• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.39-48
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• 2022

Purpose: COVID-19 has negatively influenced the financial performance of restaurant firms. Previous literature suggests that the franchising strategy effectively helps restaurant firms recover from difficult business conditions through various methods for expanding business size and enhancing business efficiency. According to risk-sharing theory, restaurant franchisors may minimize operational risks by sharing the risks with their franchisees. For instance, restaurant franchisors could generate more stable cash flow using franchise fees from their franchisees. However, research on the effect of franchise's risk reduction factor on business performance during pandemic is scarce. Thus, this study aims to examine the positive moderating effect of franchising between COVID-19 and restaurants' financial performance. Research design, data, and methodology: Panel data including financial information and franchising status of restaurant firms were collected for analysis. In order to control for unobserved firm-specific factors, generalized least squared estimation in fixed effects model was conducted. Huber-White robust standard errors were used to deal with heteroscedasticity issues. Results: It was found that COVID-19 pandemic has a negative effect on the restaurants' financial performance such as ROA (return on assets), ROE (return on equity), and PM (profit margins), which confirms the findings from existing literature. More importantly, results show that the degree of franchising has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between COVID-19 and financial performance of restaurant firms. This suggests that more active engagement in franchising may decrease negative impacts of COVID-19 on the restaurants' financial performance. Conclusions: The study supports existing literature related to risk-sharing theory, by confirming that pandemics, such as COVID-19, negatively affect financial performance of the restaurants. Furthermore, it was found that franchising strategy can help lessen negative impacts of pandemics on the firm performance. These findings can contribute to the franchise and restaurant management literature by suggesting the role of franchising in reducing business risks, thereby positively affecting financial performance. Moreover, this study offers business managers of franchisors and franchisees insights for utilizing franchising in restaurant risk management. Policymakers may also gain information on aiding restaurant firms during global crisis, such as COVID-19.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.57-75
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• 2024

Purpose: Nowadays, many restaurants use serving robots. Initially, many people thought that Covid-19 caused the spread of serving robots. However, even as the endemic, many restaurants still use serving robots. Therefore, this study examines why many customers choose restaurants with serving robots, using the UTAUT2 framework. Additionally, this study explores whether shyness has a moderating effect on these factors. Research design, data and methodology: Data were collected from 307 consumers who had visited a restaurant using a serving robot and analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0 software. A total of 286 datasets were analyzed. Result: We found that the precedence factors of UTAUT2 (Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, Facilitating Condition, Hedonic Motivation) had a positive effect on attitude. Furthermore, attitude had a significant positive effect on Behavioral Intention. However, shyness did not appear to have a moderating effect among these factors. This is likely due to customers using serving robots for very short time, as identified in the literature review. Conclusions: As a result of this study, it was explained that Hedonic Motivation had the most significant positive effect on shaping attitudes toward restaurants using serving robots through the UTAUT2 model.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.11-22
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• 2024

Purpose: This research delves into the various factors that influence the performance of restaurant businesses on social commerce platforms in Bangkok, Thailand. The study considers both internal and external factors, including but not limited to business characteristics and location. Moreover, this research also analyzes the effects of employing multiple social commerce platforms on business efficiency and explores the underlying reasons for such effects. Research design, data, and methodology: Restaurants can be classified into different price ranges: low, medium, and high. To further investigate, we employed natural language processing AI to analyze online reviews and evaluate algorithm performance using machine learning techniques. We aimed to develop a model to gauge customer satisfaction with restaurants across different price categories effectively. Results: According to the research findings, several factors significantly impact restaurant groups in the low and mid-price ranges. Among these factors are population density and the number of seats at the restaurant. On the other hand, in the mid-and high-price ranges, the price levels of the food and drinks offered by the restaurant play a crucial role in determining customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the correlation between different social commerce platforms can significantly affect the business performance of high-price range restaurant groups. Finally, the level of online review sentiment has been found to influence customer decision-making across all restaurant types significantly. Conclusions: The study emphasizes that restaurants' characteristics based on their price level differ significantly, and social commerce platforms have the potential to affect one another. It is worth noting that the sentiment expressed in online reviews has a more significant impact on customer decision-making than any other factor, regardless of the type of restaurant in question.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.67 no.1
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• pp.165-187
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• 2015

This study was designed to examine the influence of social-environment factors on high risk alcohol consumption. The study analyzed 229 local areas throughout Korea. Main variables included high risk alcohol consumption and environment factors such as population structure, liquor stores. For exploring the problem drinking, geographically weighted regression(GWR) using the geographic information system(GIS) was utilized to analysis. Major findings are rate of perceived stress, number of restaurants and bars. Especially problem drinking were influenced restaurants and bars, and the form or aim of restaurants and bars had differentiability to the problem drinking. These results have implication about the regulation policy of alcohol availability for prevention of alcohol related problems.

• Asian Journal of Business Environment
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.21-31
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• 2016

Purpose - The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of word of mouth on customer perceived value for restaurants in Malaysia. The objectives of this research include determining how word of mouth (WoM) factors - frequency of word of mouth messages, reputation of word of mouth messenger, richness of word of mouth message, dispersion of word of mouth conversations and manner of word of mouth delivery impact customer perceived value in Malaysian restaurant industry. Research Design, Data, and Methodology - The research follows causal / explanatory research method based on quantitative data. A sample of 150 restaurant customers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was selected using convenience sampling technique. Likert scale questionnaire is used to collect data and data is analysed using regression analysis through SPSS 22. Results - The statistical analysis revealed that independent variable 'manner of delivery' significantly and positively impacts customer perceived value for restaurants in Malaysia. Conclusions - To build strong positive customer perception, Malaysian restaurants can enhance word of mouth campaigns' 'manner of delivery' by making them passionate, exciting and with high emotional appeal.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.27-38
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• 2019

Purpose - This study analyzes effects of word of mouth intention of restaurant product via SNS on trust of products, purchase intention, and word of mouth intention targeting restaurant customers. Research design, data, and methodology - Targeting restaurant customers, 500 surveys were distributed in restaurants located in Seoul (where restaurants are clustered, such as Myeongdong, Dongdaemoon Station Shopping Center, and Sadangdong) between July 1st, 2016 and July 30th, 2016. Among those, 490 were collected, and 478 were used for analysis excluding those with no answer or insincere answers. Results - SNS word of mouth information characteristics had significant effects on trust of restaurant product in the order of vividness, neutrality, and timing. Trust on restaurant product has significant effect on perceived risks (-) and perceived benefits (+) by SNS. While perceived benefits of restaurant product on SNS has effect on purchase intention, perceived risks of restaurant product on SNS does not affect purchase intention. Perceived benefits of restaurant product on SNS has significant effect on word of mouth intention, whereas perceived risks of restaurant product on SNS does not have significant effect on word of mouth intention. Conclusions - As marketing through SNS can bring about a huge reduction effect in terms of marking cost, it can be utilized as an effective promotion by not only large restaurant corporations, but also small restaurants.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.128-136
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• 2017

This study was conducted to identify the relationship among various service quality clues, brand trust, brand distinctiveness and revisit intention focusing on fast-food restaurant consumers. Using online questionnaires tool in South Korea, a total of 450 questionnaires were distributed and 390 participants were used for further statistical analysis through SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0 for Windows. Four service quality factors (menu, interior, exterior, staff) were extracted from twelve questions. According to the result of this study, several service quality factors of fast-food restaurants' have positive effects on brand trust and distinctiveness. Specifically, staff and menu and exterior were significant predictors of brand trust, and staff and menu of fast-food were critical antecedents of brand distinctiveness. In addition, the brand trust has positive influence on brand distinctiveness as well as revisit intention. Although there are many studies which proved the relationships among various selection attributes and other outcome variables such as brand loyalty or image, little research explained the relationships among service quality factors of fast-food restaurants, brand trust, brand distinctiveness, and revisit intention. Therefore, present study will contribute to provide significant results and some practical implications in both the fast-food restaurant industry and academic research.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.585-592
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• 2014

The purpose of this article was to research the effects of physical environment on risk perception in customers at raw-fish restaurants in the Northeastern area of Kangwon province, South Korea. In this research, reliability analysis, factor analysis and path analysis were carried out. Physical environments were divided into four factors and risk perception into three factors. 'Exterior facility' had a negative influence on performance (p<0.001) and financial risk (p<0.001). 'Interior facility' negatively affected performance risk (p<0.001), financial risk (p<0.001) and time risk (p<0.001). 'The others' negatively influenced performance risk (p<0.05). Lastly, 'press copy' negatively influenced performance risk (p<0.001). Based on these results, various physical environments affected the risk perception in customers at raw-fish restaurants, and satisfaction level of customers was based on risk perceptions. As a result, food-service companies need to manage the physical environment as a marketing strategy, as well as reduce risk perception to increase customers loyalty.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.11
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• pp.67-77
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• 2021

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of employee engagement as a mediator between the High-Performance Work System and the Service-Oriented Organizational Citizenship Behavior (Service-Oriented OCB). Furthermore, work-life balance as a moderator, the impact Service-Oriented OCB on customer satisfaction will be investigated. This study employs a quantitative methodology for which questionnaires were distributed to sixty restaurants in Karachi, and a sample of 418 responses was collected for structural equation modeling analysis. Smart PLS software was used to analyze the structure model. The results show that HPWS has a positive impact on Service-Oriented OCB. It is assumed that the role of work engagement as a mediator between HPWS and Service-Oriented OCB is significant. This study found that Service-Oriented OCB has a positive impact on customer satisfaction. Work-life balance was also found to have a moderating influence. The findings confirmed the black box mechanism and the HPWS procedures in restaurants. This study suggests implementing effective HPWS practices to influence employees' work engagement, which leads to Service-Oriented OCB and employees being able to optimize their performance to influence customer satisfaction. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in human resource management.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.7
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• pp.173-183
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• 2022

With over 15,000 Thai restaurants worldwide and 5,342 in the USA alone, Thai cuisine has been repeatedly internationally acclaimed for its taste, flavors, smell, and nutritional values. The Thai Ministry of Commerce has also established a global objective to find and award the best Thai food restaurants using Thai Select Premium (TSP), Thai Select Unique (TSU), and Thai Select brand labels. Therefore, using systematic random sampling, 620 diners were selected from certified Thai Select restaurants (TSR) in either Los Angeles, New York, Miami, or Chicago to ask for their opinions concerning factors important to each restaurant's service loyalty (SL). The four constructs, 18 observed variables, and six hypotheses were analyzed using LISREL 9.1. Results revealed a significant positive effect (88% R²) on the causal factor interrelationships on TSRs' SL. Additionally, the three factors affecting SL the most were service tangibility, taste perceptions, and brand image, with total effect values of 0.94, 0.43, and 0.31, respectively. Finally, when each US diner was asked why they chose to eat Thai food, respondents overwhelmingly indicated that taste (49.50%) and healthiness (32.90%) were most important. The study also adds to the literature by highlighting the importance of Thai cuisine contributing to healthier lifestyles.