Indoor smoking regulations and the restaurant experience: A study on consumer evaluations

This study examines restaurant experience in the context of indoor smoking regulations, considering restaurant atmosphere, customer satisfaction, behavioural intentions, smoking status, and restaurant section. Drawing on the servicescape approach and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, data from 544 participants were analysed using structural equation modelling and a 2×2 factorial analysis of variance. Restaurant atmosphere was strongly associated with customer satisfaction (β = .849, p < .001) and directly associated with behavioural intentions (β = .356, p < .001). Customer satisfaction was positively associated with behavioural intentions (β = .551, p < .001). Smoking status had no significant main effect on overall atmosphere (p = .055), whereas the main effect of restaurant environment (p < .001) and the smoking status × restaurant environment interaction (p = .002) were significant. Among smokers, atmosphere ratings were higher in smoke-free than in smoking-permitted sections, while the corresponding environment difference among non-smokers was not significant. The findings show that smoking status alone does not indicate how customers evaluate smoking-permitted and smoke-free restaurant environments.