Fine-Dining Restaurant Selection: Direct and Moderating Effects of Customer Attributes

This study examined the relationship among six restaurant attribute factors and three consumer characteristics/behaviors in fine-dining restaurant choice selections. The six factors are described as promotion, price/value, quality expectation, setting, dietary, and variety/innovative characteristics. Gender, age, and dining frequency were shown to impact the strength of the relationship with these six factors. The results of this study provide valuable information for practitioners and future research. Practitioners should consider key target market characteristics to ensure a fit between restaurant attributes and expectations of targeted customers. The findings provide support for the need for researchers to evaluate and control for key customer variables in service encounter research. Age, gender, and dining frequency proved to be important variables in this regard. It should be noted that communications need to identify the attributes (benefits) that are important to diners, but it is the classification variables that allow companies to better identify and reach these consumers.