Parallel Mediation of Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction between Restaurant Authenticity and eWOM Intention: A PLS-SEM Approach

Abstract

The research aims investigate the effect of restaurant authenticity on perceived service quality, customer satisfaction, and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in the ethnic restaurant context. Additionally, it also examines the mediating role of service quality and satisfaction, and their serial mediating effect in the relationship between restaurant authenticity and diners’ eWOM intention. Data was collected from 279 diners who had experienced services at ethnic restaurants in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach was employed to investigate the relationship among variables in the research model. Restaurant authenticity directly influences perceived service quality, customer satisfaction and customers’ eWOM intention. Customer satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between service quality and eWOM while it partially mediates the effect of restaurant authenticity and customer eWOM. However, the indirect impact of restaurant authenticity on customer eWOM through service quality was not significant. The research provides evidence for the predicting role of restaurant authenticity in the relationship with service quality, customer satisfaction and eWOM intention in the restaurant context. It contributes to the existent literature on consumer behaviours in the hospitality context by conceptualizing the mediating role of service quality and customer satisfaction in the relationship between restaurant authenticity andeWOM intention. The research also extends the Stimuli-Organism-Response model by considering the role restaurant authenticity as a stimulus that directly and indirectly influences service quality (stimuli), customer satisfaction (organism), and customer eWOM intention (response). Practical implications: The ethnic restaurant managers should concentrate on the authenticity of the restaurant to generate more positive outcomes such as customer satisfaction and eWOM intention. The food and atmosphere of the ethnic restaurant should reflect the country/ culture that it represents to increase the authenticity perception among diners.