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This study explores consumers' perceptions of purchasing fast food items through online platforms. The central idea of this research is to practically assess the various elements impacting the consumers’ perceptions of online purchasing of fast food items and find out the factors with high importance and performance value.

A quantitative research approach was used to collect data from 402 participants in the form of a pen-and-paper-based method using a 5-point Likert scale. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and importance-performance analysis. Theory of planned behavior and technology acceptance model form the basis for this research.

The findings indicate that constructs such as convenience, perceived quality and perceived healthiness positively influence consumers' perceptions of online purchasing of fast food items. On the other hand, competitive prices, discounts and promotions (CPDP) and online shopping experience have no significant impact on perceived value for money.

A constraint of this study is that it was done in a particular geographical location, which restricts the generalizations of the findings. The study only examined consumers' perceptions of online fast food purchasing, and future research could explore consumers' actual behaviors toward personalized fast food recommendations by online sellers.

The research supports and extends the existing literature by comprehensively understanding consumers' perceptions of purchasing fast food online. These findings can help online fast food sellers improve their services and develop targeted marketing strategies.

Robots have been adopted in numerous tourism and hospitality sectors, including restaurants. This study aims to investigate fast-food employees' use of service robots (SRs) in Pakistan.

This study used a conceptual model based on innovation resistance theory (IRT). By employing structural equation modeling (SEM) in Smart-PLS 3.2.8, we evaluated data from 247 valid respondents.

The findings demonstrated that drivers of robot adaptation significantly influenced image barriers, risk barriers, traditional barriers, usage barriers and value barriers. The results also revealed that usage, image and traditional barriers significantly affect usage intention.

This study enhances the research on robotics acceptance in tourism and hospitality and subsequently aids in the planning for post-COVID-19 resumption. This study offers several practical and theoretical insights for further investigation.

This study aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on knowledge-sharing drivers in small- and medium-sized family firms within the restaurant and fast-food industry. The pandemic has led to significant changes in business culture and consumer behaviour, accelerating digital transformation, disruptions in global supply chains and emerging new business opportunities. These changes have also influenced knowledge sharing (KS) and its underlying drivers.

To address the research objectives, a two-phase study was conducted. In the first phase, an exploratory analysis using the Delphi method was used to identify the essential drivers and factors of KS in family businesses (FBs). This phase aimed to establish a conceptual model for the study. In the second phase, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the identified knowledge-sharing drivers. The study examined both the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods to capture the shifts in attitudes towards KS.

The findings indicate a significant shift in attitudes towards knowledge-sharing drivers. Before the pandemic, organisational drivers played a central role in KS. However, after the emergence of the pandemic, technological drivers became more prominent. This shift highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on KS within FB.

The research contributes to understanding knowledge-sharing in the context of FBs and sheds light on the specific effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on knowledge-sharing drivers. The insights gained from this study can inform strategies and practices aimed at enhancing KS in similar organisational settings.

The proliferation of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has threatened the service industry, especially the restaurant sector, requiring innovative ways to help restaurants overcome this challenge. Thus, based on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) model, the purpose of this study is to examine the role of customers' perception of a restaurant's innovativeness (CPRI) in brand evangelism by mediating customer engagement (CE). Additionally, this study examines the moderating role of customer openness to experience.

A Web-based survey collected the primary data from 483 Egyptian customers. The data were analysed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling method based on WarpPLS.7 software.

According to the findings, CPRI, which acts as a stimulus in the SOR model, positively affects CE (organism) and brand evangelism (response). CE positively affects restaurant evangelism. Additionally, CE mediates the relationship between CPRI and evangelism. Openness to experience moderates the relationship between CPRI, engagement and brand evangelism.

This study addresses the gaps in understanding CE and brand evangelism within the context of restaurant innovation. This study assesses restaurant innovativeness scales of developing economies in multiple dimensions. Egyptian restaurant marketing managers should innovate products, services, experiences, and promotions to increase consumer engagement and feedback through technology.

This study investigates how Egyptian restaurants engage with and evangelise customers through innovation. This is one of the few studies that examine brand evangelism in a restaurant setting from the perspective of the SOR theory. Additionally, this study analyses CE as a mediator and openness to experience as a moderator.

This study aims to assess Brazilian adult consumers’ behavior, aged 18–70, when purchasing ready-to-eat food during the first months of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Participants answered an online questionnaire about behaviors related to the purchase of ready-to-eat food from food services: changes in usage frequency during the pandemic, reasons for altering purchase habits, types of food and beverages bought before and during the pandemic and the frequency of on-site (consumption in food services) and off-site (delivery, take-away and drive-through) service utilization at lunch and dinner.

Out of 970 individuals who participated in the study, during the pandemic, 38% of participants reduced their food service usage, whereas 18% stopped using it. The main reasons given by participants who reduced and stopped food service usage were cooking at home (52% and 59%, respectively) and feeling afraid of contracting COVID-19 (26% and 22%, respectively). The reduction was more frequent among divorced/widowed/single individuals (p = 0.001) and in total social distancing, that is, all day long (p = 0.03). A significant reduction in on-site consumption frequency occurred for lunch and dinner (p < 0.001), whereas an increase in the off-site consumption frequency service for lunch (p = 0.016) and a reduction for dinner (p = 0.01) occurred compared to pre-COVID-19. However, 48% of participants used these services at least once a week in both periods. Most consumed foods and drinks before and during the pandemic were pasta/pizza (74% and 64%, respectively), snack/burgers (66% and 59%, respectively), soft drinks (41% and 37%, respectively) and alcoholic beverages (37% and 25%, respectively).

Knowledge about food choices away from home during the pandemic is scarce. High consumption of food away from home has been associated with a greater risk of developing chronic non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and others. Eating behavior is influenced by the cultural, social, economic and personal characteristics of each individual. Understanding the main changes related to the consumption of ready-to-eat food and what the affected consumers profile in a time of unprecedented crisis, it is important to provide scientific knowledge that allows one to anticipate the implications for the future of individuals’ health and food systems and, consequently, to develop public policy or awareness and promotion actions of public health that encourage adopting healthier and balanced eating habits.

This research aims to elucidate why consumers decide to eat meals that seem to be higher in calories and salt, despite their goal being to consume fewer calories and sodium. Korean participants are to be used for this study. The present research further investigated the impacts of categorization and averaging bias in relation to the health halo phenomenon, specifically focusing on traditional food and textured vegetable protein (soy meat) burgers. Thus, the present research investigated how consumers' intentions contrasted with their consumption goals in food choice circumstances.

We partitioned the survey due to the COVID-19 epidemic. A single, well trained surveyor first surveyed customers at cafés in Seoul and six other Korean cities. We received 102 in-person survey replies. A total of 254 advanced degree or undergraduate students from two universities completed an online questionnaire. There are 356 responses. Two studies were conducted where participants were instructed to evaluate the perceived healthiness, calorie content, and sodium level of different food items. The specifics of each study are elucidated in the main body of the paper.

This study shows that Koreans categorize meals as virtue or vice depending on their perceived healthiness, validating the categorization effect. Furthermore, this research demonstrated that consumers' perceptions of the health benefits of traditional meals and soy meat burgers impact their categorization. Koreans also assessed the average of the vice and virtue and found vice-virtue combination meals healthier than the vice alone. This affects how calories and sodium are perceived. This study also shown that high virtue affects averaging bias more than weak virtue in meals with vice and virtue combo.

This study extended food categorization and averaging bias to non-US consumers and confirmed this contradictory meal choice is universal. Health halo also affects food health perception. The results of this study revealed that Koreans consider traditional food healthier than western junk food. Korean customers incorrectly assume soy meat burgers have fewer calories and sodium than regular burgers. Thus, this study explains Korean consumers' food health misconceptions related to paradoxical consumption.

This study aims to examine adolescents’ social media environment connected to unhealthy food marketing. As social media have become a ubiquitous part of young people’s everyday lives, marketers have also shifted their focus to these channels. Literature on this phenomenon is still scarce and often takes a quite narrow view of the role of marketing in social media. Furthermore, the experiences of the adolescents are seldom considered.

Using a sociocultural approach and netnographic methodology, this study presents findings from a research project conducted in Finland. The data consist of both social media material and focus group interviews with adolescents.

The findings elaborate on unhealthy food marketing to adolescents in social media from two perspectives: sociocultural representations of unhealthy foods in social media marketing and social media influencers connecting with adolescents.

The study broadens and deepens the current understanding of unhealthy food marketing to adolescents taking place in social media. The study introduces a novel perspective to the topic by looking at it as a sociocultural phenomenon.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder that significantly impacts the quality of life of affected individuals. Diet has been identified as a potential modifiable risk factor for IBS, yet its association with IBS risk in the Kurdish adult male population remains understudied. This case-control study aimed to investigate the association between the lifeline diet score (LLDS), a validated tool assessing overall diet quality and the risk of IBS in Kurdish adult men.

A total of 200 Kurdish adult men were recruited, comprising 100 IBS patients (cases) and 100 healthy controls without IBS. Medical records and interview questionnaires were used to confirm IBS diagnoses, while detailed dietary questionnaires were administered to assess participants’ dietary habits and calculate their respective LLDS scores. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between LLDS and IBS risk, adjusting for potential confounding factors.

Participants with higher LLDS scores exhibited a significantly reduced risk of IBS compared to those with lower LLDS scores (OR= 0.38, 95% confidence intervals = 0.18–0.77; p <0.001). The association remained statistically significant even after controlling for potential confounders such as socioeconomic status, age, eating rate, protein, fat, physical activity and body mass index.

This case-control study demonstrates a significant inverse association between the LLDS and the risk of IBS in Kurdish adult men. Higher LLDS scores, indicative of a healthier and more balanced diet, were associated with a decreased risk of IBS. These findings highlight the potential role of dietary patterns in IBS prevention and management within the Kurdish adult male population.

This study investigates the motivation among customers to be more loyal to online food delivery applications (OFDA) services even after the COVID-19 epidemic by using perceived service quality aspects in Sri Lanka. The data were gathered by physically distributing a self-administrated questionnaire to clients in Sri Lanka who continue to use OFDA services on platform to customer (P2C) service delivery platforms to buy food despite the COVID-19 outbreak. Multiple regression is employed to analyse 287 effective observations, and the data revealed the significant positive effect of interaction, environment, outcome, and food qualities on customer loyalty to OFDA services. In fact, there is no impact from the delivery quality on customer loyalty to OFDA services due to outsourced food delivery. The findings suggest regular improvements in attributes such as interaction, environment, outcome, and food qualities in this hyper-competitive business environment. Further, this study sets substantial facts for the interested parties to establish an exemplary delivery system and other technological advancements to have a sustainable competitive advantage and solid customer base in the long run.

This research paper aims to investigate the predictors and outcomes of immersive technology adoption in tourism.

PLS-SEM is used for data collected from tourists visiting the UAE and Egypt to examine predictors and consequences of adoption.

It is revealed that perceived ease of use, enjoyment, immersion, usefulness and attitude towards technology predict immersive technology adoption. It is also revealed that the adoption affects tourists’ perceived value and engagement, which, in turn, affects tourists’ satisfaction and loyalty.

The study has integrated a research model that combines both antecedents and consequences of immersive technology adoption where few empirical investigations were revealed to draw conclusions on this research area. Also, missing relations have been included and tested in the research model.