Customer responses to food-related attributes in ethnic restaurants

Abstract

This study examines the influence of food-related attributes (i.e., food names and ingredients) on perceived authenticity and emotions (i.e., positive and negative), as well as the comparative influence of customers’ perceived authenticity and emotions on purchase intentions. The results show that unfamiliar food names and ingredients significantly enhance customers’ perceptions of authenticity and induce positive emotions. By contrast, familiar food names and ingredients arouse negative valence emotions, such as boredom and calm. We also found that perceived authenticity is the most influential factor for increasing ones’ purchase intentions, followed by positive arousal (i.e., active, adventurous, affectionate, daring, and energetic), positive valence emotion (i.e., happy, joyful, loving, pleasant, and satisfied), and negative arousing emotions (i.e., disgusted, guilty, and worried). This study’s findings provide ethnic restaurateurs with insights into how to better utilize their resources to deliver authentic and pleasant dining experiences to their visitors.