Does the Past Affect the Future? An Analysis of Consumers’ Dining Intentions towards Green Restaurants in the UK

Farah Shishan,Brween Al Kurdi,Muhammad Alshurideh,Ricardo Mahshi,Firas Alotoum

doi:10.3390/su14010276

Abstract

Due to the growing notion of environmental protection, many restaurants have started to apply operational practices to diminish their carbon footprint, leading to the emergence of “green” restaurants. Green restaurants are establishments committed to minimizing adverse environmental consequences throughout their operations. Nevertheless, further research is warranted to examine consumer behavior in this field. Taking the consumers’ perspective, this study uses an augmented theory of planned behavior (TPB) and a cross-section of 896 British diners to explain their dining intentions towards green restaurants. The extended model of the TPB was tested to justify the addition of past behavior and the impact of sociodemographic characteristics. Using structural equation analysis, the results identified past behavior, perceived behavioral control, subjective descriptive norms, and attitude as critical factors influencing behavioral intention. Furthermore, apart from gender, the relationships between sociodemographics and intentions to dine at green restaurants were insignificant. This research provides insightful implications in the green restaurant domain and suggestions for future research.

Highlights

IntroductionClimate change has profoundly affected human societies and the natural environment
Climate change has profoundly affected human societies and the natural environment.Various researchers argue that the impacts of climate change will be destructive and longlasting [1,2]
The aim of this research was to: (1) investigate the underlying factors leading to diners’ intentions to select a green restaurant, (2) explore whether past behavior could contribute to the basic theory of planned behavior (TPB) model in the green restaurant setting, (3) investigate the impact of demographics in the TPB studies and initiate a framework that would assist in verifying the decision-making of green diners

Summary

Introduction

Climate change has profoundly affected human societies and the natural environment. Various researchers argue that the impacts of climate change will be destructive and longlasting [1,2]. The United Nations panel on climate change, formally referred to as Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that represents 195 countries in the United Nations, states that the warming of the climate system is apparent [3]. In light of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and with less than 10 years left to reach the target date of 2030, countries should accelerate and invest further efforts to find better solutions to climate change in order to genuinely change the world’s communities and economies [2]. All industry sectors, including tourism and hospitality, must play their role in supporting mitigation and adaptation measures to diminish climatic change [2].

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