Is unfamiliarity a double-edged sword for ethnic restaurants?

Abstract

Unfamiliar aspects of ethnic foods are found to enhance both perceived authenticity and perceived risk. Whereas the former positively influences customers’ evaluations of foods and induces consumption behavior, the latter negatively affects customer behavior. Due to these conflicting effects, ethnic restaurateurs face a dilemma of whether to emphasize unfamiliar aspects to increase customer perception of authenticity or to eliminate them to reduce perceived risk. Thus, this study investigated (1) the effects of food information on perceived authenticity and perceived risk and (2) the comparative influences of perceived authenticity and perceived risk on customer satisfaction and purchase intention. The results revealed that unfamiliar ingredients influenced both perceived authenticity and perceived risk, whereas unfamiliar dish names only affected perceived authenticity. Additionally, the results support the notion that ethnic restaurant managers should endeavor to convey the uniqueness of their ethnic foods to maximize the effect of perceived authenticity over that of perceived risk.