An empirical investigation of perceived relational benefits and brand engagement in restaurant services

Abstract

PurposeThe paper aims to examine the nexus between perceived relational benefits and brand engagement within a restaurant setting in a developing economy context.Design/methodology/approachThis paper used a survey research design, obtaining data via self-administered questionnaire from 500 customers of 25 restaurants. A five-stage analysis involving exploratory factor analysis, ANOVA, multiple regression, cluster analysis and multinomial logistic regression was carried out using SPSS 22 for Windows.FindingsResults from the study show that three relational benefits (social benefit, exploration and entertainment) contribute significantly to consumers’ brand engagement in a restaurant service setting. Variations across consumers with low, medium and high brand engagement levels are also provided.Originality/valueThe paper extends the current understanding of brand engagement from a restaurant setting. It provides evidence to issues of potential research and managerial interests and offers insightful implications to the academic and practitioner communities.