Patrons Reaction to Fear in Different Dining Contexts: A Cognitive-Experiential Self-Theory Exploration

Abstract

Cognitive-experiential self-theory is a unique model for exploring restaurant patrons’ decision making. Fear and its impact on diners’ decision making, particularly related to specific dining contexts (dine-in, takeout, and delivery), are limited in their representation in the literature. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an instance where a single fear could be explored universally for dining patrons. This study explores how fear influences diners’ perception of risk, antipathy, and avoidance toward restaurant dining and how these factors impact their intention to dine in a restaurant. Furthermore, it investigates how those constructs influence diner decision making regarding the selection of one of the identified dining contexts. Online survey data (n = 1225) of diners were analyzed using SEM. The research finds that fear impacts dining contexts differentially. Additionally, environmental control is identified as a valuable tool in the mitigation of diners’ fear. The pandemic had devastating impacts on the restaurant industry, partly due to the lack of research into fear, particularly in dining contexts. This research helps to fill the important research gap through the findings and theoretical and managerial implications provided.