceived value mediate the relationship between consumers’ perceptions of sustainability and their behavior. Results show that sustainable practices positively impact perceived value and emotions, influencing consumer intentions toward the restaurant. The research extends the S-O-R model to restaurant sustainability and offers insights for managers to enhance customer experience. The study highlights the need for restaurants to effectively communicate their sustainability efforts, emphasizing the importance of integrating sustainability into all aspects of restaurant operations and marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most restaurants serve customers excess calories which significantly contributes to the obesity epidemic. This pilot study tested the feasibility and acceptability of offering customers standardized portions to reduce caloric consumption when dining out in three restaurants. Portions were developed to limit quantity of food served, with lunches and dinners ≤ 700 cal and breakfast ≤ 500 cal. Participating restaurants developed an alternative "Balanced Portions Menu." Training and instructions were provided with respect to the volume and weight of food to be plated following the standardized guidelines and providing at least one cup of vegetables per lunch/dinner. We invited local residents to help us evaluate the new menu. We monitored restaurant adherence to guidelines, obtained feedback from customers, and incentivized customers to complete dietary recalls to determine how the new menus might have impacted their daily caloric consumption. Of the three participating restaurants, all had a positive experience after creating the new menus and received more foot traffic. One restaurant that did not want to change portion sizes simply plated the appropriate amount and packed up the rest to-go, marketing the meals as "Dinner today, lunch tomorrow." Two of the restaurants followed the guidelines precisely, while one sometimes plated more rice than the three-fourths cup that was recommended. A significant number of customers ordered from the Balanced Portions menus. Two of the three restaurants have decided to keep offering the Balanced Portions menus indefinitely. Following standardized portions guidelines is both feasible for restaurants and acceptable to customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing interest in sustainable experiences in the tourism sector, our understanding remains limited in terms of how customers' environmental consciousness affects their behaviours toward vegan experiences. Thus, this paper explores the consequences of environmental consciousness among customers in vegan service settings. Using the responses of vegan restaurant customers, the results of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) reveal that environmental consciousness leads to positive behaviours through both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in customers. Furthermore, results of multi-group analyses show that the impact of extrinsic motivation on customers' attitudes and behavioural intentions is only significant among those who visit vegan restaurants frequently. In contrast, the impact of intrinsic motivation on customers' behaviour are significant for both customer groups. The current study contributes to existing hospitality research by exploring the consequences of customers' consciousness in the vegetarian service context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractCommunication accessibility has been defined by many scholars and organizations, but it is generally described as clear communication that everyone can access and understand. The objective of this manuscript was to assess communication accessibility for people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) within a variety of restaurant settings through interviewing five adults who utilize AAC as their primary form of communication. Interviews were qualitatively coded and revealed common communication accessibility themes restaurants and restaurant staff were not implementing, such as direct communication and increasing AAC awareness. The implications of the interview data include its potential usage in training restaurant staff and management to utilize communication accessibility tips and features to increase the communication accessibility of the restaurant patrons they serve, especially for individuals who use AAC. This could then lead researchers in creating a formal training schema for restaurants to implement into their businesses reliably and effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the sectors that has experienced the biggest changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic is the restaurant sector. It has been observed that studies focusing on the current situation of the restaurant sector after the pandemic are quite limited. This study examines consumers’ purchase intentions during restaurant visits after the Covid pandemic based on the protection motivation theory. As a result of this study, it has been revealed that protection motivation factors, which can be considered as one of the antecedents of attitudes and behaviors during the pandemic, continue after the pandemic. The study was examined in line with the data obtained from Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya, which are the three most important metropolitan cities of the country and where the pandemic danger is felt the most in Turkey between January and March 2024. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The findings have revealed that perceived severity and perceived vulnerability, which are protection motivation factors, have a significant negative effect on consumers’ purchase intentions, while perceived self-efficacy has a significant positive effect on the purchase intentions of consumers who visit restaurants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to analyze further the relationship and influence of price, customer experience on purchase intentions which is mediated by customer satisfaction on purchase intentions at the Hai Di Lao restaurant. The method used in this research is a quantitative method and was processed using AMOS. The survey was conducted on 155 respondents who met the respondent criteria using non-probability sampling. The research found that price perception, customer experience, and customer satisfaction did not significantly influence the purchase intention. Meanwhile, price perception and customer experience had a significant influence on customer satisfaction. On the other hand, price perception and customer experience also did not significantly influence purchase intention. The limitation of the research was the limited respondents, with 155 respondents domiciled in Jakarta who have visited Hai Di Lao restaurant in Jakarta. This research could be generalized more widely if the samples were taken not only from Jakarta City. The implications of this research provided managerial contributions to the food and beverages industry, especially an overview of customer experience and an understanding of the factors influencing increased purchase intentions, such as price perception, customer experience, customer satisfaction, and purchase intention. So, managers can develop a business strategic plan that aligns with internal and external company conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to understand the link between perceived innovativeness and customer satisfaction in the fine-dining catering segment. By employing a mixed-method approach, this paper proposes a multidimensional framework for measuring the perceived innovativeness of restaurants throughout the entire customer journey. Customer satisfaction was measured by considering online customer-generated data from TripAdvisor. The study not only finds a strong correlation between perceived innovativeness and customer satisfaction but also presents how fine-dining restaurants can employ user-generated data to co-innovate entire customer journeys and restaurant experiences. The results highlight menu-, service-, and customer experience-related innovativeness as the three most important criteria for fine-dining restaurant customers. Additionally, the results of the qualitative study indicate that in the context of fine-dining catering, the quality of the dishes, the service, and the customers' experience with the service staff and chefs are the main elements of satisfaction that restaurants should consider in promoting innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants faced a shift from a dine-in based service model to a takeout-based model. As a result of the qualitative differences between dine-in and take-out experiences, there was a corresponding change in customers' electronic word of mouth (EWOM) behavior. While pre-pandemic EWOM behavior relied on dine-in specific factors such as décor, lighting, and employee interactions, take-out dining relies less on these types of atmospheric elements to drive post-consumption evaluations. Accordingly, the purpose of this research was to explore the drivers of take-out dining EWOM by examining the effects of altruism, self-enhancement, and restaurant affiliation. Using the psychological framework of Underdog Theory, the results showed that both self-enhancement and altruistic motives result in positive EWOM, but that this relationship was moderated in important ways based on whether the restaurant was independently owned or part of a chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Cloud Kitchens" are delivery-only facilities that house multiple restaurants. Food-delivery platforms operate such kitchens to exploit two advantages: (a) Location advantage, arising due to a cloud-kitchen's central location—this enables lower delivery times to customers. (b) Consolidation advantage, which accrues when multiple restaurants choose to co-locate at the cloud kitchen—this enables the platform to use a common pool of delivery drivers, thereby reducing costs. However, a cloud-kitchen's eventual impacts on both the restaurants and the platform are intricately connected through their respective decisions—namely, the restaurants' location decisions and the platform's delivery capacity and delivery time. We examine conditions under which a cloud kitchen simultaneously benefits the primary stakeholders: delivery platform, restaurants, and customers. Our game-theoretic analysis considers two restaurants and a delivery platform. The restaurants simultaneously decide whether to stay at their initial (extreme) locations or relocate to a centrally located cloud kitchen. The platform decides the driver headcount and the delivery times for customers. In line with industry trends, we show that as population density increases beyond a threshold, the restaurants co-locating at the cloud kitchen is first a Pareto-dominant equilibrium and then the unique equilibrium. The platform and customers also prefer this equilibrium, leading to a win-win-win for the stakeholders. A cloud-kitchen's benefit to the platform further increases as the drivers' operational environment becomes more constrained, i.e. drivers' carry-limit and speed decrease, and driver cost increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes investigating the effect of food value on food bloggers' reviews (i.e., the direct effect) and the customers' purchase intentions (i.e., the direct and indirect effects) of fast-food restaurants. In addition, this study examines the moderating role of content credibility on food blogger reviews and customers' purchase intention relationships. The quantitative method is used in this study to gather data from fast-food restaurant customers in Cairo, Egypt. Where 450 questionnaires were given out to fast-food restaurant customers, 354 valid questionnaires were gathered for analysis. The data were analyzed using SPSS and Amos software. Food value positively influences food bloggers' reviews and fast-food restaurant customers' purchasing intentions. Additionally, this research found that food blogger reviews mediate a positive relationship between food value and fast-food restaurant customers' intentions to purchase. Importantly, this study discovered that content credibility has a positive moderating impact on the relationship between food blogger reviews and the purchase intention of fast-food restaurant customers. The study contributes to the literature on tourism and hospitality, where we employed food value as a decisive and influencing factor in improving food bloggers' reviews and thus influencing fast -food restaurant customers' intention to purchase. Thus, fast-food restaurant managers should create all the suggested food values because of their impact on food bloggers' reviews and customers' intentions to purchase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most research in the field of customer engagement employs multi-item measures that are comceptualised as three-dimensional and reflective models. This leaves room to suggest an alternative approach for defining and operationalising the construct. From a behavioural standpoint, we propose a higher-order formative measurement model (FMM) underlying customer engagement behaviours (CEBs) in the context of Facebook fan pages. Data from 259 restaurant customers show that the FMM works well, both theoretically and empirically, and that CEBs include eight dimensions and 16 indices. We also apply text mining (TM) techniques to analyse customers' Facebook posts. The findings indicate that some dimensions identified by the FMM could not be extracted using TM, and the TM analysis provided clues regarding the FMM indices; the two approaches complement rather than compete with each other. These results serve as a basis for scale development in future research, and provide guidelines for managers to enhance long-term customer relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of mobile technology, mobile payment services are some of the fastest growing transaction systems in the industry. However, studies of mobile payment systems have focused on retailing settings; few studies have examined them in the service setting. Thus, this research explores the effects of mobile payment system–related characteristics (i.e. perceived ubiquity, perceived security, perceived ease of use, perceived cost) on customers' intentions to use mobile payments in the restaurant setting. An online survey (n = 370⁣) was conducted in the United States. The data are analyzed by partial least squared-structured equation modeling. The study results demonstrate that restaurant customers' intentions to use mobile payment are largely determined by perceived usefulness, trust, and attitude. Among them, perceived usefulness is the most important factor for predicting customers' intentions across different types of mobile payment systems (i.e. mobile proximity payment, mobile peer-to-peer payment, mobile in-app payment). These findings have useful theoretical and practical implications for better understanding customers' mobile payment usage behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents three studies where we probe aesthetics strategies of sound produced by movement sonification of a Pepper robot by mapping its movements to sound models. We developed two sets of sound models. The first set was made by two sound models, a sawtooth-based one and another based on feedback chains, for investigating how the perception of synthesized robot sounds would depend on their design complexity. We implemented the second set of sound models for probing the "materiality" of sound made by a robot in motion. This set consisted of a sound synthesis based on an engine highlighting the robot's internal mechanisms, a metallic sound synthesis highlighting the robot's typical appearance, and a whoosh sound synthesis highlighting the movement. We conducted three studies. The first study explores how the first set of sound models can influence the perception of expressive gestures of a Pepper robot through an online survey. In the second study, we carried out an experiment in a museum installation with a Pepper robot presented in two scenarios: (1) while welcoming patrons into a restaurant and (2) while providing information to visitors in a shopping center. Finally, in the third study, we conducted an online survey with stimuli similar to those used in the second study. Our findings suggest that participants preferred more complex sound models for the sonification of robot movements. Concerning the materiality, participants liked better subtle sounds that blend well with the ambient sound (i.e., less distracting) and soundscapes in which sound sources can be identified. Also, sound preferences varied depending on the context in which participants experienced the robot-generated sounds (e.g., as a live museum installation vs. an online display). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, the catering industry has returned to its previous thriving scene. Many restaurants have launched group buying services and collaborate with third-party online platforms to attract more customers. For the optimal decisions and maximum profits of restaurants and online platforms, a two-layer supply chain model is designed to investigate and study the price strategies and service strategies. Considering the service levels of restaurants and platforms, we construct the mathematical expressions of the offline retail model, online retail model, and online group buying model, respectively, and solve the game equilibrium. The results are shown as follows: (1) With cooperation between the restaurant and platform, both the restaurant and platform can obtain their maximum profits when they apply optimal pricing strategies. (2) The optimal pricing strategies of the restaurant are influenced by the sensitivity coefficients of customers to the restaurant and platform's service levels, and the cost coefficients of the restaurant and platform's service levels. (3) The maximum profit of the restaurant is directly proportional to the number of new potential consumers who are attracted. The more potential consumers who are attracted, the higher the profit the restaurant earns. The research results provide a reference for restaurants and platforms to formulate price strategies and service strategies, to help restaurants and platforms achieve more profits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Many restaurants offer high-quality service to their customers, hoping to provide memorable experiences that influence their loyalty and electronic word of mouth (eWOM). However, consumers' memorable experiences do not always imply positive eWOM. This study aims to (1) verify the direct impacts of the perceived quality by consumers of casual dining restaurants on positive emotions, negative emotions and memorable experiences; (2) investigate the impacts of memorable experiences on the propensity to loyalty and eWOM; (3) test the moderating effect of consumer behavioural engagement on social networking sites (CBE-SNS) on the relationship between memorable experiences and eWOM. Design/methodology/approach: This survey included 475 university students in Brazil. Participants answered an electronic form about their experiences in casual dining restaurants. Structural equation modelling tested the hypothetical model based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory (Mehrabian and Russell, 1974). Findings: The quality perceived by restaurant consumers (stimulus) positively impacts their memorable experiences and positive emotions and negatively affects their negative emotions (organism). Memorable experiences positively impact the propensity to loyalty (response). The CBE-SNS moderates the intensity of the relationship between memorable experiences (organism) and eWOM (response). Originality/value: This study is the first that demonstrates the relationships between perceived quality, positive and negative emotions, memorable experiences, the propensity to loyalty and CBE-SNS and e-WOM in restaurants. Casual dining restaurants must offer their customers services with high perceived quality, positively impacting their emotions and their memorable experiences. Finally, restaurants must create strategies and actions to increase the CBE-SNS to encourage them to share their memorable experiences through eWOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study investigates the importance consumers place on four restaurant dining facets (design, ambience, sociability, food and beverage) to ascertain how these elements contribute to memorable dining experience (MDEs). Restaurant formality and restaurant dining involvement were explored as additional influencing factors within the context of MDEs. Data were collected using an online survey administered to a sample of American diners. Through a measurement model approach, all four facets were found to define restaurant dining environment under MDEs. The findings provide meaningful insights to restaurant managers about how the dining environment of a restaurant can influence consumers' experience in terms of co-creating memorability. These insights are particularly relevant in the post-pandemic era, when the way consumers interact with restaurant environments may change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the coronavirus pandemic, many restaurants have redesigned their technology infrastructure to adapt to the new business conditions and continue their operations. Based on the affordances theory, this research examines the role of affordances provided by information technology in facilitating consumer tasks such as menu access, ordering, fulfillment, and acquiring information regarding restaurants' compliance with health recommendations. Based on data from 600 U.S. restaurant consumers, this research conducted three online experiments. It was found that the menu access mode and website type interaction influence consumers' intentions to recommend the restaurant on social media (MS = 10.457, p <.01). It was also found that the payment type influences consumers' intentions to use contact reducing technology (MS = 7.029, p <.01) and that the types of images presented on restaurant websites influence consumers' tipping behaviors (MS = 445.846, p <.05). As the first study to examine restaurants' technology affordances and their impact on consumer behavior during the pandemic, this study provides several important theoretical and practical contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Technology is the property of Emerald Publishing Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This research, by adopting the Societal Marketing approach, aims to identify and categorize the antecedents and consequences of online consumer-brand engagement in the foodservice industry at three dimensions of consumer, society, and brand. A total of 46 interviews were conducted with Iranian Instagram users who manifested some behavioral engagement activities on restaurants/coffee shops pages. Then, by applying thematic analysis, the antecedents and consequences of engagement at three dimensions were extracted. The research suggested some valuable insights on how marketers should improve consumer- and society-related antecedents as well as brand-related antecedents to persuade consumers to engage with the brand pages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore consumers' attention patterns and information search behaviors when they make online restaurant decisions on consumer review websites. Eye-tracking experiments and retrospective think-aloud interviews were conducted with 30 participants. In the browsing stage, the company-generated advertisements attracted most attention from consumers on one website; however, the attracted attention was not impactful on their dining decisions. In the deliberation stage, instead of reading the user-generated reviews in details, consumers skimmed through reviews; and their attention was attracted more to images embedded within the reviews. In addition, participants verbalized their overall preferences of information that helped them make quick decisions such as images and filter. This study provides valuable insights for hospitality researchers and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate customer technostress antecedents and consequences of the restaurants' food-ordering apps and suggest a coping strategy (i.e., customer orientation). This qualitative study relied on twenty-three semi-structured interviews with Egyptian restaurant customers and managers to understand the customer technostress caused when using food-ordering apps. The study found that restaurant customers experience technostress due to app complexity, security and privacy concerns, frequent app changes, feelings of diminished control, and time constraints. These app-related techno stressors cause customer dissatisfaction and purchasing reluctance. The study also found that not all restaurants adopt a responsive and proactive customer orientation to reduce food-ordering app technostress. However, customers were satisfied with proactive restaurants revealing technostress from food-ordering apps. This study is the first research in the hospitality industry to use Transactional Stress Theory (TST) to investigate the antecedents and consequences and suggest a customer orientation as a coping strategy of customer technostress from food-ordering apps from the perspectives of customers and restaurant managers. As a result, restaurants can be proactive and responsively customer-oriented to overcome customer technostress from food-ordering apps by considering the customers' concerns to satisfy and retain customers and attract new ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine how customers' perceptions of the quality and credibility of restaurants' food safety information influence customers' information adoption and, consequently, their trust in the restaurant and purchase intention. It also explores the moderating effects of customers' food safety knowledge and health consciousness. Design/methodology/approach: Participants were asked to read a food safety message from a chain restaurant's website before taking a self-administered online survey. Using a cross-sectional design, a total of 526 valid responses were collected in the USA through Amazon Mechanical Turk. A two-step approach consisting of a measurement model and a structural equation model was applied to test the direct and indirect effects. Additionally, hierarchical regression models were developed to test the moderating effects. Findings: Results show that perceived information quality significantly affects perceived information credibility and has a significant direct and indirect influence on information adoption. Furthermore, information adoption has a direct positive influence on customers' trust in the restaurant and an indirect effect on purchase intention (full mediation effect of trust). Finally, the moderation effects of health consciousness and food safety knowledge were supported. Practical implications: Restaurateurs can apply research findings to increase the likelihood that customers adopt their food safety information and to enhance customers' trust and, consequently, purchase intention in restaurants. Originality/value: Reflecting on framing theory and information processing theory, this study examines the ways that customers process restaurants' food safety information by developing an original conceptual framework with strong empirical data support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in promoting healthy food consumption choices on the part of individual companies, little research has been conducted from these perspectives of the customers. This absence is especially significant considering how CSR influences customers' perceptions, behavioral intentions in service encounters, and the role of brand equity in the restaurant industry. To fill this research gap, the current study sought to examine the impact of consumers' perceptions of CSR, including their health-focused practices, on dining intentions in restaurants within the Unites States. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, and the results revealed that CSR has a positive correlation with customer satisfaction, and that both customer satisfaction and trust are significantly related to brand equity. Consumers' perceived importance of CSR, their satisfaction with and trust toward the company, and brand equity all have significant impacts on their revisit intentions to restaurants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Marketing of Scientific & Research Organizations / Marketing Instytucji Naukowych i Badawczych is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: This study aims, first, to understand consumers' perception of chefs as human brands (i.e. study one). Second, tests were run to assess the validity of a new conceptual model of the relationships between the factors of chef image, luxury restaurant image, both images' congruity and consumers' hedonic and novelty experiences and happiness and well-being (i.e. study two). Design/methodology/approach: The first qualitative study involved using Leximancer software to analyse the data drawn from 43 interviews with luxury restaurant clients. In the second quantitative study, 993 valid survey questionnaires were collected, and the proposed model was tested using structural equation modelling. Findings: The results reveal that consumers perceive chefs as human brands and the associated narratives include both performance- and popularity-based characteristics. The findings support the conclusion that individuals give great importance to chefs' image and the congruence between chefs and their restaurant's image. In addition, luxury restaurant image only affects novelty experiences, and both hedonic and novelty experiences have a positive effect on customers' happiness and well-being. Research limitations/implications: This research focused on Portuguese luxury restaurants. The consumers' happiness and well-being needs to be replaced by other outcomes to confirm if the model produces consistent results. Practical implications: The results should help luxury restaurant managers understand more fully which pull factors are valued by their clients and which aspects contribute the most to their pleasure and welfare. Originality/value: This study adds to the extant literature by exploring consumers' perceptions of chefs as human brands and the role these chefs' image play in customers' luxury restaurant experiences and perceived happiness and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developments of digital technology have strengthened the diversified interaction and coordination among industries, consumers, and suppliers. These have boosted the rapid rise of online food delivery platforms, thus creating an ecosystem connecting restaurants and consumers. The rise of online food delivery platforms not only gives consumers more options but also enables restaurants to discover more potential consumers through platform resources. While the rise of delivery platforms is a trend, it has numerous challenges. To explore these problems, this study collects relevant parameters, a tripartite evolutionary game model among platforms, restaurants, and consumers based on the participants' bounded rationality is established. Meanwhile, the dynamic changes of the strategy evolution within the three groups are described and the equilibrium point through the replicator dynamics equation is solved. This study adopts the Jacobian matrix to analyze the stability of the equilibrium point of the evolutionary game to determine the main factors of the best strategy. In addition, the numerical simulation analysis is used to analyze the evolution path and equilibrium state among these three groups. The results show that if the additional expected benefits of using high-efficiency platforms are improved, consumers will be willing to choose delivery platforms. In order to increase the expected benefits of consumers using the delivery platform, it can provide a variety of meal choices, or allow consumers to choose a variety of different payment methods. This study analyzes the strategy selection behavior of the three groups and proposes managerial implications so that strategic advices can be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to explore how different types of rewards affect customers’ inclinations to engage in environmental activities promoted through restaurant social media platforms. In addition, we investigated the potential moderating role of customer level of participation within the social media community. A total of 202 valid responses obtained by distributing a self-administered survey among restaurant patrons were subjected to hierarchical regression analysis to examine relationships between variables. The findings underscored the significant influence of economic and social rewards on shaping customer intent to participate in environmental initiatives promoted within restaurant social media communities. Furthermore, the study revealed that the extent of customer participation within the social media community moderated the relationship between rewards and their likelihood to partake in environmentally conscious behaviors. These results have meaningful implications for restaurant managers seeking to promote environmental initiatives effectively through social media platforms and within their establishments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, many restaurants were forced to discontinue in-person service, either by locking down or finding alternative methods of operation. Despite the fact that, in the United States of America, digital restaurants have already been established for many years, in Greece, this phenomenon became popular during the pandemic. These delivery-only companies operate exclusively online, allowing customers to place orders from restaurants without a physical location. This has revolutionized the process of ordering food, as customers can browse digital menus, view images, and utilize other options provided by digital food technology. As a result, customers have had new experiences with food thanks to digital eateries during the pandemic. This research study is quantitative and utilized a questionnaire distributed to 1097 participating consumers over the internet. The sample was selected using straightforward random sampling, where each member of the population had an equal and unique chance of participating in the survey. The data were collected over a period of 2 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent findings indicate that one-third of man-made greenhouse gas emissions are due to the global food system. Given these findings, several food retailers and restaurants have been exploring ways to communicate carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) information to consumers to provide objectively reliable estimates of emissions associated with individual menu items. Drawing from these retailer innovations and literatures on choice architecture and restaurant calorie labeling, we assess how consumer perceptions about CO2e emissions correspond to objective levels for a pool of restaurant items. We then show how various disclosures of CO2e emissions information, including positive, negative, and neutral formats, may affect results. We also show how CO2e disclosures lead to favorable restaurant outcomes, both directly and indirectly. Results have implications for restaurant management interested in disclosing emission information to consumers and for governmental and nongovernmental agencies interested in marketplace innovations to address global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a contradictory dynamic in how Instagram seems to promote both profligate consumption habits in disregard of health and unprecedented health anxieties where people micromanage every ingredient they consume. Far from inhabiting disparate social worlds, these themes often coalesce within the same image. We argue that this phenomenon reflects consumers' attempts to navigate a neoliberal double bind that simultaneously pressures them toward both dysfunctional extremes. By emphasizing the centrality of a politics of indulgence to US ideological warfare, especially during the Green Revolution, we interrogate a key limitation of much critical food scholarship in its reductive equation of whiteness and power with food discipline and thinness. We draw on postcolonial scholarship on mestiza/o whiteness and code-switching to argue that neocolonial privilege is better understood as the mobility to code-switch between the vocabularies of discipline and indulgence without being confined to one or the other. Then, we analyze Instagram food posts taken by customers at organic restaurants in urban Philippines, reading them as innovative but never innocent contestations against the double binds of discipline/indulgence and mestiza/o whiteness while highlighting the rich historical and cultural contingency of their meaning-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effect on the customer brand engagement (CBE) of followers of an eco-friendly restaurant of their perceptions of the originality of the firm-generated content posted online by the restaurant and the effect of CBE on brand advocacy and behavioural intentions to visit the restaurant, paying special attention to the moderating role of past visits to the restaurant. Design/methodology/approach: The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling with a sample of 491 female Instagram users who follow the online account of a particular eco-friendly dining establishment. Two group comparisons were conducted to test the moderating effects in relationships between CBE and consumer–brand interactions (behavioural intentions to visit the restaurant and brand advocacy). Findings: Followers' perceptions of the originality of the material posted by the eco-friendly restaurant had a positive influence on CBE which, in turn, affected brand advocacy and behavioural intentions to visit the restaurant. Past visits moderated the relationship between CBE and consumer–brand interactions. Practical implications: This study offers restaurants an understanding of how to develop marketing strategies targeted at females on visual-based social networks; it is shown that original posts encourage favourable responses, such as CBE, brand advocacy and behavioural intentions. Managers should organise events and invite their female followers to visit the restaurant. Originality/value: This study adds to the knowledge about customer engagement by explaining how firm-generated content posted on Instagram drives CBE and provides specific suggestions as to how restauranteurs might engage online with their clients. This study goes beyond direct effects and analyses the moderating role of past visits to the restaurant on the relationships between CBE and consumer–brand interactions (visiting intentions and brand advocacy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent COVID‐19 pandemic experience intensified the significance of hygiene in the service industry. It is crucial to measure how service practice adaptations and technology adoptions in servicescapes have been perceived by customers regarding hygiene in the post‐COVID‐19 era. However, the extant hygiene scales do not serve the purpose to measure hygiene contributions of technology‐specific and service practice‐specific changes. Thus, the purpose of this research was to develop a multi‐item unidimensional perceived hygiene construct. Sequential mixed‐methods research (Qual‐Quan) was employed. Participants were sampled among restaurant patrons. A four‐item perceived hygiene development (pHd) construct was successfully developed. Hospitality and service researchers and practitioners can utilize this scale to measure perceived hygiene improvements of particular technology adoptions and service practice adaptations in service settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The restaurant industry has yet to fully embrace revenue management (RM) in the form of peak-load pricing. Restaurateurs fear customers' reactions to price increases could negatively impact their satisfaction and return intentions. In this study an experimental design was used to examine if the explanation provided to customers of a hypothetical restaurant that implemented peak-load menu pricing during periods of high (peak) demand would predict customers' reactions. Reactions assessed included respondents' suspicion of the restaurant, perceptions of pricing fairness and price-value, satisfaction, and return intentions. Additionally, the moderating effects of customers' familiarity with RM and the direct effects of decisional control and income were assessed. Data from 409 respondents showed that higher suspicion was negatively associated with perceptions of pricing fairness and price-value, satisfaction, and return intentions during peak-demand periods (weekends). These lower return intentions, however, were also found for off-peak demand periods (weekdays) when no price increase had been implemented. The results suggest that suspicion, once activated, can lead to customer loss during both peak and off-peak demand periods, and that restaurant operators wanting to use peak-load pricing must carefully consider various factors in its implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cheese dips are an expanding category sold as ready to eat (RTE) in grocery stores or served hot in restaurants (RST). The purpose of this study was to determine key consumer attributes for cheese dips and evaluate if key drivers of purchase for cheese dips were distinct between grocery store or restaurant purchase. An online survey (n = 931) was conducted. Participants were asked two different sets of questions based on the location they most frequently purchased and consumed cheese dip in the past 6 months, at a restaurant (n = 480) or from a grocery store (n = 451). Consumers first evaluated psychographic and agree/disagree questions regarding cheese dip and then completed maximum difference exercises focused on color and other extrinsic cheese dip attributes. Finally, an adaptive choice‐based conjoint was used to determine the relative importance of cheese dip attributes. Clustering of conjoint utility scores revealed differences in preference for spiciness, but similar preferences for other attributes within both consumer groups. RTE and RST consumers indicated that their ideal cheese dip was white in color, moderately thick, and of medium spiciness with small visible pepper pieces and jalapeno pepper flavor. For both consumer groups, spiciness was the most important characteristic of cheese dips, followed by package for RTE consumers and pepper flavor and consistency for RST consumers. Regardless of consumption context, consumers have similar ideal characteristics for cheese dips. Practical Application: The primary drivers of purchase for cheese dip consumers are similar, regardless of context. Segmentation of consumer preferences reveals opportunities for product innovation. The data collected will aid in product development of cheese dips that better meet the needs of consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores consumers' restaurant dining perceptions and experiences during the COVID-19 era to propose a model of restaurant dining perceptions and experiences during a pandemic. Therefore, it also examines the link between restaurant dining perceptions and experiences. Adopting a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with restaurant consumers and examined through content analysis. The findings reveal that consumers' fear and anxiety cause them to keep away from dining out at restaurants. Furthermore, restaurant experience is mainly determined by consumers' negative perceptions and restaurant choosing criteria. Finally, a model explaining the inter-relationships of restaurant dining perceptions, experiences, and restaurant selecting criteria was presented. This paper fills the gap in the literature by exploring Turkish customers' restaurant dining perceptions and experiences during the COVID-19 health crisis. Understanding restaurant customers' dining perceptions and experiences will be beneficial for both scholars and practitioners to draw a picture of restaurant customers' perceptions and experiences during a pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularization of the Internet and the convenience of e-commerce are driving the online restaurant industry's rapid development of worldwide. However, serious information asymmetries in online food delivery (OFD) transactions not only aggravate food safety risks, resulting in simultaneous government and market failures, but also intensify consumers' perceived risks. This paper innovatively constructs a research framework for the governance participation willingness of OFD platform restaurants and consumers under the moderating effects of perceived risks from the perspective of control theory and then develops scales for analyzing the governance willingness of both restaurants and consumers. Using data collected through a survey, this paper explores the effect of control elements on governance participation by restaurants and consumers and analyzes the moderating effects of perceived food safety risks. Results showed that both government regulations and restaurant reputation (formal control elements) and online complaints and restaurant management response (informal control elements) can increase governance participation willingness among both platform restaurants and consumers. The moderating effects of perceived risks are partially significant. When the risks perceived by restaurants and consumers are strong, government regulation and online complaints can more effectively boost the governance participation willingness of restaurants and consumers, respectively. At this moment, consumers' willingness to pursue problem solving through online complaints is evidently enhanced. Accordingly, the perceived risks and the online complaints jointly motivate restaurants and consumers to participate in governance activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to answer the following research question: What is the difference in the open innovation and multi-homing of the smart delivery industry among Cardiff, Daegu, and Nanjing according to the maturity of the restaurant industry of the capitalist economies they belong to? By comparing open innovation and multi-homing of delivery platforms of the three cities representing different alongside the maturity of the restaurant industry in capitalist economies, the evaluation dynamics and focal points of the delivery platform industry, this study is based on an interview method in combination with participatory observation of deliverers, customers and restaurants of the three cities: (1) Cardiff with matured restaurant industry; (2) Daegu with an unmatured restaurant industry; (3) Nanjing with the growth of the restaurant industry. The findings of this research are as follows: (1) Existing industries can disturb the growth of the delivery platform industry; (2) Multi-homing motivates a high labour state of deliverers, the acceptance of restaurants by customers and customer surplus; (3) Motivating open innovation in delivery platforms can maintain a high level after maturity stage. The study concludes that the balance between open innovation and the multi-homing of a three-sided delivery platform is the way to sustainable development to conquer the effects of the gig economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since early 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted various supply chains including the on-demand food delivery sector. As a result, this service industry has witnessed a tremendous spike in demand that is affecting its delivery operations at the downstream level. Previous research studies have explored one-to-one and many-to-one solutions to the virtual food court delivery problem (VFCDP) to optimize on-demand food delivery services in different cities. However, research efforts have been limited to multiple restaurant orders from only one customer which does not apply to traditional systems where multiple customers request on-demand food delivery from multiple restaurants. This study rigorously analyses multiple restaurants to multiple customers (Many-to-many) food delivery simulation models in ideal weather conditions that are constrained with multiple key performance indicators (KPIs) such as delivery fleet utilization (the number of couriers utilized over the fleet size), average order delivery time, and fuel costs. This research also benchmarks the on-demand food delivery queueing methodologies using system dynamics and agent-based simulation modeling where three on-demand food delivery routing methodologies are simulated including First-in-First-Out (FIFO), Nearest, and Simulated Annealing using AnyLogic. The results suggest that the Many-to-many (Nearest) method outperforms other delivery routing methods which would have positive implications on optimizing existing food delivery systems and managerial decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]