Choosing a Restaurant: important attributes and related features of a consumer’s decision making process

Abstract

The identification of the attributes considered by consumers in their decision-making process is a competitive factor for organizations and consists of a field of research on the products and services available on the market. This study aimed at identifying which are the attributes and related features taken into account by consumers in their decision-making process for choosing a restaurant. Two studies were thus conducted, the first being a qualitative study based on interviews with 23 restaurant consumers. The research contributions were used for the development of a questionnaire for the second study carried out in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in March 2014, which consisted of a survey made up of a sample of 600 customers of fast-food restaurants, continuous service (all-you-can-eat restaurants), buffet, and a la carte, totaling 438 valid questionnaires analyzed statistically, obtaining 12 groups with 46 attributes (service, beauty, comfort, nearby location, convenient location, choices, children, convenience, offers, perceived value, entertainment, and queue). On food evaluation, two groups were identified (organoleptic and presentation), regarding beverages, a single group was formed for seven indicators. The attributes on hygiene, food quality, service, and price made up the list of the most important aspects in the consumers’ decisionmaking process for choosing a restaurant (fast-food, continuous service – “all-you-caneat restaurants” –, buffet and a la carte). The identification of these attributes showed similarities between the restaurants surveyed and allowed the comparison of results with other surveys conducted in that field.