Factors influencing consumer menu-item selection in a restaurant context

Factors Influencing Repurchase Intention in Drive-Through Fast Food: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

The drive-through fast-food industry has been one of the fastest businesses growing over the past decades in developing countries, including the Philippines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors influencing costumers’ repurchase intention in a drive-through fast food in the Philippines by utilizing the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. A total of 305 Filipinos answered the online questionnaire, which contained 38 questions. The results of SEM indicated that subjective appetite (SA) was found to have a significant direct effect on menu options (MO). Consequently, MO was found to have significant direct effects on imagery elaboration (IE), vividness (VV), and convenience (CO), and an indirect effect on order accuracy (OA). Finally, SA, MO, IE, VV, OA, and CO were found to have significant effects on satisfaction (S), which subsequently led to loyalty (L) and repurchase intention (RI). Interestingly, MO was found to have the highest indirect effect on RI, indicating that MO is an important consideration for RI. This is the first comprehensive study evaluating drive-through fast food in the Philippines. The causal relationships of the present study can be applied and extended to evaluate the repurchase intention of drive-through fast food in other countries.

The effect of online restaurant menus on consumers' purchase intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic

As COVID-19 escalated globally in 2020, mandated suspension of dine-in services was instilled to control virus transmission. Restaurants lost billions of dollars, millions experienced severe employment changes, and numerous small restaurants closed. For those remaining in business, converting to online food ordering was essential. Unique to the food ordering setting, this study extended the Stimulus-Organism-Response model to predict the purchase intentions of participants in an online food ordering context. Using structural equation modeling, this study discovered the indirect effects of the menu's visual appeal and informativeness, and the perception of COVID-19 risks on consumer purchase intentions. This causal relationship was significantly mediated by consumers' desire for food and their perceived convenience of online food ordering. Through providing theoretical and managerial implications for how to identify appropriate products, utilize content marketing effectively, and attract new customers, this study could assist restaurants in adapting to remaining competitive, even post COVID-19.