Authentic Restaurants and Food Tourism: Food Tourists Versus General Tourists

The current study assessed the influence of restaurant authenticity on tourists and whether this influence differs between general and food tourists. Responses from 575 tourists were collected from six restaurants. A Mehrabian–Russell-based model was tested using SmartPLS 3.0. Findings showed that restaurant authenticity directly positively influenced tourists' satisfaction and indirectly positively influenced place attachment and restaurant loyalty. Yet, a multigroup analysis found no significant differences in restaurant authenticity's influence on general and food tourists. There are both theoretical and practical implications from the current study. Regarding theory, findings from the conceptual model imply that restaurant authenticity plays an important role in indirectly forging consumers' restaurant loyalty and place attachment. From a practical standpoint, since the multigroup analysis found no significant differences, destinations may want to consider developing marketing campaigns that appeal to both food tourists and general tourists.