The role of authenticity in mainstream ethnic restaurants

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effects of perceived authenticity at an independent, full-service mainstream ethnic restaurant and the moderating effects of diners’ cultural familiarity and cultural motivation on the influence of perceived authenticity on perceived value and behavioral intention. Design/methodology/approach A total of 417 self-administered questionnaires were collected from customers of an independent, full-service Italian restaurant in southeastern USA. The data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. Findings Restaurant authenticity has a positive influence on perceived value. Respondents who are more familiar with and interested in Italian culture and food tend to attach more value to the restaurant authenticity. Respondents tend to use authenticity to convey quality judgment of the restaurant. Research limitations/implications First, this study advances previous literature on dining authenticity by incorporating cultural familiarity and cultural motivation. Second, this study extends the theoretical framework of perceived quality of ethnic restaurants by connecting authenticity perceptions and quality assessment. Practical implications Results suggest that the managers at independent, full-service mainstream ethnic restaurants should focus on the restaurants’ environment and atmospheric authenticity, especially for customers who possess cultural familiarity and cultural motivation, while also ensuring the quality of food and service. Originality/value This study makes an initial attempt at studying the role of authenticity in a mainstream ethnic restaurant context and adds to the knowledge of restaurant authenticity from the perspectives of cultural familiarity, cultural motivation and perceived quality.

Authenticity, Perceived Value and Loyalty in Marine Tourism Destinations: The Case of Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, China

“…Previous studies reported the positive impact of authenticity on perceived value and customer loyalty in tourism contexts [57,[62][63][64][65]. However, few studies indicated that existential authenticity had a positive influence on perceived value but did not report the differential impacts of intrapersonal authenticity and interpersonal authenticity on perceived value [19,20].…”

The Impact of Ethnic Restaurant Menu Visual Appeal and Informativeness on Customers’ Desire to Order

“…Authenticity is defined as something that "is believed or accepted to be genuine or real" (Taylor, 1991, p. 17). Perceived authenticity has been widely examined in many contexts such as tourism (Zhang et al, 2021), advertising (Lawrence et al, 2013), philanthropic activities such as museums (Hede et al, 2014), media including reality television (Molleda, 2010), and ethnic restaurants (Liu et al, 2018). In each of these contexts, the concept of perceived authenticity is often juxtaposed against the assumption that this variable will influence consumers' behavior (Chen et al, 2020).…”

“…For ethnic restaurants, the importance of customers' perceived authenticity has been extensively highlighted in the literature (i.e., Chen et al, 2020;Jang et al, 2011;Liu et al, 2018). To assess their perceived authenticity, customers rely on information about authentic ingredients (Cohen & Avieli, 2004).…”

“…In the restaurant industry, Liu et al (2018) found that customers' perception of authenticity of a restaurant's food and environment positively increased their perceived quality of restaurant's food and environment. In the ethnic restaurant context, Phung et al (2019) found a positive relationship between customers' perceived authenticity and their perceived quality.…”

“…For the desire to order variable, seven items were adopted from Fedorikhin and Patrick (2010). Customers' perceived authenticity was measured by using five measurement items developed by Jang et al (2012) and Liu et al (2018). Lastly, perceived quality was measured by using four items borrowed from Ha and Jang (2010).…”