In search of diners responsive to health cues: Insights from U.S. consumers

Many consumers rely on summary statistics offered by online and mobile platforms to attain nutrition information on menu items. While positive (vs. negative) summary cues garner more favorable consumer responses, this research provides a more nuanced understanding of this effect by examining the moderating role of two individual-level characteristics: health-consciousness and need for status. Two MTurk samples (Study 1: n = 142, Study 2: n = 119) were recruited in 2018. Findings from Study 1 suggest that health-conscious (vs. less health-conscious) consumers show a wider gap in perceived healthiness of a menu item in response to the valence of a health cue. This greater gap translates into more polarized attitudes toward the menu item. Findings from Study 2 indicate that consumers high (vs. low) in need for status exhibit less favorable attitudes toward a menu item with a negative health cue. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Motivations behind Consumers’ Organic Menu Choices: The Role of Environmental Concern,Social Value,and Health Consciousness

This study aimed to examine underlying motivations of consumers’ intention to visit a restaurant featuring organic menu items and willingness to pay (WTP) for organic menu items. In particular, this study incorporated environmental concerns, social value, and health consciousness as key motivators. An online survey was conducted with a self-administered questionnaire, and a total of 473 responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results showed that environmental concern was the strongest predictor of WTP, followed by social value and health consciousness, whereas health consciousness was the most influential factor on intention to visit, followed by social value and environmental concern.     

Attention to Chinese menus with metaphorical or metonymic names: An eye movement lab experiment

Food is as cultural as it is practical, and names of dishes accordingly have cultural nuances. Menus serve as communication tools between restaurants and their guests, representing the culinary philosophy of the chefs and proprietors involved. The purpose of this experimental lab study is to compare differences of attention paid to textual and pictorial elements of menus with metaphorical and/or metonymic names. Eye movement technology was applied in a 2 × 3 between-subject experiment (n = 40), comparing the strength of visual metaphors (e.g., images of menu items on the menu) and direct textual names in Chinese and English with regard to guests’ willingness to purchase the dishes in question. Post-test questionnaires were also employed to assess participants’ attitudes toward menu designs. Study results suggest that visual metaphors are more efficient when reflecting a product’s strength. Images are shown to positively influence consumers’ expectations of taste and enjoyment, garnering the most attention under all six conditions studied here, and constitute the most effective format when Chinese alone names are present. The textual claim increases perception of the strength of menu items along with purchase intention. Metaphorical dish names with bilingual (i.e., Chinese and English) names hold the greatest appeal. This result can be interpreted from the perspective of grounded cognition theory, which suggests that situated simulations and re-enactment of perceptual, motor, and affective processes can support abstract thought. The lab results and survey provide specific theoretical and managerial implications with regard to translating names of Chinese dishes to attract customers’ attention to specific menu items.     

Nutritional information disclosure on the menu: Focusing on the roles of menu context,nutritional knowledge and motivation

As menu labeling legislation that requires nutritional information on restaurant menus becomes increasingly prevalent, it is controversial whether the provision of nutritional information promotes consumers to select healthy items. This study aims to examine the extent to which the nutritional information presented on menus influences consumer food evaluation and choice in restaurant patronage. We also investigate the effect of menu context and individual characteristics, such as nutritional knowledge and motivation to process, on consumers’ information processing. A computer-based experiment was conducted to collect data. The results show significant effects of the presence of nutritional information and the menu context, which is the healthiness of other alternatives on the menu, on consumer food decision. Consumer motivation to process the provided nutritional information significantly moderates the effect of nutritional information disclosure. These results present valuable implications for restaurateurs and policy makers interested in the effect of menu labeling.     

Price premiums for organic menus at restaurants: What is an acceptable level?

This study identifies acceptable premium price levels that customers would be willing to pay for organic menu items at restaurants in the United States. Previous literature indicates that health-related and socio-demographic characteristics significantly influence consumers’ intentions to purchase organic food. To advance our understanding of how different consumers respond to changes in organic food prices, this study examines the moderating effects of the level of health consciousness (high versus low), gender (male versus female), and age (young versus old) on the relationship between premium price levels and purchasing intentions. In addition, this study further investigates acceptable premium price levels for different consumer segments at two types of restaurants (casual dining versus fine dining). The results of this study provide guidelines for menu design and strategies for restaurateurs to devise effective price premiums for organic menu options.     

Understanding attributes affecting meal choice decisions in a bundling context

This study examined attributes that contribute to consumer meal choice decisions within a prix fixe menu. Drawing on typologies of consumer purchase behavior, factors potentially influencing consumers’ meal choice are identified and empirically tested. The results showed that consumers consider value for price as the most important consideration for their meal bundle choices. The results also indicated that familiar and healthy foods also contribute to the selection process. However, consumers tend to avoid the risk of choosing new menu items.     

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.     

Mass customization in food services

This study examines the effect of mass customization (MC) on perceived value in food services and tests whether perceived value is higher in food services with a customized menu than a fixed menu. The study also examines moderating effects of social influence and consumption motivation. In Study 1, a 2 (customization: low vs. high) × 2 (social influence: dining alone vs. together) between subject experiment was conducted sequentially with two types of food consumption motivation (utilitarian vs. hedonic consumption situation). The result shows a significant moderating effect of consumption motivation on the relationship between MC and perceived value. Study 2 shows that perceived value and satisfaction mediate the relationship between social influence and repurchase intentions. In addition, the result shows that consumers eating alone have higher levels of functional value perceptions, satisfaction, and repurchase intentions than those eating together.     

Stress and food choices: Examining gender differences and the time horizon framing effect

The number of people facing daily stress is on the rise in the United States. Further, there is increasing evidence of stress induced obesity and other food-related health risks. This study tested the effects of self-reported stress on choosing indulgent and healthy food options in the context of menu promotions at restaurants. The study proposed that time horizon message framing (expansive vs. limited) on restaurant menus influences the effectiveness of advertising messages aimed at preventing unhealthy food choices and promoting healthy choices. Further, this study examined gender differences in stress induced eating. The current findings shed new light on time horizon message framing, which encourages stressed consumers to make healthy choices. The results showed that food choices can be altered using time horizon messages. That is, stressed individuals tend to choose healthier options when the message is framed in terms of expansive time and more indulgent food than when the message is focused on a limited time frame. Restaurant managers are advised to establish creative marketing strategies to spur interest in healthy menu items and emphasize the benefits of healthy food items.     

Comparing online reviews of hyper-local restaurants using deductive content analysis

This study explored consumer-generated online reviews of six hyper-local restaurants in UK and US. A deductive content analysis was carried out involving intrinsic and extrinsic cues of locally grown food. Overall quality, taste, price, region of origin, and menu information were found to be important variables of hyper-local restaurants’ online reviews. Although there were substantially more reviews about price in the UK-based hyper-local restaurants, consumers were found to be more critical of price in the US restaurants. In the UK hyper-local restaurants, a need to provide great selections and variety in the menu offerings was noticed, whereas the US counterparts showcased a need for more creativity in addition to offering a great selection of food and drinks. Region of origin (local) is more important and positive to consumers in the UK restaurants. Contrary to popular beliefs, health benefit and to some extent freshness were not found to be important variables.     

Understanding customers’ healthy food choices at casual dining restaurants: Using the Value–Attitude–Behavior model

This study examined how individual health values influence interest in healthy foods, positive outcome expectations, hedonic expectations, and behavior intentions. A total of 1188 valid questionnaires were collected from customers who had consumed healthy menu items at casual dining restaurants. The results indicated that health value was the key element that inspired customer interest in healthy eating and aroused hedonic and positive outcome expectations, which in turn enhanced intentions to purchase healthy food items. Restaurant managers are advised to establish creative marketing strategies to motivate customer interest in healthy menu items and emphasize benefits of their healthy food items. Future studies can extend the scope of research by examining differences in geographical areas or demographic profiles.     

Consumerism in Sustainable Tourism: A Survey of UK Consumers

This article presents the results of a survey of tourism consumers from the Destinations Travel Show in the UK in 2000. Four hundred and eleven tourism consumers were interviewed over four days at the show on the type of information that they used in the selection of their holiday destination. This article posits that the power of the consumer can be a major force for progress towards greater sustainability by the tourism industry, acting as a rationale for change, which is often missing from more traditional planning, management or regulatory techniques. The research shows consumers are already making decisions based on environmental, social and economic quality for day-to-day products and are keen to transfer these habits to the purchase of tourism products. Recommendations are made, highlighting the need for the tourism industry to capitalise on this demand for a wider range of product information and so promote moves towards greater levels of sustainability in the industry.     

Validating a DEA-based menu analysis model using structural equation modeling

While a restaurant's menu is known as the cornerstone of the operation, research aimed at optimizing it has not radically evolved. This is problematic in that traditional menu management and analysis models share the common and irremediable shortcoming of variable interdependency, in which the central intersection between vectors in a matrix is dictated by the means for the associated variables. In other words, changes to a single menu item alter the means of the related variables and artificially alter the position of other menu items. Moreover, the limited number of inputs, which typically ignore labor and labor costs, casts suspicion on any conclusions that are drawn. More recent models, such as those that integrate non-parametric statistics including data envelopment analysis (DEA), promise greater utility but have gone largely untested. This paper extends the more holistic model made possible by applying DEA and then tests the resulting archetype using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results suggest that DEA models are valid and that even more complex models are possible. For managers, the findings illustrate the inadequacy of earlier, simplistic models and call for a broader understanding of menu optimization approaches.     

Mimicking menu choices: Menu choice failure and blame attribution of Korean customer

Although behavioral mimicry occurs when customers make decisions, researchers have paid little attention to how behavioral mimicry might affect food choices and subsequent behavioral intentions, especially in social networking. Therefore, this study examined how menu choice failure after using menu referrals from online social networks affect blame attribution and subsequent behavioral intention. This study considered how uncertainty about menu, task importance and tie-strength with an online social network referral affects blame attribution and behavioral intention (customer satisfaction and revisit intention). 2 (Uncertainty; high versus low) × 2 (Task importance; high versus low) × 2 (Tie-strength; strong versus weak) between-subjects experimental design was utilized. This research provided evidence that people are less likely to blame a social media friend for the failure of menu choice when the consumers have low uncertainty about the menu, when the menu choice is less important to them, and when they have strong ties.     

Consumer Responses to Scarcity Appeals in Online Booking

Scarcity appeals, highlighting a product or a service is scarce due to “high demand” or “limited supply,” are ubiquitous in the travel industry. However, all scarcity appeals are not equally effective in persuading consumers. The current research investigates the joint effects of scarcity appeal type (demand-framed vs. supply-framed) and consumers’ sense of power on purchase intention in the online booking context. The results show that the demand-framed (vs. supply-framed) scarcity appeal leads to higher purchase intention among consumers with a high sense of power, whereas such a difference is attenuated among consumers with a low sense of power. Furthermore, mediation analysis reveals that perceived risk is the psychological mechanism underlying these effects. Managerial implications for online booking platforms are discussed.     

A critical review of determinants of information search behavior and utilization of online reviews in decision making process (invited paper for ‘luminaries’ special issue of International Journal of Hospitality Management)

This conceptual paper provides a brief review of hospitality consumers’ information search behavior and the factors that are likely to influence their information search behavior and their utilization and processing of online reviews. This study focuses on the factors such as information overload, confusion, information processing, information presentation format, trust and evaluation mode that has not received much attention from hospitality scholars in addition to discussing the impacts of perceived risk and familiarity on information search and information processing approaches utilized by hospitality consumers. This study also discusses opportunities for hospitality researchers to empirically examine the extent to which each of the factors discussed might influence hospitality consumers information search, information processing and especially their utilization of online reviews in their decision making process.     

Enhancing ethnic food acceptance and reducing perceived risk: The effects of personality traits,cultural familiarity,and menu framing

This study examined whether innate food-related personality traits (food neophobia), as well as food external factors such as cultural familiarity and menu framing, influence U.S. customers’ reluctance to try ethnic foods. In order to achieve this aim, this study first investigated whether familiarity with cultural contents (e.g., music or movies) helps reduce the perceived risk of ethnic foods and, further, whether it increases acceptance of novel foods. Second, food related behaviors, willingness to try ethnic foods and perceived risk, were examined under various menu conditions with different visual and verbal information frames using a sample of U.S. consumers with varying levels of food neophobia. The results empirically suggest that increasing familiarity with Korean culture through exposure to Korean lifestyles, music, movies, and soap operas could alleviate food neophobia as a barrier to accepting novel ethnic foods. Moreover, the results of the scenario experiments indicate that the menu design format can serve as a tool not only to increase customers’ willingness to accept ethnic foods, but also to reduce the perceived risks of trying ethnic foods.     

Does offering an organic food menu help restaurants excel in competition? An examination of diners’ decision-making

This study aims to examine whether the presence of an organic food menu can positively influence diners’ decision-making. A 3 (restaurant segment: quick service vs. casual dining vs. fine dining) by 2 (price discrepancy between competing restaurants: small vs. large) scenario-based experiment was conducted with 405 U.S. consumers. MANCOVA results indicate that using organic ingredients offers a greater advantage for the quick-service segment regarding perceived food quality, attitudes towards the restaurant, and willingness to select, compared to casual and fine dining segments. The magnitude of a premium price of organic ingredients negatively influences such advantage in the process of consumers’ decision-making. When a large (vs. small) premium price is charged for using organic ingredients, customers’ preferences for the restaurant (over its rival) significantly drops to such an extent that customers are more willing to choose the competitor (i.e., rival restaurant with a conventional menu). Discussions and implications are further elaborated.     

Effects of calorie information disclosure on consumers’ food choices at restaurants

Menu labeling is a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but mandatory calorie information disclosure by restaurants is currently under consideration as a potential regulatory initiative to help curb excess calorie intake and encourage healthier food choices. There is much debate about the effectiveness of such legislation. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of calorie information disclosure on consumers’ food choices at restaurants. Results of an online experimental study using real menu boards suggest that the effect of calorie information disclosure interplays with perceived healthfulness of restaurants to jointly affect consumers’ food choices and underlying psychological processes. Upon exposure to calorie information, divergent food choice patterns at restaurants of varying levels of perceived healthfulness were observed. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Price bundling presentation and consumer's bundle choice: The role of quality certainty

As bundling has become a prevalent marketing strategy, the existing literature has focused on how to present price discount information for bundled products. To further understand bundling in restaurant operations, this study examined the moderating role of consumer quality certainty on the relationship between the effects of price bundling and consumers’ bundle choices. This study analyzed different bundling phenomena from an acquisition–transaction utility theory perspective in order to investigate the effects of price presentation and quality certainty manipulation on consumers’ bundle choices. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that quality certainty had a significant moderating effect. The less confident a consumer is about the quality of the bundled food products, the more likely it is that price presentation strategies will affect his or her willingness to order a bundle menu. The results also showed that transaction utility becomes significant as price discount information is segregated and as consumers are more certain of the quality of the bundled products. Managerial implications for restaurant operations are also discussed.