Investigating the foodstagramming mechanism: A customer-dominant logic perspective of customer engagement

While foodstagramming has received increasing scholarly interest, limited attention has been paid to customer engagement in the foodstagramming practice. Grounded in the customer-dominant logic, this study conceptualizes foodstagramming as customer engagement. Drawing upon social cognitive theory and cognitive evaluation theory, this study aims to investigate the foodstagramming mechanism. Collecting 335 valid surveys, this study employed partial least squares-structural equation modeling to analyze data. The findings revealed that food experiential value, social influence, and social media involvement positively affect customer engagement, except the impact of social media involvement on cognitive engagement. Customer engagement was found to activate behavioral intention toward local food and continuance intention toward foodstagramming, except the influence of behavioral engagement with foodstagramming on behavioral intention toward local food. This study provides theoretical implications for restaurant research and marketing literature and practical implications for industry practitioners.