Effects of robot restaurants’ food quality, service quality and high-tech atmosphere perception on customers’ behavioral intentions

Abstract

Purpose

Robot chefs and robot waiters have emerged in the restaurant industry. Based on the curiosity theory and the stimulus–organism–response paradigm, this study aims to understand the influence of robot restaurant attributes on customer behavioral intention before purchase.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on research data from 289 respondents comprising undergraduates, postgraduates and non-students in China, the theoretical model is tested via the partial least squares technique.

Findings

Food quality perception directly affects regular patronage intention, but it has no significant influence on experience intention. Service quality perception and high-tech atmosphere perception positively affect experience intention and regular patronage intention through the mediator of interest in robot restaurants.

Originality/value

Different from previous studies focusing on human employee restaurants, this study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the first to systematically investigate the influence of robot restaurant attributes on customer behavioral intention, and it finds that these attributes have their own uniqueness vis-à-vis influencing customer behavioral intention.

研究目的

机器人厨师和机器人服务员已经出现在餐饮业。基于好奇心理论和刺激-有机体-反应模型, 本研究旨在了解机器人餐厅属性对顾客购买前行为意向的影响。

研究设计/方法/路径

基于来自中国289名本科生、研究生和非学生的研究数据, 通过偏最小二乘法对理论模型进行了检验。

研究发现

食品质量感知直接影响常客意愿, 但对体验意愿没有显着影响。服务质量感知和高科技氛围感知通过对机器人餐厅的兴趣作为中介变量正向影响体验意愿和常客意愿。

研究原创性

与以往专注于人类员工餐厅的研究不同, 本研究首次系统地研究了机器人餐厅属性对顾客行为意图的影响, 并发现这些属性在影响顾客行为意图方面具有其独特性。

关键词

机器人餐厅, 体验意向, 惠顾意向, 食物品质, 服务质量, 氛围

文章类型

研究型论文

Citation

Zhu, D.H. (2022), "Effects of robot restaurants’ food quality, service quality and high-tech atmosphere perception on customers’ behavioral intentions", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 699-714. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-01-2021-0022