Determining the Factors Influencing the Preference for Ethnic Restaurants: The Moderating Role of Neophilia

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the extent to which factors such as service quality, food quality, dining experience, social status, marketing communication, and value for money influence customers' preferences for ethnic restaurants, and to reveal the moderating role of food neophilia in this effect. Convenience sampling method was used in the study. Data were collected from customers visiting ethnic restaurants using the survey method, which is a quantitative data collection technique. Structural equation modeling was applied to the collected data. The analysis results indicate that service quality, food quality, marketing communication, and value for money have a significant impact on ethnic restaurant preferences, whereas dining experience and social status do not have a significant effect. In addition, it has been revealed that food neophilia has a moderating role in the effect of marketing communication, which is one of the factors determining ethnic restaurant visits, on ethnic restaurant preference.

Keywords

• Ethnic restaurant
• food neophilia
• customer preference

Etnik Restoranların Tercih Edilmesinde Etkili Olan Faktörlerin Belirlenmesi: Neofilinin Düzenleyici Rolü

Abstract

Bu araştırmanın amacı; müşterilerin etnik restorana gitmesini belirleyen servis kalitesi, yiyecek kalitesi, yemek deneyimi, sosyal statü, pazarlama iletişimi, paranın değeri faktörlerinin etnik restoran tercihlerine etkisinin ne düzeyde olduğunu belirlemek ve bu etkide gıda neofilisinin düzenleyici rolünü ortaya koymaktır. Çalışmada kolayda örnekleme yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Veriler, etnik restoranları ziyaret eden müşterilerden nicel bir veri toplama tekniği olan anket yöntemi kullanılarak elde edilmiştir. Elde edilen verilere yapısal eşitlik modellemesi uygulanmıştır. Analiz sonuçları; servis kalitesi, yiyecek kalitesi, pazarlama iletişimi ve paranın değeri değişkenlerinin etnik restoran tercihi üzerinde anlamlı bir etkisinin olduğunu, buna karşın yemek deneyimi ve sosyal statü değişkenlerinin ise etnik restoran tercihi üzerinde anlamlı bir etkisinin olmadığını göstermektedir. Ayrıca etnik restorana gidilmesini belirleyen faktörlerden pazarlama iletişiminin, etnik restoran tercihi üzerindeki etkisinde gıda neofilisinin düzenleyici rolü bulunduğu ortaya çıkmıştır.

Keywords

• Etnik restoran
• gıda neofilisi
• müşteri tercihi

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