Restaurant Choice Research Articles

Explainable Crowd Decision Making methodology guided by expert natural language opinions based on Sentiment Analysis with Attention-based Deep Learning and Subgroup Discovery

There exist a high demand to provide explainability to artificial intelligence systems, where decision making models are included. This paper focuses on crowd decision making using natural language evaluations from social media with the aim to provide explainability. We present the Explainable Crowd Decision Making based on Subgroup Discovery and Attention Mechanisms (ECDM-SDAM) methodology as an a posteriori explainable process that captures the wisdom of crowds that is naturally provided in social media opinions. It extracts the opinions from social media texts using a deep learning based sentiment analysis approach called Attention based Sentiment Analysis Method. The methodology includes a backward process that provides explanations to justify its sense-making procedure by applying mainly the attention mechanism on texts and subgroup discovery on opinions. We evaluate the methodology in the real case study of the TripR-2020Large dataset for restaurant choice. The results show that the ECDM-SDAM methodology provides easy understandable explanations that elucidates the key reasons that support the output of the decision process.

The Factors That Influence Students’ Choice of Dining-Out

The majority of students on campus get their sustenance from nearby food establishments. While picking a restaurant, they often take a number of aspects into account. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to investigate the elements that contribute to UiTM Dungun students' preference for dining off campus. In order to obtain data for this study, a questionnaire-based survey was done. Using convenience sampling, 205 students from UiTM Dungun were selected as responders, and all data was analysed using SPSS software. This research highlights six factors that influence dining out: price, food quality, meal variation, eating habits, ambiance, and technology or digital service. As a result, food quality was the most important factor that they considered, and the majority of participants chose to dine off campus because the food services off campus offered a greater variety of foods. Nevertheless, the most favoured meal service among students was hawkers. Restaurant operators should comprehend and be more aware of the aspects that influence students' restaurant choices and preferences in order to boost their sales and marketing efforts. Food service providers may want to consider enhancing their meal quality and expanding their menu selections.

POTENSI KULINER TRADISIONAL BALI SEBAGAI DAYA TARIK WISATA KULINER DI SANUR

The Sanur tourist area is widely known among tourists for the beauty of its beaches. But apart from the beach, Sanur has a wealth of traditional culinary delights that have survived for decades. This study conducted a mapping of restaurants serving traditional culinary delights in the Sanur area. Mapping is divided into three administrative areas, namely Kelurahan Sanur, Sanur Kauh, and Sanur Kaja. The choice of restaurant is based on historical value and the popularity of the restaurant. This study uses qualitative techniques with qualitative descriptive data analysis techniques. Selected 9 restaurants serving traditional Balinese dishes which have the highest popularity and are best known by tourists. The nine restaurants are mapped into 3 administrative regions, namely Kelurahan Sanur with 4 restaurants, Sanur Kauh with 3 restaurants, and Sanur Kaja with 2 restaurants. Culinary tourism can be a new branding for Sanur. The richness of taste and historical value will be the main attraction for tourists to visit.

Social networks and consumer behavior: Evidence from Yelp

Estimates of the effect of social networks on consumer behavior may be biased, because social network formation is endogenous. Thus, it is hard to distinguish the impact of a social network from the impact of the factors leading to its formation. I exploit a machine learning technique to systematically search for groups of individuals who are similar to the extent that friendship variation within these groups is unlikely to be correlated with unobservables that affect the outcome. I apply the method using Yelp data to estimate the effect of social network friendship on restaurant choices. I find that compared to non-friends, social network friends are 64 percent more likely to visit the same restaurant. Additional exploration of the heterogeneous effects suggests that the social network effect takes place mostly through the information channel.

Urban–ruraljustice

<scp>Urban–rural</scp>justice

Customer’s Food Nutrition Knowledge and Its Influence on Their Menu Choice in Restaurants

Today, consumers are more cautious about the food that they eat due to the prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, cancer, and diabetes. The prevalence of these diseases has sensitized many on the need for healthy eating, which has shifted food approaches and is reflected in the selection of menu items in restaurants. The study sought to establish how consumers’ knowledge about food nutrition influences their menu choices in restaurants based on the Engel-Blackwell-Kollat model. A descriptive research design based on quantitative approach was adapted. A sample size of 330 guests and 15 Food and beverage managers were drawn from the fifteen Three-star hotels in Nairobi County. The primary data was collected using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings indicated that there was a statistically significant and positive relationship between consumer knowledge and food menu selection (r (284) =0.227, p &lt; 0.01). These findings are beneficial to food eatery owners and managers in terms of understanding how changing food approaches influence consumer choice of eateries; thus how they need to address consumers’ needs. Keywords: Nutritional value of foods, traditional food, food nutrition knowledge, menu choice

Does organic labelling affect restaurant choice? A study on the Danish Organic Cuisine Label

ABSTRACT Following the growth in the demand for organic food in many Western markets, restaurants are following up by using organic produce in their meal preparation. We conduct a study investigating the role of information on use of organic produce in consumers’ restaurant choice, and the role of a state-certified labelling scheme in this context, using the Danish Organic Cuisine Label (OCL) as an example. We conduct a preparatory focus group study to gain an initial understanding of the role of organic product in restaurant choice and of criteria when choosing restaurants in general. We then conduct a discrete choice experiment investigating the potential role of the use of organic ingredients for consumers’ choice of restaurants, and the role of a certified labelling scheme in such a choice. We find that the role of organics in restaurant choice is limited, as the use of organic ingredients is not linked to the hedonic aspects that consumers are found to put most weight on when selecting a restaurant. The role of the certified label is biggest for a small but very organic-oriented segment. Also, for a price conscious segment, the label was associated with quality, but also with higher prices.

Crowd Decision Making: Sparse Representation Guided by Sentiment Analysis for Leveraging the Wisdom of the Crowd

The “wisdom of the crowd” theory states that a nonexpert crowd makes smarter decisions than a reduced set of experts. Social network platforms are a source of evaluations in the natural language of any topic, which may be considered as the evaluations of a nonexpert crowd. Decision-making (DM) models are constrained by their inability of processing large amounts of evaluations in natural language, as those ones from social networks. We claim that evaluations from social networks can enhance the quality of multiperson multicriteria DM models. Accordingly, we propose a crowd DM model guided by sentiment analysis (SA), which solves decision situations leveraging the wisdom of the crowd available in social networks. The model uses several deep-learning SA classification models through opinion triplets to incorporate all the evaluation shades in the DM model. Likewise, the likely lack of information stemmed from the consideration of a large set of users is tackled with a sparse representation of the evaluations. We annotate and release the TripR-2020Large dataset, and we use it to evaluate the model in the use case of restaurant choice. The results show that the integration of the wisdom of the crowd and the different shades of the evaluations enhances the quality of the decision.

Level of Hygiene Training and Awareness Among Food Handlers as Determinants of Customer Choice of African Indigenous Restaurants in Nairobi City County, Kenya

African indigenous restaurants have become a preference for most consumers although their patronage varies, attributed to various push factors such as health, curiosity and variety. This study explored food handlers’ hygiene practices as determinants of customers’ choice of selected African indigenous restaurants’ in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive survey targeting 15 selected African indigenous restaurants. Purposive sampling was used in selecting all supervisors in the 15 African indigenous restaurants. Using Yamane formula, a sample size of three hundred and forty (340) food handlers was obtained from a population of 2250. Proportionate sampling was used in selecting food handlers as their population had different numbers in each of the selected restaurant. &nbsp;Data collection instruments were a questionnaire, an interview guide and an observation checklist. Qualitative data was ordered, coded and summarized in compilation sheets for easier analysis in addition to inferential statistics. Quantitative data was analyzed using statistical packages for social sciences with levels of significance established using paired tests with a cut-off point of P &lt; 0.05, (95%) confidence and significance levels. Chi square Pearson’s correlation coefficient tests were calculated to identify the correlation between food handlers’ hygiene practices and customers’ choice of restaurants. The findings showed that most restaurant supervisors were well aware of HACCP system although not all of them implemented it. Further, the restaurants do not observe adequate precautions in the entire food production and therefore programs related to HACCP training needed to be implemented in a practical and realistic manner. The study further identified that the general hygiene standards of the restaurants were relatively high although during the time of the visits, some were not clean. The study recommended the public health authorities in the urban centers to educate all restaurant stakeholders on food hygiene requirements and regulations in order for them to adhere as required. The study further recommended that similar studies to be done in other localities, in rural restaurants, and to incorporate more restaurants. Keywords: Hygiene Requirements, Regulations, Training, Awareness, African Indigenous Restaurants.

Context-dependent choice and evaluation in real-world consumer behavior

A body of work spanning neuroscience, economics, and psychology indicates that decision-making is context-dependent, which means that the value of an option depends not only on the option in question, but also on the other options in the choice set—or the ‘context’. While context effects have been observed primarily in small-scale laboratory studies with tightly constrained, artificially constructed choice sets, it remains to be determined whether these context effects take hold in real-world choice problems, where choice sets are large and decisions driven by rich histories of direct experience. Here, we investigate whether valuations are context-dependent in real-world choice by analyzing a massive restaurant rating dataset as well as two independent replication datasets which provide complementary operationalizations of restaurant choice. We find that users make fewer ratings-maximizing choices in choice sets with higher-rated options—a hallmark of context-dependent choice—and that post-choice restaurant ratings also varied systematically with the ratings of unchosen restaurants. Furthermore, in a follow-up laboratory experiment using hypothetical choice sets matched to the real-world data, we find further support for the idea that subjective valuations of restaurants are scaled in accordance with the choice context, providing corroborating evidence for a general mechanistic-level account of these effects. Taken together, our results provide a potent demonstration of context-dependent choice in real-world choice settings, manifesting both in decisions and subjective valuation of options.

English

The study was carried out to determine consumers&rsquo; choice of formal full-service restaurants in Ghana. Survey was employed and data were collected using questionnaire. Fifty (50) consumers were selected for the study using the systematic sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyse data gathered. The findings revealed that, all the variables in the study influence consumers&rsquo; choice of formal full-service restaurants. However, the&nbsp; most important&nbsp; factors in order of ranking were: food quality and taste of food, variety of menu items, product/menu price, service quality, location of restaurants, dining environment, restaurant brand popularity, prompt service, staff cooperation and parking space were major factors that influence consumers&rsquo; choice of formal full service restaurants. The study further, established that consumers demographic profiles influence their choice of formal full-service restaurant. This study, the first of its kind in Ghana, is important as it is expected to expand literature on the extent of relationship between demographic factors and consumer&#39;s choice of&nbsp; full -service restaurant to&nbsp; hospitality educators and hospitality practitioners. This study recommend that hospitality operators should&nbsp; focus&nbsp; more on food quality&nbsp; as well as all the attributes examined in the study in order to meet the expectations of their consumers. &nbsp; Key words: Consumers, formal full-service restaurants, attributes, hedonic customers, selection.

Vertical Versus Horizontal Variance in Online Reviews and Their Impact on Demand

This article examines the differential impact of variances in the quality and taste comments found in online customer reviews on firm sales. Using an analytic model, the authors show that although increased variance in consumer reviews about taste mismatch normally decreases subsequent demand, it can increase demand when mean ratings are low and/or quality variance is high. In contrast, increased variance in quality always decreases subsequent demand, although this effect is moderated by the amount of variance in tastes. Since these theoretical demand effects are predicated on the assumption that consumers can differentiate between the two sources of variation in ratings, the authors conduct a survey to test this assumption, demonstrating that participants are indeed able to reliably distinguish quality from taste evaluations in two subsets of 5,000 reviews taken from larger data sets of reviews for 4,305 restaurants and 3,460 hotels. The authors use these responses to construct sets of reviews that they use in a controlled laboratory experiment on restaurant choice, finding strong support for the theoretical predictions. These responses are also used to train classifiers using a bag-of-words model to predict the degree to which each review in the larger data sets relates to quality and/or taste, allowing the authors to estimate the two types of review variances. Finally, the authors estimate the effects of these variances in overall ratings on establishment sales, again finding support for the theoretical results.

Post COVID-19 recovery for independent full-service restaurants using the salience theory: what will it take to get customers to return?

Purpose This study aims to compare customers’ perceived importance of various post-COVID-19 recovery strategies (i.e. sanitary practices, discounts, menu modification and marketing strategies) adopted by independent full-service restaurants (casual dining versus upscale/fine dining) using the salience theory. It also assesses the associations between customers’ perceptions and their restaurant spending patterns. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was administered to assess 657 US adult participants’ restaurant spending behaviors at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic using recall questions. Higher-spending versus lower-spending participants’ perceived importance of restaurant recovery strategies were compared in the casual dining versus upscale/fine dining contexts. Findings Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, sanitary practices were the most important factor in participants’ restaurant choices, and it was more important for independent casual dining restaurants than for upscale/fine dining restaurants. No significant difference was found in participants’ perceived importance of sanitary practices across different geographic regions. Higher-spending diners (HSD) perceived almost every restaurant recovery strategy as important. Lower-spending diners (LSD) only considered sanitary practices as important. Practical implications This study identified important strategies that restaurant operators and public health officials can adopt to help full-service restaurants recover from pandemic losses. Originality/value This study differs from previous consumer choice studies; in that it compared HSD with LSD regarding their perceived importance of various restaurant recovery strategies. This study also provides new insights for understanding the salience theory of choice under the impact of COVID-19.

Customer Perception of Sustainability Initiatives in the Restaurant Industry: A Discrete Choice Model Approach

Business sustainability, a multidimensional construct that arose from global trade and climatic impacts, this research focus is to analyze customer perception on its implementation in the restaurant industry. By using discrete choice models, the research surveyed participants globally on their restaurant choice. Sustainable sourced food, as well as other environmental and social sustainability related attributes were used as a factor for choosing a restaurant. &#x0D; &#x0D; In revealed preferences, this paper shows that sustainability is not a key attribute for restaurant choice, nevertheless, in stated preferences individuals ranked sustainability as an important attribute, which could be explained by a social bias in direct ranking sustainability matters. The discrete choice models also showed that vegetarian and/or vegan restaurants can perform well in niche markets, as it is either a reason to choose or not to choose a restaurant. One interesting element for future research is that education was considered a key feature for sustainable development.

How Can We Resolve This? Two Classroom Exercises on Conflict Management

Workplace conflict, with its potential to be either highly beneficial or highly damaging, is best handled with thoughtful, deliberate care. This article presents two classroom exercises that demonstrate the value of carefully weighing both parties’ interests in a conflict, as suggested by the well-known “dual concern” model of conflict management. In the first exercise, students identify potential responses to a conflict over a “date night” restaurant choice. Discussion focuses on aligning these responses with the conflict management strategies inherent in the dual concern model and on identifying the potential for mutually beneficial outcomes. The second exercise then demonstrates how situational characteristics contribute to the choice of conflict management strategy. In it, student teams debate the importance of meeting their own, versus another party’s, interests in three realistic, hypothetical conflicts. Teaching tips, exercise variations, and summary information on the effective use of different conflict management strategies are provided.

A Trust-Based Recommender System for Personalized Restaurants Recommendation

Several online restaurant applications, such as TripAdvisor and Yelp, provide potential consumers with reviews and ratings based on previous customers’ experiences. These reviews and ratings are considered the most important factors that determine the customer’s choice of restaurants. However, the selection of a restaurant among many unknown choices is still an arduous and time- consuming task, particularly for tourists and travellers. Recommender systems utilize the ratings provided by users to assist them in selecting the best option from many options based on their preferences. In this paper, we propose a trust-based recommendation model for helping consumers select suitable restaurants in accordance with their preferences. The proposed model utilizes multi- criteria ratings of restaurants and implicit trust relationships among consumers to produce personalized restaurant recommendations. The experimental results based on a real-world restaurant dataset demonstrated the superiority of the proposed model, in terms of prediction accuracy and coverage, in overcoming the sparsity and new user problems when compared to other baseline CF-based recommendation algorithms.

A Netnographic Review of Dining Experiences of Russian Tourists

This study aims to conduct a nethnographic analysis of the dining experiences of Russian tourists who prefer Antalya as their destination, depending on their restaurant choices. The findings regarding the dining experiences within the scope of the study were obtained from restaurant reviews for 2019 on the TripAdvisor website. The research findings were obtained from 131 reviews written for ten restaurants operating in Antalya city centre, Side, Kemer and Alanya districts. The analysis of reviews are made in three dimensions; First-Hand Experience, Supportive Experience and Attractive Experience. According to the findings obtained from the comments, it can be said that Russian tourists stay away from the Anatolian local culinary culture and prefer the cuisine they are used to in the countries they come from or dishes belonging to the universal cuisine. It has also been established that Russian tourists pay attention to restaurants with a good atmosphere to spend good and quality time with their families, rather than the dishes offered in restaurants.

Analysis of Consumer Preferences in Choosing Online Food Delivery Services in Indonesia

Current technological developments, followed by internet connectivity, are driving the emergence of online food delivery. Now, online food delivery has become a daily necessity. To meet these needs, many companies offer online food delivery services with a variety of services. This shows that consumers are faced with various services or attributes provided by each online food delivery service, so consumers will be more selective in choosing according to their preferences. Therefore, companies must be able to know and understand the preferences and needs of consumers to win against the competition in this industry. This study aims to determine the combination of attributes that are most preferred by consumers in choosing online food delivery services, the most important attributes for consumers in choosing online food delivery services, and the level that is most useful for consumers in choosing online food delivery services. The data collection tool in this research uses online questionnaires to 390 respondents who are online food delivery consumers. The non-probability sampling method was used in this research. The analysis technique used is conjoint analysis. The results found that of the 8 cards, card number 1 was the most preferred combination card by the consumers, which consists of fast delivery, multi orders, COD payment methods, discounted prices, and many restaurant choices. Then the most important attribute to be considered is the time and delivery attribute with a value of 34,934, and the most useful level for consumers is the 24-hour service available with a usability value of 0.290. It is hoped that this research can be a reference for business people in online food delivery in Indonesia to be able to provide fast delivery services to consumers and provide promos in the form of discounted prices so that they can become consumers' choices.

The effect of social networks on the development of gastronomy – the way forward to the development of gastronomy tourism in Serbia

PurposeTo evaluate some of the current discussions about the possible impacts of social networks on the development of gastronomy in the Republic of Serbia. There could be either positive and/or negative impacts and this viewpoint provides some reflection on what the future might hold for some if not many tourism destinations in Serbia and the region when the tourism industry restarts after the pandemic of Covid-19 virus.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted in December 2021, on a total of 244 respondents in three cities in Serbia. SPSS software was used, version 26.00, and the obtained data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Then, to determine the structure of the questionnaire and the percentage of variance, an exploratory factor analysis was performed together with a higher order factor analysis, in order to obtain the desired number of factors. Subsequently, the authors used multiple regression analysis to confirm the significance of the predictors. The goal of the research was to determine whether, and to what extent, social networks can predict the choice of restaurants and gastronomic offers in Serbia. Serbian gastronomy has a great influence on the development of tourism, so this research has a wide scientific and practical contribution.FindingsThis paper provides a context and viewpoint on the possible implications of impacts of social networks on the development of gastronomy in the Republic of Serbia in the future. It has been proven that social networks can have an impact on the development of gastronomy and tourism itself.Research limitations/implicationsTo examine the impact of social networks on the development of gastronomy, the authors conducted a survey online due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. The limitation of this research was precisely that the authors did not have the opportunity to conduct the research live due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is recommended that such surveys be conducted live in direct contact with respondents in the future in order to obtain a larger sample with fully completed questionnaires.Practical implicationsThe importance of social networks is increasingly a topic of study of world research, especially when it comes to gastronomy, which is becoming increasingly important as an activity in the tourism industry. The results indicate that the greatest importance in predicting the choice of restaurants and gastronomic offers has social networks and marketing. The importance of the work is reflected in the recognition of the importance of social networks, in order to better place Serbian gastronomy.Social implicationsThis paper offers a synthesis of views that fosters an understanding of the possibility of impacts of social networks on the development of gastronomy in the Republic of Serbia before and after the Covid-19 pandemic.Originality/valueThe viewpoint proffered in this paper provides scope for a rapid evaluation of the current status of gastronomy tourism in Serbia which can help practitioners and researchers in the faster and better development of gastronomy and tourism.

Consumer risk perceptions concerning different consequences of foodborne disease acquired from food consumed away from home: A case study in Brazil

Foodborne diseases (FBD) generate a substantial burden on society and individual; however, it is not clear how consumers perceive the impact of different consequences of FBD on individual lifestyles. This study aims to investigate consumer risk perceptions of FBD, considering different consequences and scenarios. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 150 consumers from ten restaurants in Brazil. Consumers were interviewed in the restaurant post-food consumption to determine the personal risk of experiencing FBD. The restaurant food safety measures was assessed using a validated checklist. A FBD risk score was calculated. Ten questions were used to assess consumers' risk perceptions. The likelihood perception (L) of FBD was measured according to three contexts: actual restaurant of food consumption, another restaurant, and the consumers’ home. The consequences (C) of FBD on consumers' lifestyle were measured considering the impact on financial, performance, social, physical, psychological, and time aspects. Thus, 21 measures of cumulative risk perception (3L x 7C) were established. Findings indicated that consumers perceived the likelihood of FBD as low, mainly when considering food consumed at the actual restaurant and home. It is noted that risk perception was determined as higher when considering performance, physical, and time consequences. There was no association between the risk assessment determined for the restaurant and consumer risk perceptions from such restaurants. Consumers were skeptical about their personal likelihood of experiencing FBD, unaware of the actual risk associated with FDB. However, consumers consider that the impact of FBD on their performance, physical, and time is relevant. In a multidimensional way the risk assessment could be helpful to understand consumer behavior relating to food and restaurant choices. Understanding consumer fears and perceptions generate invaluable insight and data that can be used to develop targeted educational campaigns and food safety strategies. • Consumers underestimate the risk of foodborne diseases when eating away from home. •The consumer is willing to pay, on average, 30% more for a safer meal. •The risk perceptions were not associated with the risk assessment of the restaurants. •Performance, time, and health were the consequences with higher risk perceptions.