Investigating the impact of restaurants' sustainable practices on consumers' satisfaction and revisit intentions: a study on leading green restaurants

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims at analyzing the impact of green restaurants' sustainable practices (food safety, food sustainability practices, food quality, and environmental sensitivity) on consumer satisfaction and revisit intention.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 417 participants who had recently experienced the services of leading green restaurants. The study draws upon the prevailing literature to test a series of research hypotheses through structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings of the study have confirmed that sustainable practices such as food safety, food sustainability practices, environmental sensitivity, and food quality significantly influence consumers' satisfaction and revisit intentions. The willingness to pay has been found as a sensitive issue as it moderates the relationship between consumer satisfaction and revisit intention.Practical implicationsThis study provides important insights for the businesses operating in foodservice industry. The study suggests important strategies to the restaurant business owners for improving their consumers' satisfaction and revisit intentions. These strategies may help foodservice businesses in building strong brand reputation and a competitive edge over others.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the food service literature by examining the restaurants' environmental legitimacy (food safety, food sustainability practices, food quality, and environmental sensitivity) from consumers' perspective. Moreover, the current study also fills the gap in literature by expanding the knowledge of consumers' pro-environmental behavior in the context of developing nations. Besides, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is among very few studies, which have emphasized on analyzing consumer satisfaction and revisit intention based on their experience in a green restaurant on particular sustainable parameters.