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This paper aims to investigate consumer responses to brand rumors and corporate rumor response strategies in the restaurant industry.

A scenario-based experimental design was used to examine changes in consumers’ brand evaluation depending on level of brand equity and corporate choice of response strategy.

It was found that the impact of brand rumors on consumer responses is more negative when the restaurant’s brand equity is low compared to when it is high. It was also found that a company's use of active response strategies is more effective in combating brand rumor than a strategy of simple denial.

The findings have significant implications for both academics and practitioners in terms of developing effective response strategies for counteracting brand rumors.

Given the frequency of brand rumors in the restaurant industry and their serious negative impacts, this study extends the existing brand crisis communication literature by demonstrating how consumers respond to a rumor and the effectiveness of different corporate rumor response strategies.

This study aims to examine the extent to which customers’ perceptions of restaurant authenticity facilitate the establishment’s customer-based brand equity (CBBE) – both directly and indirectly – via customer satisfaction. The study also analyzes whether restaurant type moderates the antecedent relationships of CBBE formation.

Two restaurants of different types were selected for the study: a mid-scale and a moderate/casual restaurant. Based on a final total sample of 402 customers of both restaurant types, a moderated mediation regression model was used.

It was found that the level of authenticity perceived by the restaurant visitor during the gastronomic experience is an antecedent of restaurant brand equity formation, both directly and indirectly, via customer satisfaction. Furthermore, these antecedent relationships were found to be partially moderated by restaurant type.

Only two restaurants were used for the study. This study could be replicated by comparing other types of restaurants with differentiated characteristics to test whether the results obtained for these two types can be extrapolated to the rest.

There is no empirical evidence in the literature regarding the possible moderating effect of restaurant type on brand equity formation, so the particular note is the simultaneous application of CBBE measurement to the analysis of two different types of restaurant and the differences in their brand equity formation. On the other hand, there are few studies that use moderated mediation regression analysis as a methodological technique in the field of restaurants, so this is an interesting methodological contribution.

Due to increased health concerns, restaurant customers rely more on credible cues that indirectly represent health-related credence quality. To comprehensively understand the dynamics between credence cues and restaurant delivery with different infection risks, this study aims to investigate changes in cue utilization during the pandemic.

Data on delivery sales, brand and review rating between 2019 and the first half of 2020 were obtained from Meituan. Fixed-effects estimation was used to investigate 579,858 restaurant observations across 338 cities in China.

Health concerns significantly increased the use of restaurant delivery and the increased delivery sales remained steady even after infection risk was reduced. However, cue utilization in restaurant delivery substantially changed depending on inflection risk. In the pandemic-spreading period, the sales effect of the brand increased while that of review rating decreased. The decreased effect of review rating was recovered in the pandemic-flattening period, whereas the abnormal brand effect continued only when branded restaurants had a high rating.

The findings demonstrate the selective and contextual nature of cue utilization in the restaurant delivery setting. These characteristics are also manifested in a health crisis from a credence cue perspective.

The findings demonstrate the selective and contextual nature of cue utilization in the restaurant delivery setting. These characteristics are also manifested in a health crisis from a credence cue perspective. Further, this study re-conceptualizes credence quality and cues, considering their roles in risk management. The findings help develop risk management strategies based on customers’ usage patterns of credence cues in health crises.

The dynamics between credence cues and restaurant delivery has not been comprehensively investigated, especially when infection risk changes. This study delivers theoretical and practical contributions about how to use credence cues in the restaurant business amid health crises.

This paper aims to analyze the spillover effects between online food delivery providers’ (OFDs) performance and restaurant brands. It proposed a model of three determinants for e-satisfaction with OFDs and related these variables to restaurants’ brand satisfaction, image and loyalty.

A survey was designed, and 332 responses from delivery apps users in Ecuador were collected. A partial least squares structural equations model was applied.

The three proposed determinants of OFD satisfaction were significant: e-service quality, personal aspects of delivery workers and perceived food quality. Regarding the spillover effects, e-service quality and personal aspects had an influence on perceived food quality, mediating a chain of effects on restaurants’ brand satisfaction, image and loyalty.

Data were collected before COVID-19. Further studies will need to be undertaken in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic because minimal contact between delivery workers and customers is expected. In addition, food quality perceptions may include new concerns about biosafety norms.

Practices aiming to improve the service experience with OFDs are suggested, including proper training, supervision and improvement of delivery workers’ conditions. On the other hand, because restaurants do not control OFD’s performance, their contractual agreements should focus on avoiding service failures that erode restaurants’ brand equity.

This paper fulfills the need to study the spillover effects in the context of the collaborative economy, where delivery companies, delivery workers and restaurants work together to provide a service, and the performance of one of the parties impacts the consumers’ perceptions of the other party.

本调查旨在分析在线食品配送提供商 (OFD) 绩效与餐厅品牌之间的溢出效应。 它提出了 OFD 电子满意度的三个决定因素模型, 并将这些变量与餐厅的品牌满意度、形象和忠诚度相关联。

本研究设计了一项调查, 并收集了来自厄瓜多尔交付应用程序用户的 332 份回复。 应用PLS结构方程模型。

OFD 满意度的三个拟议决定因素非常重要：电子服务质量、送货员的个人方面和感知的食品质量。 关于溢出效应, 电子服务质量和个人方面对感知食品质量有影响, 调节对餐厅品牌满意度、形象和忠诚度的连锁影响。

本研究数据是在 COVID-19 之前收集。 由于预计送货员和顾客之间的接触最少, 因此需要在 COVID-19 大流行的背景下进行进一步研究。 此外, 食品质量认知可能包括生物安全规范的新担忧。

本研究建议采取旨在改善 OFD 服务体验的做法, 包括适当的培训、监督和改善送货工人的条件。 另一方面, 由于餐厅不控制 OFD 的绩效, 因此他们的合同协议应着重于避免服务失败而损害餐厅的品牌资产。

本文满足了研究协作经济背景下溢出效应的需要, 在这种情况下, 送货公司、送货工人和餐馆共同提供服务, 其中一方的表现会影响消费者的 对方的看法。

This study aims to investigate consumer responses to cause-related marketing (CRM) implemented by socially stigmatized industries, especially in fast food restaurants.

This experimental study uses a 2 (degree of perceived fit) × 2 (complementary fit) × 2 (brand equity) between-subjects design.

Results show significant interaction effects between the degree of fit and brand equity and complementary fit and brand equity on consumers’ brand evaluation. When a company with high brand equity chooses a high fit (vs low fit) or complementary fit (vs non-complimentary fit) for CRM promotion, this leads to consumers’ more positive attitude and higher intent to participate in CRM promotion.

This study provides practical implications for designing effective CRM promotion in the stigmatized industry such as fast food restaurants and casino.

Given the increased demand on CRM in the hospitality industry, the paper contributes to extend the realm of CRM literatures by investigating antecedents affecting consumers’ responses toward the CRM in the stigmatized companies or brands.

The purpose of this study was to discuss the importance of customer-based brand equity (CBBE) and identify the critical attributes of how to develop CBBE during the most difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study collected 386 restaurant managers' viewpoints to examine the mutual relationships among CBBE and other critical attributes of corporate social responsibility (CSR), electronic word of mouth (EWOM) and brand personality. Furthermore, structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to examine the proposed moderation and mediation hypotheses.

The results show that corporate social responsibility (CSR) mediates the relationship between brand personality and brand image. Furthermore, the mutual relationship among CBBE is discovered in that brand image may indirectly affect brand loyalty through perceived quality and brand awareness. Furthermore, with the reliance on social media, the moderating roles of electronic word of mouth (EWOM) are also revealed that strengthen the indirect effect of brand personality on brand awareness through CSR and brand image.

With the increasing attention to CBBE, which aims at tourism destination brand equity, hotel branding from the customer perspective, restaurant managers' viewpoints are not considered. Further, because of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, customers are paying more attention to food safety and food delivery processes, which are important for CSR and connected to CBBE. However, until now, fewer studies have addressed these issues as such. The present study reflects the bidirectional effects of such a comprehensive viewpoint.

This research aims to examine the influence of brand signals (transparency, innovativeness and reputation) on brand trust and price fairness toward organic food restaurant brand.

The empirical data were gathered with the survey instrument from respondents who had previously visited organic food restaurant. The formulated hypotheses were analyzed with structural equation modeling.

The collected data demonstrated the positive effect of brand signals on brand trust and price fairness. Trust in organic food restaurant brand was found to positively impact both price fairness and brand loyalty. Additionally, the results provided evidence of the positive linkage between price fairness and brand loyalty. Among brand signals, brand transparency exerted the greatest impact on brand trust and price fairness. The findings also indicated the significant indirect linkage of brand signals on restaurant brand loyalty through brand trust and price fairness.

Through the lens of signaling theory and equity theory, this study provides novel insights into how brand signals contribute to brand trust, price fairness and organic food restaurant brand loyalty. The managerial implications for implementing brand strategies for organic food restaurants were discussed.

This paper reviews brand equity and customer satisfaction as they relate to customer loyalty and relationship marketing in an effort to understand and mitigate some of the challenges facing quick‐service restaurants (QSRs) today.

The authors reviewed over 30 articles on the subjects of brand equity, customer equity, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, communal relationships, relationship marketing, and pseudo‐relationship marketing, as well as researched and evaluated current marketing techniques used by selected QSRs.

It is concluded by the authors that customer satisfaction, brand equity, and loyalty are invaluable to the formation of customer loyalty, as is the understanding that customers' relationships with companies need to be treated with the same respect as personal relationships.

Customer loyalty has been shown to be beneficial to a company, both tangibly and intangibly. Companies are cautioned in their use of relationship marketing techniques used to foster customer loyalty and encouraged to use methods that benefit both themselves and their customers.

This paper analyzes many different factors that affect customer loyalty, as well as discusses how relationship marketing techniques can be utilized by the QSR industry.

Following the planned behaviour theory, the aim of the paper is to analyse the role played by brand attachment, brand characteristics and congruence in enhancing brand attitude while leading to revisit intentions and word-of-mouth (WOM) in the restaurant sector.

The study is based on the quantitative method and considered 464 questionnaires fulfilled by customers of restaurants. The data were explored employing the partial least square–structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

This study expands the literature about WOM and revisit intentions. The paper states that brand attitude positively influenced revisit intentions and WOM. Besides, findings highlighted that analysed concepts were positively correlated and that they played an important role in impacting revisit intentions and WOM, apart from one factor: social self-congruity, which was not significantly related to brand attitude.

The results of this paper show practitioners how to develop suitable strategies that set the bases for developing customer loyalty and repeat business. By putting into practice these suggestions in the restaurant sector, brands can easily build up their attitude and boost a positive WOM and the intention to revisit.

The study offers a conceptual framework to explore the significance of several factors, including revisit intentions and WOM. In practice, taking into account the proposed framework, it is suggested that restaurant managers should assess these two items using several factors including congruence, brand characteristics and brand attachment.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of the effects of advertising based on economic cycles. To comprehend advertising effects in the restaurant industry from an economic cycle perspective, this study investigated both short- and long-run advertising effects under periods of economic contraction and expansion and compared those effects between the two economic periods.

The data were collected from the COMPUSTAT database for the restaurant industry (SIC 5,812) from 1979 to 2010. To estimate the economic cycles, the 2005 year-based real gross domestic product (GDP) was used from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Also, all variables were depreciated by the value of the US dollar in 2005. For estimation, a single equation error correction model was used to examine the short-term and long-term effects of advertising.

The results of this study indicated that both the short- and long-term effects of advertising on sales growth were more obvious in contraction periods than in expansion periods. However, the short-run effects of advertising on brand equity did not significantly differ between expansion and contraction periods. Further, the long-term effects of advertising on brand equity were greater in expansion periods than in contraction periods. The findings suggest that restaurant firms should not reduce their advertising budgets during periods of economic contraction to take advantage of superior sales growth outcomes during these periods.

The results of this study provide restaurant managers with useful practical implications. During economic contraction periods, restaurant managers should not reduce advertising budgets to take an ascendant position in terms of sales growth. Though the net positive effect at year t + 1 of contraction periods was smaller than that of expansion periods for sales growth, this is temporal and the long-run positive effect on sales growth spreads into future periods. Thus, a counter-cyclical advertising strategy could compensate for reduced sales from weak customer demands during economic contraction periods.

There have been many empirical studies on the advertising effect in the literature. However, this study examined whether the effects of advertising differ between economic expansion and contraction periods. This specificity is helpful for industrial practitioners as well as academic researchers.