Purpose This study examined the role of family-owned restaurants in Penang as bridges between communities and tourists, analysing how consumption values – authenticity, sensory experience, hygiene, appearance and nutrition – influence satisfaction and eWOM. Using the S-O-R model, tourist satisfaction was positioned as a mediating mechanism linking local food values to behavioural outcomes such as loyalty and eWOM. Design/methodology/approach Study data were obtained from a survey of 329 international and domestic tourists who sampled local cuisine at family-owned restaurants in Penang Island, Malaysia. The study analysed the relationships between determinants of local food consumption, tourist satisfaction, and eWOM engagement using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings The findings indicate that while all determinants significantly enhanced tourist satisfaction, but only authenticity and sensory experience exerted a direct influence on eWOM, with the remaining factors contributing indirectly through the mediating effect of satisfaction. Practical implications The results offer valuable insights for strategic policy making, providing a pioneering technique to develop tourist satisfaction and the sustainability of gastronomy tourism. Originality/value This study advances gastronomy tourism research by refining the S-O-R model, establishing tourist satisfaction as a key mediator, and underscoring the influence of eWOM. The results contribute to a deeper theoretical understanding of tourist behaviour in food-related travel and provide a foundation for future research on sustainable culinary tourism. Moreover, the study highlights that despite extensive scholarship on family businesses, their role within tourism and hospitality remains underexplored.
Jalali et al. (2025) studied this question.