Attitudes of Local People Towards Local Restaurants in Cappadocia: Relationship Between Perceived Value, Loyalty and Revisit Intention

This study investigates the relationships between perceived value, loyalty, and revisit intention from the perspective of local residents, addressing the limited focus on host communities in restaurant research. While prior studies have predominantly examined tourist behavior, the behavioral dynamics of local consumers remain underexplored. Using purposive sampling, data were collected from 392 residents in Nevşehir (Cappadocia), Türkiye. The study employs covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) to test the proposed relationships. The findings reveal that perceived value has a strong and significant positive effect on loyalty, and loyalty, in turn, significantly influences revisit intention. However, contrary to dominant assumptions in the literature, perceived value does not have a direct effect on revisit intention. This result indicates that loyalty fully mediates the relationship between perceived value and revisit intention. The findings suggest that local residents’ revisit behavior is shaped less by direct value assessments and more by relational and habitual loyalty mechanisms. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that the perceived value–behavioral intention link may operate differently for local consumers compared to tourists. It also provides managerial implications for local restaurants, emphasizing the importance of fostering long-term loyalty rather than focusing solely on value-based strategies.