Hidden restaurant sanitation inspection results: A weekday and monthly examination of reported data

This study investigates the short- and long-term effects of time on restaurant sanitation inspection results in Montgomery County (USA). Restaurants are an important constituent of the hospitality industry and could benefit from a time-based dynamic approach towards preventing foodborne-related crises. This investigation contributes to advancing the literature by providing building blocks for future theory development, and by highlighting the short- and long-term variations in restaurant sanitation inspection results, accentuating both a disseminated and holistic approach to restaurant sanitation risks. The methodology consists of data coding and frequency analysis, followed by logistic regression estimation (Firthlogit), and index calculations based on consumer confidence methodology. The results indicate that each of the critical inspection indicators had a high propensity to influence non-compliance outcomes, but some shortcomings were noted during certain weekdays. Also, overall monthly compliance showed deviating patterns. The findings provide management with new insights into the risk dynamics of restaurant sanitation.     

Understanding and projecting the restaurantscape: The influence of neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics on restaurant location

To better understand the location patterns of different types of restaurants across the United States, we investigate the relationship between neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics and restaurant location using a unique data set from 2013 covering 30,772 U.S. zip codes. The estimation results from negative binomial regression models confirm the significant impacts of various sociodemographic factors (e.g., population density, median age, median household income, average household size, educational attainment, gender distribution, housing tenure, neighborhood urbanization) on restaurant location. We also project future restaurant growth potential based on model estimates and projected changes in sociodemographic characteristics by 2020. The results are analyzed, and several metropolitan areas in Texas and Florida are identified as having high potential for growth. Lastly, implications are provided for restaurant real estate practitioners.     

Firm growth patterns: Examining the associations with firm size and internationalization

Understanding the growth patterns of an industry is essential for establishing sustainable growth strategies. However, until recently little had been known about restaurant firm growth patterns. Thus, this study examined the growth patterns of restaurant firms in association with firm size class and internationalization, after controlling for total and long-term debt leverage, retained earnings, and growth opportunity. Overall, the results of this study showed that small restaurant firms grow faster than large restaurant firms but the growth rate decreases as firm size increases. Furthermore, the growth rate of large firms decreased more slowly than small firms. In terms of internationalization, this study found that as firm size increases, the growth rate of small international firms decreases more rapidly than that of small domestic firms. However, the growth rate of large international firms decreases more slowly than that of large domestic firms. These findings indicate the appropriateness of internationalization strategies for large restaurant firms but the inappropriateness of these strategies for small firms. More detailed results and discussion are also provided.     

Eye movements on restaurant menus: A revisitation on gaze motion and consumer scanpaths

Menu designers have based design tactics on roughly applied psychological foundations. In particular, attention and memory-based design placement strategies are founded upon assumptions which necessitate a clear idea of consumer eye movement sequences across restaurant menus. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, a review of academic and practitioner literature is presented to frame the current discussion on gaze motion patterns as applied to restaurant menus. Second, the results of an eye-tracker study are presented as an empirical and more quantitatively analyzed replication of past restaurant gaze-motion studies. Results offer an average menu scanpath, show that observed consumer scanpaths differ from those anecdotally espoused by industry, and suggest traditional menu “sweet spots” may not exist.     

Analysis of the financial practices of high and low performing firms over periods of peaks and troughs of the restaurant industry cycle

This study examined the financial practices of high and low performing firms in the restaurant business over the industry cycles. The purpose is to determine whether differences exist in the financial practices of high performers versus low performers during different stages of the cycle. In this manner, this study is able to reveal the nature of financial practices of successful firms in the restaurant business. Results show that the patterns of exercising their financial strategy over the industry cycles are significantly different. The findings of this study can be used for improving corporate investment performance through understanding the cyclical behavior of the economy and the restaurant industry. This should then presumably result in competitive investment decisions of various firms, thereby improving the effectiveness of resource allocation.     

Hourly Employee Retention Factors in the Quick Service Restaurant Industry

Abstract

Hourly employee retention in the quick service restaurant industry has long been a major area of concern for both operators and multi-unit restaurant decision makers. While numerous studies concentrated on managers' perceptions on why employees leave, few have explored the employees' perceptions on employment characteristics that kept them from changing jobs. The study employed a self-administered questionnaire and asked 233 quick service restaurant employees in the Midwestern region of the United States to rate the importance of and their experience with 20 employment characteristics of their job. The findings revealed that the most important employment characteristics were nice people to work with, humane approach to employees, and hourly wages. In addition, the study showed statistically significant differences between the level of importance and the level of experience attached to 18 out of 20 employment characteristics, which could explain the high turnover and low retention of employees in the industry. Implications for management are discussed.     

The effects of ambient temperature changes on foodborne illness outbreaks associated with the restaurant industry

Foodborne illness outbreaks generate serious socioeconomic costs in the United States. Among many causes, the effects of weather change and the habit of frequently dining out at restaurants are very important topics for researchers, because ambient temperature change may influence the entire process of food consumption from farms to tables, and restaurants are considered to be the most predominant single location responsible for foodborne illness outbreaks. However, few studies have examined both factors simultaneously, although empirical findings support a significant relationship between each factor and foodborne illness outbreaks. Therefore, the objective of this study is to link the effects of ambient temperature change with foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant business settings. Furthermore, this study aims to identify how restaurant firms have performed compared with others in regard to foodborne illness outbreaks. Finally, this study intends to suggest how restaurant firms can reduce or prevent the prevalence of foodborne illness outbreaks.     

An exploratory study of managerial compensation in the restaurant industry

ABSTRACT

Set within the human capital framework, the focus of this exploratory study is to investigate how individual and industry attributes affect the earnings of salaried restaurant managers in the United States. Previous compensation studies in the restaurant industry have almost exclusively focused on executive compensation and its relationship to a firm's financial variables. Given the size of the industry, it is important to investigate compensation practices at various levels of its leadership. The findings show that relevant work experience, gender, education, race, and property size are significant attributes effecting restaurant managers’ compensation. Practical implications are provided.     

Senior citizens and their dining-out traits: Implications for restaurants

Continuing and rapid growth of the mature population in Taiwan has forced the restaurant industry to prepare for substantial social and demographic changes. This study used a telephone survey to elicit attributes important to the restaurant patronage behaviors of consumers aged 65 and older who lived independently. The variables examined include a battery of demographic and health-related variables, a series of motivation attributes, restaurant selection criteria, and measures of consumer's restaurant patronage behaviors. Two distinctive segments were identified; frequent and convenience restaurant patrons, and occasional and family restaurant patrons. The results of this study of mature consumer's restaurant patronage behavior have several implications for this increasingly important and prominent segment of the restaurant consumer marketplace.     

Restaurant's decision to purchase local foods: Influence of value chain activities

In this paper we investigate how restaurant managements’ attitudes and behaviors influence decisions to purchase local foods as inputs to their products. An enhanced investigation of chefs’ and managers’ decision-making criteria could improve understanding of local food systems linkages with the restaurant industry. We apply a value chain framework to investigate activities that influence restaurants’ decision to purchase local foods. Results indicate that attitudes and behaviors associated with sourcing and product characteristics play an important role in local food purchase decisions in the restaurant value chain. Order processing time and uniqueness of products are the most significant reasons in restaurant managements’ decisions to purchase local foods. The implications of these findings for restaurants and producers are discussed. Our study contributes to the literature by expanding upon the criteria used by restaurants to make local food purchasing decisions.     

Retention Factors of Tipped Hourly Employees in the Casual Dining Restaurant Segment: Exploratory Research in Central Florida

ABSTRACT

Hourly employee retention has been a major area of concern for casual dining restaurant operators. The current exploratory research employed a self-administered questionnaire asking 96 tipped casual dining restaurant hourly employees from 12 different restaurants in the Central Florida region of the United States to rate the importance of 21 employment characteristics of their job and their actual experience with these employment characteristics. The findings revealed that the most important employment characteristics were: flexible working hours, consistent working hours, and nice people to work with. These findings differed from a similar previous study done in 2004 with quick service restaurant employees who rated nice people to work with, humane approach to employees, and hourly wages as the most important employment characteristics. The current study showed statistically significant differences between the level of importance and actual experience attached to 18 of the 21 employment characteristics, which could explain some potential areas of misperception between hourly employees and managers in the industry. These variations can consequently help to explain the high turnover and low retention of employees in the tipped positions in the casual dining restaurant industry. Implications for management are discussed.     

Hedonic adaptation and satiation: Understanding switching behavior in the restaurant industry

The role of satiation as a determinant of restaurant patronage has been the subject of increasing research attention. The purpose of this research is to further consider the relationship between satiation and switching behavior in the restaurant industry. Specifically, we seek to address the mediating mechanism of service quality in this framework. Based on the related tenets of diminishing marginal utility and hedonic adaptation, we propose that satiation and service quality are inversely related. The results of an empirical analysis confirm that as consumers become satiated with food, atmosphere, and restaurant service, perceptions of these three facets of overall service quality are diminished, leading to decreased satisfaction and switching intentions. In addition to the practical implications of these results, the finding that satiation directly impacts service quality represents an important step in the overall task of understanding the effects of satiation in determining restaurant patronage behavior.     

Hong Kong and New Orleans

Abstract

The headline reads, “$3.25 million verdict against restaurant for employee who worked in fear of sexual harassment.” Settlements and verdicts such as this are becoming increasingly common and the restaurant industry worldwide will have to address this issue of sexual harassment. A major problem facing all the restaurant industry is sexual harassment and the explosion of the number of sexual harassment lawsuits being filed (Agrusa, Tanner, & Coats 2000).

Today's Hong Kong is a world-class city where the east meets the west. To be successful in today's competitive restaurant market, it is important for managers to realize the significance of a sexual harassment-free work environment. It is also important to understand how employees feel about the issue. The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the perceptions of restaurant employees in Hong Kong and New Orleans on sexual harassment. As the cost of litigation and the dol-     

Innovation,entrepreneurship, and restaurant performance: A higher-order structural model

Drawing on theories from hospitality, innovation, and entrepreneurship, this study examines a higher-order structural model investigating business innovation, the owners' entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE), and human capital as drivers of restaurant performance. The theoretically derived model was tested on data from 198 café and restaurant owners in Australia. The PLS-SEM analysis found restaurant innovation activities and the owner's ESE to positively influence restaurant performance. Furthermore, the six ESE dimensions had varying effects on restaurant performance, with ‘Developing new product and market opportunities’ having the strongest effect. In contrast, the entrepreneur's ‘human capital’, representing their levels of business ownership experience and entrepreneurship/industry education, did not significantly affect restaurant performance. However, human capital indirectly affected performance through innovation and ESE. The findings of this study advance theories in restaurant entrepreneurship and performance and present important implications for industry authorities to develop a successful and sustainable restaurant sector.     

Location patterns of urban restaurants

Locational patterns of five categories of restaurants in eight Canadian cities in Ontario are examined to identify spatial regularities. Spatial regularities sought include tendencies to agglomerate or deglomerate with respect to restaurants of the same category as well as of different categories; spatial correlations with other land uses; apparent effects of varying traffic levels (AADTs) on restaurant location; and variations in restaurant patterns in cities of different population sizes. Specific hypotheses relating to these expected spatial regularities were formulated, the majority of which were confirmed. The paper concludes with some observations on the types of locations that appear to support successful restaurants in urban areas.     

Food and the Perception of Eating: The Case of Young Taiwanese Consumers

This study explores the food perception of young Taiwanese consumers, a growing market segment in the restaurant industry. An innovative qualitative tool known as the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) was employed to elicit deeper thoughts and emotions of young consumers. Twelve Taiwanese from Generation Y were invited to participate in a ZMET interview where they expressed their perceptions concerning food and eating through self-collected images. The data were analyzed using constant comparative method and charted on a consensus map. Five themes have evolved from the consensus map: health, trying new food, sharing, enhancing knowledge, and happiness. Findings reveal that young Taiwanese consumers are health-conscious and have high acceptance of novel food. They perceive food as a means of enjoyment and fostering social relationships. This study has contributed additional perspectives to existing literature by revealing the function of food in enhancing knowledge, as well as unveiling the deep-seated meanings of food associated with consumer's personal relevance values. Marketing implications for the restaurant industry targeting young Taiwanese consumers are proposed.     

明朝中后期旅游文化论

明朝中后期旅游活动空前普及化、大众化,形成了全国性的旅游热潮.这种热潮的形成是与商品经济撞击下新的生活方式、思维模式、价值取向密切相关的,从而达成了一种追求旅游的“群体意识“.明朝中后期的旅游热具有重大的社会意义:它相应地促进了交通、旅舍、食店、茶馆、酒肆、戏院等行业的发展;促使旅行家们对旅游理论进行探索,丰富了中国传统的旅游文化体系;形成了影响后世旅游事业的四种审美模式,可资借鉴.     

Restaurants and COVID-19: What are consumers’ risk perceptions about restaurant food and its packaging during the pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent U.S. in-restaurant dining restrictions deleteriously affected the restaurant industry. While dining restrictions were adopted to prevent human contact, evidence suggests that consumers may mistakenly perceive that restaurant "food" and its "packaging" are risky sources of COVID-19. To explore consumers' COVID-19 risk perceptions about food itself, restaurant food specifically, and restaurant food packaging, this study collected nationwide U.S. consumer survey data (n = 958) using an online consumer panel. Findings showed that: (1) consumers were less concerned about contracting COVID-19 from food in general than restaurant food and its packaging, with consumer restaurant concern highest for food served in restaurants, and lowest for hot/cooked restaurant food followed by restaurant food from carry-out; and (2) the risk perceptions of consumers varied with financial concern for food, gender, and being in a high-risk category of COVID-19. Implications for researchers, restauranteurs, government, and food safety professionals are discussed.     

Advertising and Firm Risk: A Study of the Restaurant Industry

Incorporating recent calls for understanding firm equity risk in relation to a firm's marketing efforts, this study examined the impacts of firm-level advertising spending on firm equity risk with publicly listed firms in the restaurant industry—a key hospitality industry. This study hypothesized and tested the effects of firm-level advertising expenditures on different types of firm equity risk (i.e., total, systematic, and unsystematic risk). Unlike previous empirical findings, we found that an increase in advertising expenditures significantly increased total and unsystematic risk of sampled restaurant firms. The findings provide new insights into the effects of advertising on firm equity risk in the literature, and important theoretical and managerial implications for restaurant firms.