Consumer Preferences for Locally Produced Food Ingredient Sourcing in Restaurants

Increasing restaurant supply chain participants’ knowledge of consumer preferences toward the use of locally produced ingredients in restaurants may provide insight into a valuable marketing opportunity. This study uses conjoint analysis to evaluate consumers’ locally produced ingredient preferences relative to two other key restaurant attributes (the price of the dining experience and restaurant type). Results suggest that, for one fifth of surveyed restaurant consumers, a restaurant’s practice of “buying locally” is the primary restaurant attribute of importance. The implications of these results for supply chain providers (e.g., producers, manufacturers, and food service distributors) are discussed.     

How do restaurant customers make trade-offs among rate fences?

This study examines how restaurant customers make trade-offs among several restaurant rate fences using a sample of mainland Chinese travelers to Hong Kong. A total of six restaurant rate fences (i.e., lunch/dinner pricing, weekday/weekend pricing, table location pricing, restricted coupon pricing, meal period, and reservation and seating policy) and menu price were selected, and a conjoint analysis was performed. Findings reveal that price, restricted coupon pricing, and meal period are the most important attributes when restaurant customers select a restaurant. This study is the first attempt to examine the relative importance of different types of restaurant rate fences. The findings will help restaurant operators to better understand the decision-making process of Chinese travelers and design appropriate rate fences accordingly.     

Restaurant Managers’ Adoption of Sustainable Practices: An Application of Institutional Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior

The restaurant industry uses vast amounts of resources, but only a paucity of research discusses sustainability issues from restaurant management point of views. By applying both institutional theory and theory of planned behavior, this study addresses this gap by asking casual restaurant managers what motivates them to adopt and implement sustainable practices and by examining managers’ behaviors when facing environmental pressures. The study revealed restaurant managers were most influenced by pressures from their suppliers, customers and to a lesser extent from their employees and by expectations of society at large. Future research should investigate a nationwide sample of restaurant managers.     

The Role of Informational and Congruence Clues in Advertisement for an Ethnic Restaurant

This study analyzes the effect of informational clues and Chef-Cuisine congruence, and their relation to advertisements for a Japanese restaurant. Two experiments were conducted with 171 consumers. Findings supported the following: Congruence between a Japanese restaurant and Japanese Chef results in higher approval ratings than the combination of Japanese restaurant with Brazilian Chef. However, if the advertisement states that the restaurant has won an award, then Chef-restaurant congruence is no longer an important factor in consumers’ evaluations.     

Book Reviews

This study examines whether the restaurant food expenditure patterns of two-earner Canadian households are consistent with a hypothesis that restaurant meals are convenience rather than luxury items. Results of the study indicate a positive relationship between the proportion of total food expenditures allocated to discretionary restaurant meals and the wage rates (value of time) of both the household head und spouse and a negative relationship between proportionate restaurant food expenditures and unearned income. Both results support the hypothesis. The study also examines relationships between proportionate restaurant food expenditures and a set of household characteristics variables.     

Advancing laddering and critical incident technique to reveal restaurant niches

This study, based on means-end chain and dramaturgical theories, aims to reveal critical attributes/incidents that influence consumers to dine in a restaurant and proposes a complete picture for restaurant operators to understand consumer inner thinking that can be used to carve out their restaurant niches. By using the laddering and the critical incident techniques, this study proposes a theoretical explanatory scheme to identify the most critical attributes/incidents for the restaurant operators. From the perspective of dramaturgical theory, the results of the hierarchical value map show that the most common attributes/incidents dining in the restaurant are related to the physical facilities or customer–staff interaction system. Such a map can help restaurant operators easily and quickly capture their strengths and weaknesses from the relationship between restaurant features and customer value demands. If managers would like to know more specific critical attributes/features for their restaurants, they may simply follow the same procedure outlined in this work to find out what is the niche for their services and establishments, in order to survive in a highly competitive environment.     

Dineserv: A tool for measuring service quality in restaurants

If it's true that restaurant customers vote with their feet (and pocketbooks) when a restaurant doesn't measure up to their standards, how does a restaurant operator determine what guests think of the operation? To gauge consumers' opinions before they desert in droves, a restaurant operator can use the reliable questionnaire, called “Dineserv,” described here.     

Assessment of the environmental sustainability of restaurants in the U.S.: The effects of restaurant characteristics on environmental sustainability performance

ABSTRACT

This paper investigated the current levels of environmental sustainability in restaurants across the U.S. to determine whether a restaurant’s proclivity for environmental sustainability depended on its characteristics such as chain affiliation or restaurant type.

A web-based survey was administered to 2,500 top-level restaurant managers, from which a total of 218 responses were judged as usable. The data were analyzed using independent

sample t-tests and ANOVA. This study presents an in-depth account of the environmental sustainability in restaurants across the U.S. based on an evaluation of top-level managers. This study also highlights the differences in restaurant environmental sustainability across different restaurant segments.     

An examination of restaurant firm financing and the cost of borrowing

The use of debt is prevalent in the restaurant industry. While there have been numerous studies on restaurant capital structure, this study examines the relationship between firm performance and effective interest rate on debt used by restaurant firms. This study uses a sample of 56 publicly traded U.S. restaurant firms for the years 2012–2014. We examine the relationship between effective interest rates and firm performance as measured by approximate Tobin’s Q, return on assets, and return on equity. We find a significant and positive relationship between effective interest rates and return on equity.     

How do restaurant atmospherics influence restaurant authenticity? An integrative framework and empirical evidence

The study proposes an integrative conceptualization to capture the theoretical notion of perceived restaurant authenticity (PRA). It conceptualizes PRA as a multidimensional construct consisting of four dimensions. Furthermore, the study proposes a conceptual model that includes three main restaurant atmospheric aspects (i.e., design, ambiance, and social) as exogenous antecedents affecting the four restaurant authenticity dimensions. These PRA dimensions are hypothesized to positively influence restaurant attachment, which in turn, positively predicts restaurant patronage. To test the proposed model, structural equation modeling (SEM) is applied to data collected from patrons of two dining restaurants. The results are broadly supportive of the proposed model. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Consumers' Choice Factors of an Upscale Ethnic Restaurant

The demand for ethnic foods has increased worldwide, due to the influences of ethnic diversity, globally sourced food, cultural experiences, and media exposure. Despite the importance of restaurant choice criteria and a growth in the popularity of ethnic foods, published research on consumers' restaurant selection behavior that focuses on the ethnic restaurant segment is sparse. This research aims to fill this gap in the literature by empirically identifying the factors (and their relative importance) that influence consumers to dine at an upscale ethnic restaurant.

Focus group discussions and the literature review assist in identifying a set of factors that influence restaurant choice. A mail survey is used to collect the data. Factor analysis is applied to refine the decision factors. Logistic regression analysis identifies five significant factors that influence restaurant choice: dining experience, social status, service quality, food quality, and value for money.     

Examining customer perceptions of restaurant restroom cleanliness and their impact on satisfaction and intent to return

Competition in the Canadian restaurant industry is unyielding. Restaurant cleanliness is one of the most important aspects when a customer evaluates restaurant quality and return intention. In particular, restaurant restroom cleanliness (RRC) is often considered the central factor that leads to overall perception of cleanliness. This study examined how RRC affects restaurant customers. Restroom appearance had the greatest impact on cleanliness followed by personal hygiene items. In addition, RRC impacted customer satisfaction and did not vary based on customer segmentation. However, older restaurant patrons were more likely to report RRC issues than younger patrons. The research demonstrates that RRC is an essential element to the success and viability of a food service operation and is an important aspect of academic research in foodservice operations. Future directions for both industry and academic research in this area are discussed.     

我国中餐业特许经营的问题与管理对策

特许经营是中餐业经营的新方法。这种方法极大地满足了顾客的需求 ,促进了我国中餐业的发展。可以预言 ,随着我国经济的发展 ,中餐业特许经营将成为我国 2 1世纪主要的经营方式 ,将对我国经济和社会做出巨大的贡献。目前我国中餐业特许经营出现了一些问题和困惑 ,阻碍了其快速发展 ,我们必须认真对待和解决。同时应重视整合我国中餐资源 ,加强宏观管理 ,使我国中餐业特许经营不断发展和壮大。     

Simulation Study on the Queuing System in a Fast-Food Restaurant

Abstract

The fast-food industry has experienced prosperous growth over the last three decades. In fast-food operations, the term “fast” refers to “quickservice.” The customers coming to a fast-food restaurant do not expect to wait for a long time to receive the food service. The waiting time for customers to receive the food service becomes one of the key quality characteristics in a fast-food restaurant. However, waiting lines always exist in a fast-food restaurant during peak hours. In this article, a simulation model is built to study the queuing system in a fast-food restaurant, which is located in the downtown area of the city of Touliu, Taiwan. From the results of the study, the manager of the restaurant should recruit another server during peak hours such that the customers' waiting time can be reduced. Meanwhile, the validation procedure for a simulation model is also briefly reviewed in this article.     

餐饮企业提高顾客忠诚度的策略选择

随着生活节奏的加快,人们生活方式发生了改变,需要餐饮企业提供相应的满足人们需要的菜品和服务。餐饮企业之间的竞争激烈,要提高竞争力,必须提高餐饮企业顾客忠诚度。为此,餐饮企业必须以低成本策略让顾客吃得起,以差异化策略比竞争对手更好地满足顾客的需要,以此提高对顾客的吸引力;用亲情服务留住顾客,以产品和服务创新留住顾客,以优良的菜品和服务质量留住顾客,增加顾客的回头率;用先进的企业文化来树立企业的良好形象,开展数据库营销,构造与顾客交流的平台。     

The influence of music tempo and musical preference on restaurant patrons' behavior

The article reports research into the effect of music tempo and musical preference on consumer behavior in a restaurant. The research investigates the extent to which these two variables influence actual and perceived time spent dining, the amount of money spent, and outcomes in terms of enjoyment of the experience and future behavioral intentions. The results show that music preference provided a better explanation of actual time spent dining than tempo, although neither variable had a significant effect on perceived time. Time spent in the restaurant was the most powerful predictor of money spent in the restaurant. Finally, the outcomes of the restaurant encounter were found to be significantly related to musical preference, but the effects of music tempo were nonsignificant. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The Current Impact and Carryover of Advertising on Sales in the Restaurant Industry

ABSTRACT

A common source of conflict in the relationship between restaurant franchise and franchisee involves advertising fees. Conflict arises when the franchisee feels that he or she has not received an adequate return on his or her advertising investment. This paper reports the results of a study conducted on both the short-term and long-term effectiveness (duration) of advertising among restaurant chains. The findings suggest that only a small proportion of restaurant chains enjoy immediate, positive returns to their advertising fees. However, over half of all chains examined realized a significant carryover effect of advertising. Several explanations are offered as to why these results are found and recommendations are made as to how restaurant chains should react to these findings.     

Influence of price and brand image on restaurant customers’ restaurant selection attribute

The study examines the influence of price and brand image on three major restaurant quality attributes (ambiance, food quality, and service quality). A total number of 363 cases from the survey were used to assess the proposed model for structural equation modeling. The results of this study indicated that brand image significantly affected customers’ restaurant attribute preference. Living status (residents vs. tourists) partially affected customers’ restaurant attribute preference. This study provides valuable information about restaurant customers’ preferences. The results also demonstrate how restaurant operators attract new customers and retain existing customers by improving their ambiance, food, and service quality.     

Analysis of Relative Growth Rates Between Domestic and International Earnings of U.S. Based Publicly Traded Restaurant Firms

ABSTRACT

This study explores the relative growth rates in earnings of public restaurant firms for a 20-year period from 1981-2000. No significant differences were found in sales growth between multinational and domestic restaurant firms. However, multinational firms significantly outperformed domestic firms in growth of operating income and pre-tax profitability. Multinational restaurant firms also had significantly lower negative growth in domestic earnings when compared to domestic firms. The results imply that multinational restaurant firms are more efficient than domestic firms in converting sales into profits.     

Restaurant Fish and Seafood Utilization:

The study employs ordered probit analysis to measure the effects of restaurant characteristics on restaurant fish and seafood utilization in the United States. The study uses data from the 1988 Southern Regional Aquaculture Center (SRAX) restaurant survey. Restaurant size and regional location are found to be the important factors affecting fish and seafood utilization by restaurants. Size of restaurant is directly related to fish utilization. The probability of fish utilization is highest among restaurants in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions and lowest among restaurants in the Mountain region.