Abstract
In the modern competitive scenario, all companies seek to understand how to achieve success. One of the keys to conquer/maintain market shares is sustainability, which is a hot topic of numerous studies that have focused on its use as a solution to obtain social, environmental, economic, and cultural benefits. To this end, the present work aims to identify the variables able to guide consumers towards the choice of sustainable restaurants through the conceptual extension of a theoretical model known in literature as Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The authors propose an Extended Theory of Planned Behavior (ETPB), consisting of seven variables: attitude; subjective norm; perceived behavioral control; perceived usefulness; curiosity; behavioral intention; and behavior. The authors used a quantitative approach based on the test of a Structural Equation Model (SEM). Overall, 1023 questionnaires were analyzed. The results of the analysis provided empirical evidence for the hypotheses formulated suggesting that attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, perceived usefulness, and curiosity affected the consumers’ behavioral intention to prefer sustainable restaurants and that behavioral intention affected their actual behavior. Based on what emerged from the analysis, the work could be understood as a useful tool for scholars and practitioners, suggesting interesting theoretical and managerial implications. In fact, on the one hand, it contributes to the enrichment of scientific literature related to the factors triggering human choices, and, on the other, it helps maximize the success of the restaurants by highlighting the levers to be actioned to improve business performances. However, the paper presents a main limit, linkable to the fact that, whilst the use of questionnaires represents an advantage in terms of sample size, on the other hand, it does not allow us to go deeper in understanding the reasons why people prefer restaurants that adopt sustainable practices.
Highlights
For some years, the growing dynamism and the increasingly fierce competition among companies has pushed scholars and professionals of all disciplines to look for new levers to be used to increase business success
The data emerging from the administration of questionnaires were processed with LISREL 8.80 for Windows, developed by Scientific Software International Inc. in Skokie, Illinois, which is statistical software that enables structural equation modeling for both latent and manifest variables
Starting from the first hypothesis, what clearly emerged was the fact that people turned to restaurants that adopted sustainable practices as they believed that sustainability entailed a usefulness: those that sought features of sustainability in the choice made by restaurants related to food safety, reduction of fixed costs through a greater energy efficiency, waste reduction, food recycling, “right food”, etc. believed that this set of elements was useful for them and for everyone else
Summary
The growing dynamism and the increasingly fierce competition among companies has pushed scholars and professionals of all disciplines to look for new levers to be used to increase business success. One of the increasingly frequent paths undertaken by companies wishing to conquer/maintain important market shares is sustainability, which is a hot topic of numerous studies that have focused on its use as a solution able to bring social, environmental, economic, and cultural benefits [2] All this is due to the companies’ awareness regarding the strong link between sustainability and strategic success to the point of allocating significant investments in that direction, for example, through the employees’ sensitization, the adaptation to regulatory developments (increasingly frequent and stringent in last years), the improvement of the products quality, the attention to the image and reputation, the interest in social issues such as the safeguarding of the health of the environment and consumers, and so on. Some examples are observable in the USA such as the labels “Green Seal GS-46” and “Green Restaurant Certification 4.0 Standards”, the ecological initiative of the National Restaurant Association “Conserve Solution for Sustainability”, and the guidelines of the “American Beverage Association”; in Europe, the “Nordic Ecolabelling for Restaurants” certification was introduced in 2006 to improve the quality of the restaurant service, and the “State of Sustainability Initiatives” were promoted to provide a point of reference to buyers, producers, policy makers, and consumers in deciding the best way to apply voluntary standards in their decision-making processes in relation to fish products; in the UK, the “Sustainable Restaurant Association” was created to help both restaurant owners and their customers to take on sustainable behavior and the “50 Best Restaurants Ranking” established a sustainable restaurant award
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
