Anticipated emotion in consumers’ intentions to select eco-friendly restaurants: Augmenting the theory of planned behavior

This study proposes and explores an emotion-related theoretical framework based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model to examine the relationship between the variables and explain consumers’ acceptance of and engagement in ecological behavior. This study augments the TPB with the construct anticipated regret and examines TPB's predictive power of consumer intentions to select eco-friendly restaurants. The results suggest that decision-making models such as the TPB incorporate anticipated emotion. The findings provide further insight into the consumers’ decision-making processes which is essential for the development of green marketing strategies in the restaurant context.     

Modeling predictors of restaurant employees’ green behavior: Comparison of six attitude-behavior models

In this study, a new model of how commitment affects green behaviors was developed, tested, and compared with 5 models of the theory of planned behaviors (TPB) to verify the key influential factors of restaurant employees’ green behaviors. Final questionnaires were distributed to 551 restaurant employees through cluster sampling, and 425 valid samples were received. AMOS 18.0 was used to conduct a 2-stage structural equation modeling analysis to achieve the research purposes. According to data analysis, the commitment model was the strongest model beyond TPB and extended TPB to explain restaurant employees’ green behaviors for the development of food environment sustainability.     

Testing the sufficiency of the theory of planned behavior: a case of customer dissatisfaction responses in restaurants

This study tested the sufficiency of both the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the extended TPB models by adding the variable of past behavior. In addition, the present study examined the mediating role of the TPB variables on the relationships between past behavior and customers’ intentions to engage in different types of dissatisfaction responses (i.e., voice, negative word-of-mouth communication, and exit). Results of the study demonstrated the strong predictive power of the original TPB mode but the inclusion of past behavior did not significantly improve the predictability of the three dissatisfaction response intentions. Furthermore, the mediating analyses indicated that the influence of past behavior was mediated by TPB variables. In the contexts of negative word-of-mouth communication, the effect of past behavior on intention was mediated by attitude. Meanwhile, both subjective norm and perceived behavioral control mediated the relationship between past behavior and the intention to engage in voice behavior.     

An investigation of green hotel customers’ decision formation: Developing an extended model of the theory of planned behavior

The current study sought to extend the theory of planned behavior (TPB), which is rooted in the theory of reasoned action (TRA), to more comprehensively explain the formation of customers’ intention to revisit a green hotel. In particular, the extended TPB incorporates the critical constructs in the consumer behavior and marketing literature (i.e., service quality, customer satisfaction, overall image, and frequency of past behavior) into the original TPB model. Results of a structural analysis revealed that the new model provides a better fit with the data, and explains significantly greater amounts of variance in revisit intention in comparison to the TRA and TPB. Added constructs in the new model considerably contribute to improve our understanding of the complicated process of green hotel customers’ decision-making. In this study, all relationships appeared to be significant as conceptualized according to the theory. In addition, a mediating effect of satisfaction and attitude was found. The article includes discussions on theoretical and managerial implications.     

Examining traditional restaurant diners’ intention: An application of the VBN theory

Prior research has demonstrated the significance of traditional food in the marketplace. However, there is a lack of studies that elucidate the consumer behavior of traditional restaurant patrons, particularly local residents. By utilizing the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory, the current study develops a consumer behavior model to enhance our understanding of the effect of consumers’ attitudes toward traditional restaurants. To this end, the study examines the structural relationships among traditional values, beliefs, social norms, personal norms, and purchase intention. The results show that individuals’ value of cherishing traditional culture has a significant effect on their purchase intention through beliefs and norms. In addition, we find that age and gender serve as partial moderators. The results of this study provide traditional restaurateurs with insights for developing effective marketing strategies to attract and retain local customers.     

Measurement of Satisfaction with ICT Services Implementation and Innovation in Restaurants (Case Study: Isfahan,Iran)

Nowadays, Restaurant is one of the most important factors in the choice of holiday destinations for tourists and contributes to the development of the local economy. This research is an initial attempt to investigate consumer behavior (tourist behavior) and the attitude of restaurant managers to the application of innovation and information and communication technology (ICT) in hotel restaurants. On the basis of the results of this study it can be concluded that tourists and restaurant managers in the city of Isfahan are interested in exploiting the application of innovation and ICT in hotel restaurants.     

Developing green management standards for restaurants: An application of green supply chain management

Hospitality businesses influence the sustainability of their natural environment by consuming significant amounts of natural resources. However, research on applying green supply chain management (GrSCM) with process of food production to construct green management indicators for restaurants is lacking. This study thus establishes a green management standard with GrSCM that green restaurants can implement. This study combines GrSCM and food and beverage management to develop green restaurant standards, and primarily adopts the Delphi Technique to develop green standards of restaurant management. A total of 23 experts from government, industry, and academia were invited to participate. The results show that green restaurant management standards comprise three facets (green foods; green environment and equipment; and green management and social responsibility), nine sub-facets, and 81 indicators: besides five indicators for the new established restaurant, the remaining 76 were standards for existing restaurants in Taiwan. In addition to its practical implications, an important contribution of this study is its application of GrSCM to establish a green management standard for restaurants.     

Predicting congregate meal program participation: Applying the extended theory of planned behavior

Authorized under Title III-C of Older Americans Act, congregate meal programs provides individuals 60 years of age and older nutritious meals in senior centers. Declining participation in recent years underscores the need to understand factors that affects participation. This study applies the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to explain the intention of community-dwelling older adults to participate in congregate meal programs. One additional variable, past behavior, was added to increase the prediction power of participation intention. A total of 238 participant surveys were collected and analyzed. Seven hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. The data fits the TPB model well. All predictor variables (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavior control and past behavior) had a significant positive effect on participation intention. Perceived behavior control (PBC) had the greatest prediction power on intention. Based on the research findings suggestions were made to increase congregate meal program participation.     

The roles of attitude,subjective norm,and perceived behavioral control in the formation of consumers’ behavioral intentions to read menu labels in the restaurant industry

Increases in food-away-from-home purchases brought public awareness to policies for improving nutritional value of foods served at restaurants. As a result, offering choices to consumers that affect health and wellness has become a growing concern in the food industry and restaurants, as evidenced by provisions for nutritional labeling to guide consumers’ food purchasing decisions for healthy eating. This study pursues an empirical examination of the consumers’ behavior toward reading nutritional labeling at casual-dining restaurants. The study tests the conceptual framework of the proposed effects of constructs on consumers’ behavioral intentions. Findings indicate that the variable of attitude acts as a mediator in the relationship between subjective norm and behavioral intention. This study is meaningful to academia by offering insights into the relationship between consumers’ behavior and nutritional information in the context of restaurants and is beneficial to the restaurant industry by offering implications for establishing marketing strategies to improve consumers’ perceptions of menu items.     

Relationship between customer complaint behavior and demographic characteristics: A study of hotel restaurants' patrons

This study documented customer complaint behavior in hotel restaurants in Deadwood, USA, and examined the relationship between complaint behavior and demographic characteristics. The sample consisted of 250 hotel restaurant customers. It was found that the hotel restaurant customers tended to complain privately rather than taking public actions. Older, well-educated, customers with higher incomes tended to take private action to complain about their dissatisfaction more than younger, less educated customers with lower incomes. Based on results of the study, implications were suggested for industry practitioners to diminish the negative impact of complaint on hotel restaurants.     

Emerging bicycle tourism and the theory of planned behavior

In this study, we investigated the process of travelers’ decision formation for bicycle touring as a form of sustainable tourism activity. We extended the theory of planned behavior (TPB), using personal norm and past behavior as predictors and the attractiveness of unsustainable alternatives as a moderator. Results of the modeling comparison showed that our extended TPB model was superior to the original TPB in predicting intention. Our results from the structural analysis revealed that the hypothesized paths linking attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, personal norm, and intention were supported; and personal norm significantly mediated the impact of subjective norm on intention. Moreover, our proposition that bicycle travelers’ decision-making process would differ based on their level of the attractiveness of unsustainable alternatives was generally supported. Overall, our results help us clearly understand the role of volitional and non-volitional processes, personal norm, past behavior, and the attractiveness of unsustainable alternatives in explaining the intention formation of bike traveling.     

Brand knowledge and non-financial brand performance in the green restaurants: Mediating effect of brand attitude

The restaurant business has been increasingly recognized for its ability to help mitigate many negative environmental impacts. To develop a competitive advantage, green restaurants may adopt an innovative branding strategy. Marketing management recognizes that understanding brand attitude is critical for marketing strategies. Studies have examined the relationship between brand knowledge and non-financial brand performance. However, it remains unclear how the green restaurant brand attitude affects this relationship.This study aims to fill this research gap by identifying the composition and structure of the brand attitude in Taiwan’s green restaurants and examining the mediating effects of brand attitude on the relationship between brand knowledge and brand performance. The findings of this study broaden and deepen the current knowledge of the role of brand attitude in Taiwan’s green restaurant industry. In practice, it is suggested that green restaurant management should develop well-known brand knowledge to form brand attitudes and foster brand performance.     

Intention to pay conventional-hotel prices at a green hotel – a modification of the theory of planned behavior

Numerous studies have employed the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to understand customers’ behaviors in various fields, but none has tested and extended the theory to explain customers’ decision formation to pay comparable regular-hotel prices for a green hotel. This is the first study designed to test and modify the TPB by including environmental concerns, perceived customer effectiveness and environmentally conscious behaviors, which are critical in explaining eco-friendly consumer behaviors. Salient belief items were identified using an elicitation method (focus group and open-ended survey). A survey obtained 389 respondents. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that measurement items for all study variables had an adequate level of reliability and validity. The findings from the structural equation modeling showed that the proposed model had a satisfactory fit to the data and better predicted hotel customers’ intention than the original TPB. The results also indicated that all antecedent variables of intention significantly contributed to forming the intention to pay conventional-hotel prices for a green hotel. Respondents were happy to have minor inconveniences, e.g. reusing towels and using recycled products, and were keen to learn about the positive environmental attributes of green hotels. Benefit awareness was shown to be important in customer decision-making.     

Understanding guests’ behavior to visit green hotels: The role of ethical ideology and religiosity

The main aim of this study is to develop and test a model to understand guests’ behavior to visit green hotel by merging the theory of planed behavior (TPB) with theories of ethics and religiosity in a single model. Furthermore, it examines the moderating role of ethical ideology. This research utilized a quantitative method to assess the suggested conceptual framework. Data were gathered from 871 participants and analyzed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). According to the study results, the suggested model shows a favorable prediction level of guests’ behavior, which confirmed the superiority of the proposed model. Our study indicated that TPB and ethical theory adequately explain guests’ behavior to visit green hotel. Ethical ideology was found to be a key driver of guests’ green decision-making process. Our study makes several contributions to the practice and theory by providing useful insights on drivers of consumers’ behavior to visit green hotels in the Egyptian hospitality environment.     

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.     

VISITORS' INTENTION TO VISIT WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF SUZHOU,CHINA

This article attempts to study Chinese visitors' intention to visit world cultural heritage sites in the framework of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), with the additional constructs of past experience and cultural tour involvement. The survey data were collected by a self‐administrated questionnaire in Suzhou, which is one of the cities with world cultural heritage sites in China. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the research model and hypotheses. The result shows that perceived control, past experience, and cultural tour involvement, but not attitude and subjective norms, are valid predictor constructs for visitors' intention to visit a world cultural heritage site within the next 12 months. The findings have implications for predicting heritage tourism.     

Front-Country Campers' Constraints,Negotiation, and Pro-Environment Behavioral Intention: An Extension to the Theory of Planned Behavior

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) has been successfully tested in leisure and outdoor recreation studies over the last few decades. However, the inclusion of new predictors to improve the theory's predictive power has been encouraged. Utilizing leisure constraints approach, we extended the TPB by adding constraints to the theory. The literature also suggested that individuals employ cognitive and behavioural negotiation strategies to overcome their constraints. Therefore, the influence of negotiation through the constraints was also explored in this study. A sample of 1,009 front-country campers was analyzed to test the proposed extension to the TPB. Results of structural equation modeling confirmed a strong, negative indirect association between constraints and intention. Negotiation was positively and indirectly associated with intention. The proposed extension to the TPB was capable of capturing 84% of variation in intention. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

A creative-mix or variety-mix fusion experience? Examining marketing strategies for ethnic fusion restaurants

According to the National Restaurant Association, ethnic fusion cuisine is identified as a top food trend for the next decade. To that end, it is important for hospitality researchers and practitioners to understand consumer behavior in this fast-growing sector and derive appropriate marketing strategies for fusion restaurant brands. The present research examines the joint effects of fusion type (creative-mix vs. variety-mix), restaurant price tier (high vs. low), and cuisine compatibility (high vs. low) on consumers’ judgments and decision-making processes. The results show that ethnic fusion restaurants in the higher-price tier will generate higher levels of perceived chef expertise and visit intention through the creative-mix strategy, regardless of cuisine compatibility. However, ethnic fusion restaurants in the lower-price tier will generate higher levels of perceived chef expertise and visit intention through the variety-mix strategy only when cuisine compatibility is high. Implications for marketing ethnic fusion restaurants are discussed.     

Top managers’ environmental values,leadership, and stakeholder engagement in promoting environmental sustainability in the restaurant industry

This study examines the role of top managers’ values and leadership in advancing environmental sustainability. It also investigates the effects of stakeholder engagement on restaurants’ environmental sustainability and assesses the impact of related practices on restaurant performance. A web-based survey was administered to collect data from top-level restaurant managers in the United States. The sample was selected from panels recruited by a research company specializing in panel surveys. Invitation emails were sent to 2500 managers and 240 responses were returned, 218 of which were retained for final analysis (response rate: 8.7%). Structural equation modeling was used for testing hypothetical relationships among key constructs in the proposed research model: environmental values, leadership, stakeholder engagement, environmental sustainability, and restaurant performance. Findings confirmed the significant role of top management values and leadership in advancing environmental commitment. The results also demonstrated the strong impact of stakeholder engagement on restaurants’ commitment to environmental sustainability. Finally, they indicated the positive influence of restaurants’ environmental sustainability performance on both financial and nonfinancial performance. The study presents a theoretical framework, integrating theories or models from extant literature, and contributes to an enhanced understanding of restaurants’ environmental sustainability. The findings suggest several practical implications for managers in the restaurant industry.     

Turnover's relationships with sales, tips and service across restaurants in a chain

This study used restaurant level data from a casual-dining restaurant chain in the Midwestern United States to examine turnover's relationships with sales, tips and service. Turnover was negatively correlated with sales and service among high-volume restaurants but not among low-volume restaurants. Interestingly, the opposite pattern was observed for turnovers’ relationship with tip percentages—turnover was negatively correlated with tip percentages among low-volume restaurants but not among high-volume restaurants. Plausible explanations for these findings are discussed along with their practical implications.