The Influence of Celebrity Chefs on Restaurant Customers’ Behavior

Determinants of consumer loyalty towards celebrity‐owned restaurants: The mediating role of brand love

“…The extant literature in hospitality studies established perceived food quality as a key determinant of restaurant quality (Chen, Raab, & Chen, 2017;Mattila, 2001;Ryu et al, 2010Ryu et al, , 2012Sulek & Hensley, 2004). In an earlier study conducted by Chen et al (2017), the customers ranked food quality ahead of other factors like price, value, convenience, and cleanliness. Perceived quality is defined as "the evaluation that a consumer makes about the excellence or superiority of a product" (Zeithmal, 1988).…”

“…In the case of celebrity-owned restaurants, it is likely that the consumer is initially driven by their hedonic desire to experience dining in a restaurant owned by a celebrity rather than the utilitarian perspectives of experience like service quality (Chen et al, 2017).…”

“…In the highly competitive hospitality industry, brand loyalty plays a crucial role in increasing market share (Chen et al, 2017). Jacoby and Kyner (1973) defined brand loyalty as "a biased behavioural response expressed over time by a decision-making unit with respect to one or more alternative brands out of a set of brands and being a function of psychological processes."…”

“…A holistic view of customer experience is critical in the case of restaurants associated with celebrities (Chen et al, 2017). Thus, it is crucial to look at customer experience at the pre‐visit, during the experience, and post‐experience stages (Wijaya, King, Nguyen, & Morrison, 2013).…”

“…In the case of celebrity‐owned restaurants, it is likely that the consumer is initially driven by their hedonic desire to experience dining in a restaurant owned by a celebrity rather than the utilitarian perspectives of experience like service quality (Chen et al, 2017). Thereafter, if the consumer experience at the restaurant turns out to be of inferior quality, it may lead to a negative effect on the consumers' brand love.…”