Exploring factors on customers’ restaurant choice: an analysis of restaurant attributes

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the importance and performance of customers’ full-service restaurant selection factors in the USA using the importance-performance analysis model. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was distributed to participants who were 19 years of age or older and had dined at a full-service restaurant in the past month. A total of 413 valid surveys were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the demographic information, satisfaction of restaurant attributes, revisit intention, and scores of importance-performance items. Path analysis was applied to group customer’s perceived importance of restaurant attributes and was used to analyze relationships among five attribute dimensions, satisfaction and revisit intention. Findings “Accurate guest check,” “prompt service,” “overall value of the dining experience,” and “lighting” were very important to customers but the restaurants’ performances in these areas were not satisfactory. Three attribute dimensions (food, service, and price and value) were positively and directly related to customer satisfaction and their effects are partially mediated. However, atmosphere and satisfaction are negatively and partially mediated in this study. Practical implications Food, service, price and value, and atmosphere dimensions have larger direct effects than indirect effect on revisit intentions. Their impacts on revisit intentions are partially mediated by satisfaction. Thus, great performance alone may not significantly improve revisit intentions. However, great performance can increase customer satisfaction, which has a stronger influence on revisit intentions. Originality/value This research explored the mediating effects of satisfaction between five restaurant dimensions and behavioral intentions.