What Can Drive Consumers’ Dining-Out Behavior in China and Korea during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

External financial and monetary policy shocks: Do they matter for Korean macroeconomy?

Given Korea's status as a small, open economy, it exhibits a pronounced sensitivity to external shocks. Consequently, this article seeks to elucidate the impact of external financial and monetary policy shocks on the fluctuation of critical macroeconomic variables within Korea. Employing Bayesian estimation alongside the impulse response function for empirical analysis, the findings reveal that external financial and monetary policy shocks precipitate declines in exports, output, employment, real wages, consumption, investment, and imports. Conversely, these shocks are associated with increases in both the price level and inflation, highlighting the multifaceted effects of external pressures on the domestic economic landscape. Further, through forecast error variance decomposition, this study demonstrates that, relative to shocks stemming from productivity, terms of trade, and real exchange rate variations, external financial and monetary policy shocks exert a considerably milder impact on the fluctuations of Korea's key macroeconomic variables. This insight suggests a potential area for enhancement in the existing Korean literature on this topic, advocating for the integration of these findings to enrich understanding and analysis. In summary, by delving into the nuanced effects of external shocks on Korea's economy, this article contributes valuable perspectives to the discourse, suggesting avenues for further research and policy formulation. The integration of these results into the broader body of Korean economic literature could significantly augment current understandings and interpretations of Korea's economic dynamics in the face of global financial and monetary turbulence.

The Intergenerational Transmission of Risk Preferences: Evidence from Field Experiments in China and Korea

In this study, we conduct field experiments with 196 worker-parent pairs from two companies in China and South Korea and explore factors that affect the similarity of risk preferences between parents and their offspring. In the Chinese data, we show more similar risk preferences between parents and their offspring when there are higher levels of parental involvement and financial parenting. In contrast, in the Korean data, a more demanding parenting style contributes to intergenerational transmission. These effects are mainly captured by the intergenerational transmission from Chinese mothers to their offspring and from Korean fathers to their offspring. In addition, we find that in our study, same-gender transmission contributes highly to intergenerational transmission, and the risk preferences of Chinese workers and their parents are more similar than those of Korean workers and their parents. We also discuss potential differences in the intergenerational transmission of risk preferences between China and Korea and Western countries. Our study provides a better understanding of the formation of individuals' risk preferences.

The emotion bias of health product consumers in the context of COVID-19

The ongoing COVID-19 has led to an increase in negative emotions and health awareness among consumers. This paper discusses the emotion bias of Chinese consumers during the three periods: the pre-COVID-19 period, the COVID-19 lockdown period, and the COVID-19 normalization period. This study takes health products as the research object and crawls relevant reviews on the JD platform to classify products. The data were classified into emotion, the intensity of emotion was calculated, and the logistic regression model and variance analysis were used to analyze the difference in emotion expression. The study reveals that consumers are willing to express fear and sadness during the COVID-19 lockdown era and are willing to express like emotions before the pandemic compared to the three periods. There are also differences in the emotional intensity of different product reviews. The intensity of emotional expression is more vigorous for consumers who purchase nutritional products, while for those who purchase healthcare equipment, the intensity of emotional expression is lower. This study offers the emotion bias of consumers in response to COVID-19 to provide a theoretical basis and reference solution for implementing marketing strategies for health product companies.

Impact of Consumer Awareness and Behavior on Business Exits in the Hospitality, Tourism, Entertainment, and Culture Industries under the COVID-19 Pandemic

Empirical studies on small business survival and exits focus on endogenous firms and top manager characteristics, whereas few studies consider exogenous demand shocks and local consumer awareness and behavior, which are especially important for local hospitality industries. Therefore, this study addresses this research gap by targeting the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-contagion policies as a local demand shock for service industries. We empirically investigate the causal effects of changing local consumer awareness and behavior under COVID-19 on business exits at the prefecture-industry level. Based on a panel fixed-effect estimation using a longitudinal dataset of 32 service industries in 47 prefectures over 10 months in Japan, we demonstrate that an increase in consumers’ risk aversion and sympathy for self-restraint from going out, and a decrease in going out with family members, significantly increase the exit ratio in specific service industries in the same prefecture. Moreover, we find that these effects vary by consumer type depending on factors such as gender, age, income level, and household structure.

Characteristics Associated With US Adults' Self-Reported COVID-19 Protective Behaviors When Getting Food From Restaurants, Winter 2021

Objectives:

Visiting restaurants and bars, particularly when doing so indoors, can increase transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, among people who are not fully vaccinated. We aimed to understand US adults’ self-reported protective behaviors when getting food from restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic when vaccines were not widely available.

Methods:

We used online nationwide survey data from January 2021 to assess self-reported restaurant-related behaviors of respondents (n = 502). We also used multiple logistic regression models to examine associations between respondents’ characteristics and these restaurant-related behaviors.

Results:

Half (49.7%) of respondents reported eating indoors at a restaurant at least once in the month before the survey. Respondents most likely to report eating inside restaurants were in the youngest age category (18-34 y), had personal COVID-19 experience, or indicated they felt safe eating inside a restaurant. Among respondents who had gotten food from a restaurant, more than 65% considered each of the following factors as important in their restaurant dining decision: whether the restaurant staff were wearing face masks, the restaurant requires face masks, other customers are wearing face masks, seating was spaced at least 6 feet apart, someone in their household was at risk for severe COVID-19 illness, and the restaurant was crowded. The most common protective behavior when eating at a restaurant was wearing a face mask; 44.9% of respondents who had eaten at a restaurant wore a face mask except when actively eating or drinking.

Conclusion:

The need for practicing prevention strategies, especially for those not up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, will be ongoing. Our findings can inform COVID-19 prevention messaging for public health officials, restaurant operators, and the public.

The impact of food delivery applications on Romanian consumers' behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic

The main purpose of this study is to assess the impact that food delivery mobile applications have on consumers' behaviour in the context of the changes generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, we aimed to bridge the gap in the literature and practice by studying intrinsic and extrinsic variables that affect 18-50+ years old consumers' decision process. The data set was analysed using the Structural Equation Modelling Part Least Square model because this model has no limitations to integrating more variables into a path model. From a managerial perspective, our results show that food delivery companies should implement customer loyalty strategies, as the users' perceived risk of changing the online food supplier is high. The high degree of visibility of the food delivery applications is positively reflected in the consumers' empathy level and loyalty. Consumer loyalty is also based on the pricing strategy and time saving associated with using this type of applications. The safety value and accessibility represent both consumers' and organisations' priorities that underline the importance of the strategies of reducing the perceived risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research offers to researchers and practitioners a starting point for their future activities. It can help them make decisions considering both periods (during a crisis as generated by pandemic crisis and post-crisis as new normality).

Canadian Consumers’ Dining Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Channel Decisions in the Foodservice Industry

The past two years have been challenging for the restaurant industry in Canada and countries worldwide. This has led many casual and fine dining restaurants to adapt their business models to overcome the immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aims to understand how COVID-19 has impacted Canadian consumers’ on- and off-premise dining behaviors and how such behaviors vary among various sociodemographic groups, general knowledge of COVID-19, and telecommuting. Data were collected from a nationally representative consumer panel (n = 1091), from a survey administered online by Angus Reid. The results show that Canadian consumers increased their off-premise dining experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which also varied across various sociodemographic groups. There was also an increased level of telecommuting during the pandemic, of which 68% started following the pandemic. However, telecommuting was negatively correlated with off-premise dining experiences during the pandemic. Canadian consumers perceived off-premise dining during the pandemic as reasonably expensive, lesser quality, and more convenient. The findings may have important implications for casual and dining restaurants in Canada to improve channel decisions and messaging as operators prepare for a full-service post-COVID-19. They can build on the infrastructure and capability that has been established during the COVID-19 pandemic to offer sustainable services beyond the pandemic.

A Study on the Factors Affecting Customer Satisfaction with Institutional Foodservice during COVID-19

This study used a mixed-methods design combining qualitative and quantitative research to understand the factors affecting customer satisfaction with institutional foodservice during COVID-19. First, in-depth interviews and open coding were conducted with institutional foodservice users, and they indicated that harmonious menu composition, food taste, food temperature, close proximity to the restaurant, clean tableware, staff hygiene, hand sanitizer use, and table dividers were important concepts (qualities). Second, factors affecting customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction with institutional foodservice were analyzed using the Kano model, customer satisfaction coefficient, and importance–satisfaction analysis. The highest priorities derived from those analyses for improving the quality of institutional foodservice were harmonious menu composition and food temperature. This mixed-methods study is meaningful because it comprehensively analyzes the satisfaction factors important to customers of institutional foodservice, which have changed because of COVID-19. Therefore, these results will help to improve institutional foodservice and industrial development.

COVID-19 Safety Measures in the Food Service Sector: Consumers' Attitudes and Transparency Perceptions at Three Different Stages of the Pandemic

The food service sector was among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine consumers' attitudes towards and transparency perceptions of COVID-19-related safety measures and to identify determinants of consumers' intentions and behaviour regarding visiting restaurants and bars once reopened. By also surveying food service businesses, this study allows for comparison between both target groups. A total of 1697 consumers and 780 businesses participated in this study, conducted in Belgium both during and in between waves of infections. The findings demonstrate that consumers evaluated safety measures as important when revisiting restaurants and bars, against business owners' expectations. Both consumers' revisit intentions and behaviours are influenced by the perceived importance of hygiene measures (negatively) and past visit frequency (positively). This study highlights the importance of good compliance with safety measures as a strategy to attract customers during the reopening period. Further, our findings emphasize the importance of transparent communication by food service businesses and the government.

Determinants of restaurant consumers' intention to practice COVID-19 preventive behavior: an application of the theory of planned behavior

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of knowledge about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on behavioral intentions to practice COVID-19 preventive behaviors using the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

SUBJECTS/METHODS

A total of 519 restaurant customers' responses was collected in this study through an online self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed on socio-demographic factors. One-way analysis of variance and t-test were conducted to determine differences in the constructs from the TPB according to age and sex. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).

RESULTS

SEM revealed the positive effect of knowledge about COVID-19 on attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in restaurants. Attitude, subjective norm, behavior intention, and knowledge positively affected COVID-19 preventive behavior intentions in restaurants.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study confirmed that the TPB is helpful in elucidating the determinants of consumers' intention to practice COVID-19 preventive behavior in restaurants. These findings can help policy makers and professionals provide material for further public health interventions and inform them about awareness-raising, guidelines, and health education programs.

Experiential Value, Satisfaction, Brand Love, and Brand Loyalty toward Robot Barista Coffee Shop: The Moderating Effect of Generation

This study applies experiential value, satisfaction, brand love, brand loyalty, and generation to identify consumer behavior toward robot baristas providing new non-face-to-face services during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the analysis, a set of hypotheses was developed and tested based on the data collected from 404 customers who had visited a robot barista coffee shop (RBCS) in South Korea. The results show that playfulness had the most positive effect on satisfaction, followed by service excellence and consumer return on investment (CROI). Satisfaction had a positive effect on brand love and loyalty. This result indicates that playfulness, service excellence, and CROI are important for inducing brand love and brand loyalty of customers toward RBCS. Moreover, generation plays a moderating role between satisfaction and brand love, and between brand and brand loyalty. This research design and the results differ from those of previous studies on experiential value that have focused on human services in the hospitality industry. Consequently, this study contributes to the hospitality literature by applying the experience value theory, which has been mainly applied to research on human services, to non-face-to-face service research, and to identifying its role. Additionally, it makes an important contribution by presenting practical implications for the sustainable management of the food service industry in the COVID-19 era.

Experiences of Polish Tourists Traveling for Leisure Purposes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The research presented in this paper examines the experiences of Poles traveling for leisure purposes in the summer season of 2020, taking into account the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved the analysis of source data, including statistical data, and a survey administered via the computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) method. The survey questionnaire was created on the Google platform. The link to the questionnaire was provided via social media to participants of travel groups in the period from 30 November 2020 to 15 February 2021. The sampling was purposive (included only travelers) despite efforts to maintain the gender balance; the proportion of women was higher. Therefore, caution must be applied when interpreting the results which may not be transferable. The survey included questions regarding the respondents’ travel behavior and risk perceptions. 433 correctly completed questionnaires were collected. The dataset was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Descriptive statistics measures and correlation coefficients were used in the analysis of the results. The study shows that some respondents decided against traveling because of the pandemic situation, while those who decided to travel adjusted their behavior by avoiding crowded places and resigning from traveling abroad. Compliance with hygiene standards in the area of tourism services varied, and was the highest in the case of accommodation services. Women rated hygiene standards in chain cafes statistically higher than men and younger people rated hygiene on public transport, trains, air transport and in fast food services higher than older people. The higher the tourism expenditure, the lower the assessment of sanitary standards in tour guide services, air transport and chain cafes decreased.

A Study on Dining-Out Trends Using Big Data: Focusing on Changes since COVID-19

This study examined consumers’ emotions and needs related to dining-out experiences before and during the COVID-19 crisis. This study identifies words closely associated with the keyword “dining-out” based on big data gleaned from social media and investigates consumers’ perceptions of dining-out and related issues before and after COVID-19. The research findings can be summarized as follows: In 2019, frequently appearing dining-related words were dining-out, family, famous restaurant, recommend, and dinner. In 2020, they were dining-out, family, famous restaurant, and Corona. The analysis results for the dining-out sentimental network based on 2019 data revealed discourses revolving around delicious, nice, and easily. For the 2020 data, discourses revolved around struggling, and, cautious. The analysis of consumers’ dining-out demand network for 2019 data showed discourses centered around reservation, famous restaurant, meal, order, and coffee. However, for 2020 data, discourses were formed around delivery, price, order, take-out, and social distance. In short, with the outbreak of the pandemic, delivery, takeout, and social distance emerged as new search words. In addition, compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic, a weakening trend in positive emotions and an increasing trend in negative emotions were detected after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic; specifically, fear was found to be the fear emotion.

Impact of a Banning Indoor Dining Policy on Restaurant Avoidance Behavior during the COVID-19 Outbreak

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading around the world, and Taiwan is no exception. Faced with the outbreak of the epidemic, the Taiwan government immediately ordered a policy banning indoor dining. The main purpose of the present research is to extend a Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) theoretical framework to explore the public perception toward banning indoor dining policy on restaurant avoidance behavior during the COVID-19 outbreak. An online survey was administered in Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic from 25 May to 8 June 2021; a total of 326 responses were collected by a convenience sampling method, and partial least square (PLS) analysis was deployed to examine the hypothesized relationships. The results showed that perception toward banning indoor dining policy had independent significant associations with attitude, perceived behavioral control, and restaurant avoidance behavior. Moreover, attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norm had independent significant associations with restaurant avoidance behavior. This study provides theoretical and practical insights into the psychological and behavioral processes involved in policy by the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus helping policymakers to better understand public opinion and responses to policy issues.

Analyzing Restaurant Customers’ Evolution of Dining Patterns and Satisfaction during COVID-19 for Sustainable Business Insights

Observing and interpreting restaurant customers’ evolution of dining patterns and satisfaction during COVID-19 is of critical importance in terms of developing sustainable business insights. This study describes and analyzes customers’ dining behavior before and after the pandemic outbreak by means of statistically aggregating and empirically correlating 651,703 restaurant-user-generated contents posted by diners during 2019–2020. Twenty review topics, mostly food, were identified by latent Dirichlet allocation, whereas analysis of variation and rating-review regression were performed to explore whether and why customers became less satisfied. Results suggest that customers have been paying fewer visits to restaurants since the outbreak, assigning lower ratings, and showing limited evidence of spending more. Interestingly, queuing, the most annoying factor for restaurant customers during normal periods, turns out to receive much less complaint during COVID-19. This study contributes by discovering business knowledge in the context of COVID-19 based on big data that features accessibility, relevance, volume, and information richness, which is transferable to future studies and can benefit additional population and business. Meanwhile, this study also provides practical suggestions to managers regarding the framework of self-evaluation, business mode, and operational optimization.