The antecedents and consequence of consumer attitudes toward restaurant brands: A comparative study between casual and fine dining restaurants

This study examined a theoretical model examining interrelationships among three service qualities (i.e., physical environment quality, interactional quality, and outcome quality). In addition, this study investigated the effects of three service qualities on utilitarian and hedonic attitudes toward restaurant brands and the mediating effects of such attitudes in forming brand preference in full-service restaurants. To further understand unique differences, this study conducted a multi-group analysis comparing the proposed relationships between 318 casual and 303 fine dining patrons (621 full-service restaurant patrons in total). In the full-service restaurant setting, the results of data analysis indicated significant interrelationships among three service qualities. Physical environment quality explained a large amount of variation in both interactional and outcome quality. In turn, interactional quality had a positive effect on outcome quality. Physical environment quality had a significant effect only on hedonic attitude. Interactional and outcome qualities had significant effects on utilitarian and hedonic attitudes toward restaurant brands. Finally, utilitarian and hedonic attitudes toward restaurant brands enhanced brand preference. When separately analyzed, the effect of physical environment quality on hedonic attitude became not significant in casual dining segment. Further, the effect of outcome quality on utilitarian attitude became not significant in fine dining segment. Both theoretical and managerial implications of the results are discussed.     

To cluster or not to cluster?: Understanding geographic clustering by restaurant segment

This study tested whether geographic clustering differs by restaurant segment due to the differences in consumers’ hedonic and utilitarian values by using Ripley’s K function and a Tobit model. This study found that higher priced restaurant segments have stronger clusters than lower priced restaurants, which implies that restaurants that focus on hedonic values tend to cluster more than utilitarian focused restaurants. However, the results differ depending on whether or not restaurants are located within a central business district (CBD). For example, quick service restaurants have stronger clusters than casual restaurants outside CBDs. Practical applications may apply to new restaurants that are attempting to open. Up-scale restaurants have the advantage of reducing research costs by locating near similar restaurants. Moreover, casual restaurants do benefit by clustering near existing ones under the condition that demand is not severely hurt by competition, while quick service restaurants benefit by diffusing from each other.     

电子口碑对餐厅在线浏览量影响研究

Web 2.0技术和用户创造内容的发展改变了人们搜索和分享信息的方式,电子口碑作为传统口碑在互联网时代的发展产物,日渐成为消费者收集信息和进行决策的主要渠道。特别是近年来第三方点评网站数量不断增加,汇集了海量的信息,形成电子口碑效应,但是目前对这种效应的评价和测量研究不足。因此,文章借助第三方点评网站,研究消费者点评和编辑点评对餐厅网页浏览量的影响以及点评网上呈现餐厅的哪些口碑因素是吸引消费者浏览餐厅网页最重要的因素。研究发现,这两种形式的电子口碑对增加餐厅网页浏览量都具有显著的作用,编辑点评的重要性开始凸显,但消费者点评的作用更强。其中,点评数量是影响消费者浏览餐厅网页的最重要因素,其次是价格因素和消费者在餐厅网页上发布的图片。在餐厅体验的3个基本因素中,食物味道是影响餐厅网页浏览量最重要的因素。研究结果对第三方点评网站和旅游企业都具有重要的现实意义。     

To survive or to thrive? China’s luxury hotel restaurants entering O2O food delivery platforms amid the COVID-19 crisis

COVID-19 presents luxury hotels with an unenviable task of maneuvering to secure survival. One of the contingency measures of China’s five-star hotels is to salvage revenues by entering online-to-offline (O2O) food delivery platforms. However, both opportunities and risks will ensue. Study 1 has content analyzed customer reviews on the largest O2O food delivery platform in China to probe the key factors of concern. The results show that taste, freshness, and brand credibility remain salient, as in dine-in experiences, while packaging and delivery quality emerge as a result of the integration of the O2O platform, and hygiene due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, interaction quality between restaurant staff and customers still plays significant roles with the online channel. Study 2 has further deepened the understanding of luxury restaurants’ O2O services through semi-structured interviews with F&B professionals. The results have paved the way for hotel operators to employ tactics on O2O platforms.     

The mediating role of consumption emotions

Although the importance of affective reactions has been emphasized in the service industry, there are still relatively few empirical studies which conclusively explain how consumption emotions induce in a consumption situation and how such emotions play a role in customers’ satisfaction judgments in the context of ethnic restaurants. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine how differently positive and negative emotions mediate the influence of two fundamental values of ethnic restaurant consumption on levels of customer satisfaction. Data obtained through an online survey was analyzed by means of structural equation modeling analysis. Results demonstrate that utilitarian value directly and indirectly affects consumption emotions and customer satisfaction, whereas hedonic value only indirectly affects customer satisfaction through positive emotions. The findings suggest that not every perceived hedonic value leads to customer satisfaction unless customer experience positive emotions from such a value. In that regard, this study holds significant implications to ethnic restaurant marketers.     

Booking now or later: Do online peer reviews matter?

Consumers always face a tradeoff between making a purchase decision now and continuing information searching with delayed purchase decision. This study extends extant literature by empirically investigating the effects of online peer reviews on consumers’ timing of booking a restaurant using a merged data set of online peer reviews and consumer reservation records. The results show that the rating valence, rating variation, and review content richness of online peer reviews positively motivate potential consumers to book a restaurant earlier, while the time interval between successive reviews hinders consumers’ booking decision. It is also found that the effects of rating valence on timing of restaurant booking depend on the different levels of rating variation and review content richness. The findings of this study help practitioners better understand consumers’ purchase decision process and improve marketing strategies.     

Customer perceived control and the moderating effect of restaurant type on evaluations of restaurant employee performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of customer perceptions of control within the dining experience on their perceptions of employee performance. The moderating influence of restaurant type on the relationship between perceived control and evaluations of employee performance was also examined. Results indicate that high perceived control leads to higher perceptions of employee performance than low perceived control. Results also suggest that increased control has a greater positive effect on employee performance ratings in fine dining restaurants than in more casual restaurant environments.     

Perceived values,satisfaction, and behavioral intentions: The role of familiarity in Korean restaurants

This study examined American customers’ perceptions of values regarding dining experiences in Korean restaurants in the United States. Specifically, the effects of hedonic and utilitarian values on customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions were investigated. This study also examined the moderating effect of familiarity with Korean restaurants on the relationships among perceived values, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions. Overall, the results indicated that American customers valued the utilitarian aspects of Korean restaurants more than the hedonic aspects. Additionally, utilitarian aspects had a stronger impact on customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions than hedonic aspects. However, when considering customers’ familiarity level with the restaurants, hedonic aspects more effectively induced positive behavioral intentions in the low familiarity group, proving that familiarity has a moderating role. Conversely, utilitarian aspects appeared to be more influential in terms of the behavioral intentions of the high familiarity group. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.     

Restaurant survival prediction using customer-generated content: An aspect-based sentiment analysis of online reviews

Business failure prediction or survival analysis can assist corporate organizations in better understanding their performance and improving decision making. Based on aspect-based sentiment analysis (ABSA), this study investigates the effect of customer-generated content (i.e., online reviews) in predicting restaurant survival using datasets for restaurants in two world famous tourism destinations in the United States. ABSA divides the overall review sentiment of each online review into five categories, namely location, tastiness, price, service, and atmosphere. By employing the machine learning–based conditional survival forest model, empirical results show that compared with overall review sentiment, aspect-based sentiment for various factors can improve the prediction performance of restaurant survival. Based on feature importance analysis, this study also highlights the effects of different types of aspect sentiment on restaurant survival prediction to identify which features of online reviews are optimal indicators of restaurant survival.     

Dimensionality of ethnic food fine dining experience: An application of semantic network analysis

This study attempts to find the underlying dimensionality in online reviews of fine-dining ethnic food restaurant experiences in Hong Kong. This research adopted semantic network analysis with Clauset–Newman–Moore clustering. Consequently, diverse and specific dimensionality was explored in this research, including ambiance, service, food, drinks, desserts, view, location, occasions, reputation and price. The content of the reviews on five types of ethnic restaurants was different in some dimensions. Marketers of fine-dining ethnic restaurants can select a particular focus when they promote their restaurants, develop menu plan and train staff members. This study implies that the quality dimensions of traditional restaurants may not accurately represent the factual dimensions, thereby resulting in implications for developing a new index of restaurant quality.     

“How was your meal?” Examining customer experience using Google maps reviews

The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of restaurant attributes and the underlying factors impacting overall customer experience within a range of different restaurant types. To understand their experiences, this study analyses online reviews of restaurants which have become important sources of customer experience data. This current research utilises a combination of quantitative analyses to examine 935,386 Google Maps reviews of 5010 restaurants in London, Birmingham, and Manchester. The authors used the VADER sentiment analysis algorithm to measure the sentiment of four key restaurant attributes: food, service, atmosphere, and value. Logistic regression was conducted to test the relationships between these attributes and a 5-star rating. Furthermore, logistic regression was used to compare the changes of odds at different star rating levels. To understand the factors that drive positive and negative reviews, the top 30 food items of 8 types of restaurants were analysed.     

Consumer perceptions of the Michelin Guide and attitudes toward Michelin-starred restaurants

The Michelin Guide (MG) review is considered the most authoritative indicator in the global gastronomy industry. However, academic studies on restaurant reviews are mostly qualitative and interview based. This quantitative study attempted to fill the research gap in understanding consumers’ attitudes toward the MG and Michelin-starred restaurants (MSRs). We used the source credibility model as a theoretical foundation. The results showed that consumers’ perceptions of MG had a positive impact on their attitudes toward MG and a negative impact on their perceived risk of MSRs. Perceived risk did not significantly affect their attitudes toward MSRs. Furthermore, their attitudes toward MSRs had a stronger impact on purchase intentions than did their attitudes toward MG. This study has significant implications for the restaurant industry and seeks to inspire further academic research on restaurant reviews.     

The Antecedents and Consequences of Travelers' Need for Uniqueness: An Empirical Study of Restaurant Experiences

Dining out at a restaurant is one of the most important parts of travelers' tourism experience. The purpose of this research was to examine the antecedents and consequences of travelers' need for uniqueness (CNFU) in their restaurant experiences. Based on a literature review, three theoretical antecedents (perceived firm innovativeness (PFI), perceived firm uniqueness, and brand prestige) and three theoretical consequences (utilitarian value, hedonic value, and behavioral intentions) were proposed. During this process, it was theorized that consumers' uniqueness-seeking behaviors can be strengthened and/or weakened by three psychological moderators: attention to social comparison information (ATSCI), face consciousness, and materialism. By integrating the theoretical arguments, a structural model was proposed. The proposed model was tested using data collected from 379 travelers who had dined out at a luxury restaurant in the past three months. According to the data analysis results, PFI, perceived firm uniqueness, and brand prestige were all confirmed to be important factors in enhancing CNFU. Furthermore, it was determined that CNFU bears a positive impact on behavioral intentions, an impact that is mediated by perceived value. Lastly, the moderating roles of ATSCI and materialism were found to be significant. In the latter part of this research, managerial implications derived from the data analysis results are discussed.     

Examining the Impact of Restaurant Innovativeness on Relationship Quality in Luxury Restaurants

ABSTRACT

Despite the importance of innovation as a determinant for the success of restaurant businesses, little research has been conducted on the postconsumption evaluations of the image of restaurant innovativeness as perceived by the customer. In order to fill this important gap in the literature, the purpose of this study is to examine the perception of restaurant innovativeness and the effect of this construct on relationship quality. Based on a review of the literature, a conceptual model was developed hypothesizing the effects of the overall image of restaurant innovation on three determinant attributes of relationship quality: trust, commitment, and satisfaction. The model was then tested using data collected from 398 luxury restaurant patrons. The results of data indicate that the overall image of restaurant innovativeness is positively related to relationship quality in the luxury restaurant setting. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are considered.     

Can time soften your opinion? The influence of consumer experience valence and review device type on restaurant evaluation

The objective of this study is to investigate how review temporal distance influences the conformity of consumer restaurant review ratings. By employing an innovative dataset pairing consumer reservation records and consumer online reviews, the findings of this study indicate that (1) in general, temporal distance has a positive influence on restaurant evaluation conformity; (2) consumption experience valence moderates the influence of review temporal distance on restaurant evaluation conformity, with a negative dining experience strengthening the positive effects; (3) review device moderates the influence of review temporal distance on review conformity, with reviews posted via mobile devices weakening the positive effect of temporal distance; and (4) compared to reviews posted via PCs, mobile reviewers appear less likely to be influenced by prior reviews. Findings from this study provide practical insights for restaurants’ management of online reviews.     

A data-driven approach to measure restaurant performance by combining online reviews with historical sales data

Restaurant management requires customer responsiveness to deal with increasingly higher expectations and market competitiveness. This study proposes an approach to simplify the decision-making process of restaurant managers by combining both live social media customer feedback and historical sales data in a sales forecast model (based on TripAdvisor data and the Bass model).Our approach was validated with internal and external (i.e., online reviews) data gathered from six restaurants. The collected data was processed using data analytics for developing a dashboard that provides value for restauranteurs by taking advantage of online reviews and sales forecast. Such dashboard was evaluated by restaurant management experts, which provided positive feedback, highlighting in particular the time saved in the decision-making process.     

Consumers’ luxury restaurant reservation session abandonment behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: The influence of luxury restaurant attachment,emotional ambivalence,and luxury consumption goals

The purpose of this research is to examine how consumers’ attachment to luxury restaurants and their emotional ambivalence contribute to their reservation session abandonment during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In addition, the moderating effect of luxury consumption goals (e.g., self-presentation motives, status consumption, and need for uniqueness) is examined. A total of 408 participants completed questionnaires, and the results reveal that luxury restaurant attachment significantly influences consumers’ emotional ambivalence, which in turn causes them to not complete their reservation sessions. Furthermore, the moderating effects of status consumption and need for uniqueness are supported.     

Understanding the relationship between food experiential quality and customer dining satisfaction: A perspective on negative bias

This research explores how food experiential quality of consumers affects their overall dining satisfaction. Drawing on negative bias theory, we propose a nonlinear relationship between food experiential quality and customer dining satisfaction. Moreover, we investigate how restaurant price moderates the nonlinear relationship between food experiential quality and customer dining satisfaction. Results of the threshold model using 10,950 online reviews of 219 restaurants on Dianping.com provide support for the proposed hypotheses. The results suggest that a curvilinear relationship is found between food experiential quality dining satisfaction, and the turning points of nonlinear returns decreases for restaurants that belong to high-priced groups. Theoretically, our findings contribute to the existing literature by considering the nonlinear effect of food experiential quality on customer dining satisfaction in the hospitality area through the lens of negative bias, as well as considering the boundary condition. Practically, our findings suggest that restaurant managements can improve customer dining satisfaction through focusing on the food experiential quality of their customers and enhancing their response to customers who have low-level food experiential quality. In addition, if the restaurant price is high, restaurant managers should provide high-level of food experiential quality.     

Matching visitation-motives and restaurant attributes in casual dining restaurants

This study empirically examines the relationship between the visitation motives and attributes evaluation in the casual dining restaurant context. Based on the focus group discussions, the visitation motives and the restaurant attributes that are considered relevant by the patrons in evaluation of restaurant experience were identified. Data on restaurant visitation motives and attributes importance was collected from 316 patrons of casual dining restaurants in India. A nonlinear canonical correlation was performed to examine the relationship between visitation motives and attributes importance. The results reveal that the attribute importance varied across the visitation motives. Managerial implications, limitations and future research directions are also suggested.     

Restaurant experiences triggering positive electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) motivations

This study empirically examined which restaurant experiences trigger customers to engage in positive electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), where the quality of restaurant service (food quality, service quality, atmosphere, and price fairness) is the antecedent of eWOM communication. The results of this study suggest that (1) restaurants’ food quality positively influences customers to spread positive eWOM, motivated by their desire to help the restaurant; (2) satisfactory restaurant experiences with service employees triggered positive eWOM, motivated by the need to help the restaurant or to express positive feelings; (3) a superior atmosphere in restaurants elicited positive eWOM motivated by a concern for others; and (4) price fairness in restaurants did not drive restaurant customers toward eWOM. Additionally, this study investigated sources of positive eWOM and types of eWOM media used among opinion leaders in the restaurant industry to enhance the practical implications of the study regarding online marketing. Because of the small number of opinion leaders in the study sample, specifying who the opinion leaders were (the source of eWOM) and the type of eWOM media the opinion leaders used had no effect. Further discussion and implications are provided in the text.