The Meal Experiences of á la Carte Restaurant Customers

Abstract

The research presented in this article focuses on factors that form customers' meal experiences in á la Carte restaurants. The intention of the study is to reveal new aspects of the meal experience from the customers' points of view based on empirical data. Following a modified version of grounded theory approach, empirical data are based on seven semi‐structured interviews of experienced restaurant customers in two Norwegian cities. A main result of the study is the development of an overall conceptual model that integrates the most important meal experience categories revealed. The five main categories are the core product, the restaurant interior, the personal social meeting, the company, and the restaurant atmosphere. The study generally offers an increased understanding of the complexity of customers' meal experiences. The knowledge gained from this study may give restaurateurs a better understanding of and insight into important factors about the customers' choices of restaurants. It also offers indications of what to focus on in the desire to influence the perceived service quality of restaurant visits. Finally, it could be useful as a basis for a future quantitative study to test the validity of the categories developed.