This study specifically discusses the relationships between consumers’ knowledge of a restaurant’s sustainable practices, environmental concern, and ecological behavior and their intention to patronize a “green” restaurant. The results revealed that consumers’ knowledge of sustainable restaurant practices and environmental concerns were important determinants of consumers’ intentions to patronize green restaurants. Demographic variables, age of consumers, education levels, and income levels were found to be significant in assessing patronage of green restaurants.

Past research on restaurant failures has focused mostly on quantitative factors and bankruptcy rates. This study explored restaurant ownership turnover rates using qualitative data, longitudinal data (1996-1999), and data from Dun and Bradstreet reports. In contrast to frequently repeated statistics, a relatively modest 26.16 percent of independent restaurants failed during the first year of operation. Results from this study indicated marginal differences in restaurant failures between franchise chains (57.2 percent) and independent operators (61.4 percent). Restaurant density and ownership turnover were strongly correlated (.9919). A qualitative analysis indicated that effective management of family life cycle and quality-of-life issues is more important than previously believed in the growth and development of a restaurant.

It has been suggested that changes in organizational populations are shaped by a natural (biological) selection process. Industries and businesses evolve through standard and identifiable phases throughout their lifespan. This study analyzed organizational mortality in the restaurant sector based on restaurant location, affiliation (presence/no presence of multi-unit locations of restaurants in a given geographical area), and size. Objectives of this study are to understand organizational failure from a population ecology perspective and, specifically, to identify the influences of location, competitive density, and organizational size on restaurant failure. The analyses indicated all three variables-location, affiliation, and size-are significant influences on restaurants' mortality. Chain restaurants were found to have significantly lower failure rates than independently owned restaurants. Restaurants that are smaller in size had higher failure 360 Restaurant Failures and Survival Analysis 361 rates than large sized restaurants. There is a significant effect of location, as measured by U.S. postal zip codes, on restaurant failures.

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