Restaurant Dining Environment, Restaurant Formality and Dining Involvement in the Context of Memorable Dining Experiences (Mdes)
Jessica Yuan, Matthew J. Bauman, Bo H. Ferns, Manya Ebrahimzadeh, Ahmed Abdulaziz Alshiha
Abstract
This research study investigates the importance consumers place on four restaurant dining facets (design, ambience, sociability, food and beverage) to ascertain how these elements contribute to memorable dining experience (MDEs). Restaurant formality and restaurant dining involvement were explored as additional influencing factors within the context of MDEs. Data were collected using an online survey administered to a sample of American diners. Through a measurement model approach, all four facets were found to define restaurant dining environment under MDEs. The findings provide meaningful insights to restaurant managers about how the dining environment of a restaurant can influence consumers’ experience in terms of co-creating memorability. These insights are particularly relevant in the post-pandemic era, when the way consumers interact with restaurant environments may change.