Understanding Young Consumers’ Behavioral Responses to Organic Vegan Dining

This study examines the behavioral mechanisms through which young consumers engage with organic vegan dining as part of the transition toward sustainable food consumption in emerging economies. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework and the Theory of Consumption Values (TCV), organic vegan restaurants are conceptualized as value-rich environments where hedonic, ethical, and symbolic meanings converge. The study investigates how restaurant attributes—food quality, service quality, atmosphere, organic vegan menu variety, price, and convenience—shape hedonic value and, in turn, influence revisit intention and willingness to pay a premium. Using survey data from 379 young consumers in Vietnam and applying Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the findings show that food quality, service quality, atmosphere, and menu variety significantly enhance hedonic value, while convenience is insignificant, and price acts primarily as a social-symbolic signal. Hedonic value fully mediates the relationship between restaurant attributes and behavioral outcomes. The study contributes to the economic and market analysis of organic food systems by demonstrating how experiential value drives demand in niche, sustainability-oriented markets, offering implications for strategies that integrate pleasure, identity, and sustainability.