The influence of ethnic food and its visual presentation on customer response: The processing fluency perspective

Drawing on stimulus‒organism‒response theory, this study investigates the influence of ethnic food, i.e., its varying degrees of cultural symbolism and visual presentation, on ethnic diners’ purchase intentions. Across two experimental studies, this research shows that high (vs. low) cultural symbolic food increases purchase intention by reducing perceived risk. The results also indicate that the positive influence of high cultural symbolic food is moderated by its visual presentation. Furthermore, processing fluency is the psychological mechanism underlying the conditional impact of high (vs. low) cultural symbolic food on consumer behavior. Specifically, this study identifies that the relevant serial mediation effect is based on conceptual fluency and perceived risk. In addition, it shows that restaurant ownership type moderates the negative effect of perceived risk on purchase intention. These findings have significant implications for both theory and managerial practice.