Abstract
This study explored the structural relationships among the physical environment, employee performance, and diners’ emotional states, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions, applying the Mehrabian–Russell’s theoretical framework in upscale restaurants. Empirical data were collected from 275 upscale restaurant patrons. The results showed that both intangible (employee service) and tangible (physical environment) factors have significant impacts on diners’ emotional responses (pleasure and arousal), and these emotional responses affect customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions. This study found that the physical environment exerted a greater impact on arousal than employee behavior while employee behavior had a greater impact on pleasure than physical environment. In addition, arousal was found to have a positive influence on pleasure. We discussed managerial and theoretical implications based on these findings.
Highlights
Jang [11] examined the validity of the M–R model and analyzed the empirical data collected from restaurant patrons in the U.S They found a positive relationship between the physical environment and customer emotion
M–R model has received a tremendous support in various contexts including, but not limited to, shopping malls, retail outlets, restaurants, and hotels, some prior studies have extended the original M–R model in order to overcome its limitations [2]
This study proposes that diners judge employee performance throughout their meal experience
Summary
In addition to the physical environment, the critical role of employee performance has long been recognized in the restaurant business It is well known employees’ service behavior affects customers’ emotions/affect, value, customer satisfaction, and their loyalty to restaurants [4,5]. “Out of physical environments and human performance, which one is more critical determinant of pleasure and arousal in the context of upscale restaurants?” In other words, this study attempted to investigate the relative importance of human service performance and atmosphere to customers’ two major emotional states (pleasure or arousal) in the upscale restaurant industry. The objectives of this study were (1) to examine the construct validity (i.e., convergent validity and discriminant validity) of a modified M–R model after incorporating employee performance; (2) to examine the relative influence of diners’ perceptions of the physical environment and employee performance on pleasure and arousal; (3) to test the causal relationship between the two emotional states (pleasure and arousal); (4) to examine the impact of diners’ emotions on their satisfaction and behavioral intentions; and (5) to examine the impact of customer satisfaction on behavioral intentions in upscale restaurants
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