The effects of online restaurant menus on consumer purchase intention: evidence from an emerging economy

PurposeThis study evaluates the impact of online menus and perceived convenience of online food ordering on consumer purchase intention and shows how a desire for food creates a relationship between an online menu and a customer's purchase intention. Suggestions for management are proposed to design an effective menu to improve business performance in the competitive market in Vietnam.Design/methodology/approachThe paper follows a quantitative method. Quantitative research aims to analyze and critically evaluate the research question(s) to discover new factors.FindingsFindings indicate a positive relationship between menu visual appeal (MV), menu informativeness (MI), desire for food (DF), the perceived convenience (PC) of ordering food online and intention to purchase (PI). The attractiveness of images and information is a significant factor affecting diners' desire to eat, while the demand for food and the convenience of ordering food online are also factors affecting purchase intention.Practical implicationsThe study confirms the importance of online menus to purchase intention. Economically, when supply and demand are reasonable, the market is stable and technology develops. In terms of social, hygiene, attractiveness and price factors, it is helpful to have an overview. Research is the premise for further studies with factors from menu to customer trust.Originality/valueThe study provides a solid foundation for further studies on restaurant menu elements as well as a new perspective on how restaurants improve their dishes.

Digital disruption: the hyperlocal delivery and cloud kitchen driven future of food services in post-COVID India

PurposeThe pervasive impact of the COVID-19 virus on the food services sector in India has created conditions for fundamentally altering the structure of the industry. This paper offers a nuanced evaluation of the transfiguration of the market, explaining descriptive views supported by numerous secondary data sources.Design/methodology/approachThis is a self-driven study grounded in secondary data. Qualitative and quantitative assessments are assimilated from credible market research reports of multiple agencies in the Indian context, as well as news developments during the pandemic period.FindingsDigitally pivoted platforms such as cloud kitchens and delivery aggregators will eclipse all other formats due to the potential long-term prevalence of the COVID-19 virus. These formats would rise to a dominant position in the Indian food services sector in the coming decade.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is entirely driven by secondary data due to the inherent difficulties of collecting sizeable and good quality primary data as a result of the lengthy and stringent lockdowns imposed across India. Future studies should consider collecting consumer responses to get a better picture of changing dining habits in the post-pandemic scenario.Practical implicationsThe dynamic and evolving food services in India, catalyzed by the Internet and digital technologies will help academicians study the long-term implications of this change, and how it would impact society at large. The paper provides a rich body of contemporary data and analysis in the food services sphere.Social implicationsThe COVID-19 pandemic and its long-term persistence would dramatically alter food service consumption across India. This will not only change how the industry is structured, but will reshape how food is consumed into the future.Originality/valueThe study is a holistic examination of the relationship between the coronavirus pandemic and the food services industry in India. The macro perspectives aided by news coverage and industry research would help generate potential research questions on its own merits.

Hierarchical Bayesian hedonic regression analysis of Japanese rice wine: is the price right?

PurposeThis paper aims to formulate a hedonic pricing model for Japanese rice wine, sake, via hierarchical Bayesian modeling estimated using an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. Using the estimated model, the authors examine how producing regions, rice breeds and taste characteristics affect sake prices.Design/methodology/approachThe datasets in the estimation consist of cross-sectional observations of 403 sake brands, which include sake prices, taste indicators, premium categories, rice breeds and regional dummy variables. Data were retrieved from Rakuten, Japan's largest online shopping site. The authors used the Bayesian estimation of the hedonic pricing model and used an ancillarity–sufficiency interweaving strategy to improve the sampling efficiency of MCMC.FindingsThe estimation results indicate that Japanese consumers value sweeter sake more, and the price of sake reflects the cost of rice preprocessing only for the most-expensive category of sake. No distinctive differences were identified among rice breeds or producing regions in the hedonic pricing model.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to estimate a hedonic pricing model of sake, despite the rich literature on alcoholic beverages. The findings may contribute new insights into consumer preference and proper pricing for sake breweries and distributors venturing into the e-commerce market.

Ritual-based redesign of routines: an experimental approach in the restaurant industry

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of the innovative ritual-based redesign of a routine in the challenging context of the dining-out sector, characterized by low employee commitment and high turnover.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a mixed methods experimental design. This study focuses on a field experiment in a real restaurant centered on the restaurant's welcome entrée routine. The routine is first observed as it happens, after which it is redesigned as a ritual.FindingsThe ritual-based redesign of the routine enhances employee sharing of the purpose of the routine and reduces the variability of the execution time of the routine, which increases group cohesion among the restaurant staff. Besides the positive impact on the routine's participants, the ritual-based redesign has a beneficial effect on the performance of the routine by increasing the enjoyment of the end-consumers at the restaurant.Research limitations/implicationsThe ritual-based redesign of routines is a powerful managerial tool that bonds workers into a solidary community characterized by strong and shared values. This allows guidance of the behavior of new and existing employees in a more efficient and less time-consuming way.Originality/valueRituals have been traditionally analyzed from the customer perspective as marketing tools. This research investigates the employees' perspective, leveraging ritual-based redesign as a managerial tool for increasing cohesion among workers.

Determinants for food service market segmentation and contemporary consumers' behaviours amid the Covid-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study aims to draw attention to consumers' behaviours which are changing on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, provide an understanding of the factors influencing these behaviours and emphasise their importance in building contemporary business models for the restaurant industry. The article is a case study of the Polish restaurant sector based on a comparison with the worldwide literature.Design/methodology/approachA study of the current literature on the subject pertaining to the issues discussed, an analysis of them, mainly by examining trade reports, with a special focus on the following databases (BDL GUS, CBOS, IGGP PKD) and foreign references, as well as Internet sources, using the systematic (structured) literature review (SLR) method. The authors searched the databases between May 2020 and May 2022, paying attention to the following keywords: COVID-19, consumer behaviours, food services, market segmentation, Poland.FindingsThe analysis allowed the authors to identify the most important factors influencing consumer behaviour under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This in turn enabled them to verify a hypothesis concerning the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers' behaviours on the food service market. Results from an analysis of trade reports and from a literature review confirm the hypothesis proposed, leading to the conclusion that the contemporary reality in Poland currently requires businesses to continuously monitor consumers' behaviours in a turbulent and uncertain environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe systematic identification of changes taking place in consumers' behaviours will make it possible to adapt a portfolio of services to changes observed in this regard.Practical implicationsThe analysis conducted by the authors in 2021 to examine trends in consumer behaviours proved that changes affecting their thinking were undoubtedly accelerated by the pandemic of a contagious disease – COVID-19.Originality/valueSome consumer trends that appear to be a response to limits and restrictions may be observed for a longer period of time. Therefore, those restaurant owners who want to successfully go through the stage of adaptation to the new reality will have to focus, in the short term, on actions designed to identify their customers' needs and expectations anew and tailor their business models and offer accordingly.

I'D RATHER HAVE A FLY IN MY SOUP! MUTTERINGS OF MS. ZIZI IN PANDEMIC TIMES

Dilemma: In scenarios of great uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is it still feasible to maintain the tradition of purely face-to-face sales, or is it time to join the delivery system? And is that enough? Educational objective: This case aims to provide students with experience of situations consistent with the organizational reality and the development of decision-making abilities, focusing on the dilemma of whether or not to implement an alternative service system, given the operating restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Contextualization: COVID-19 caused sweeping changes in the daily life of Brazilian enterprises, including the Eating Out sector (known in Portuguese as Alimentação For a do Lar - AFL). Ms. Zizi and her son Pedro, owners of a homemade food restaurant in the municipality of Goiânia, needed to reinvent themselves during the pandemic period, in order to avoid the losing, laying offstaff, and closing the establishment. Main topic: Decision-making in times of pandemic. Audience: Students at undergraduate level in business administration, in the disciplines of marketing, entrepreneurship and strategic planning. Originality/value: Students will play the role of managers and will be asked to make decisions about a series of issues that arise in the daily lives of companies in times of crisis. The study focuses on basic concepts of the Marketing Mix, Porter's Five Forces, Decision-Making theory and Analysis of the Competition, seeking to outline strategies to deal with contingences in times of pandemic, and increase the value proposition of the Gastrô Mineiro restaurant. Dilema: Em cenários de grandes incertezas decorrentes da pandemia, ainda é viável manter a tradição de apostar somente no atendimento presencial ou é hora de aderir ao sistema de delivery? Somente isso é suficiente? Objetivo educacional: Este caso de ensino propicia aos discentes vivências de situações condizentes com a realidade organizacional e o desenvolvimento da capacidade de tomada de decisão, ao analisar o dilema de implantação ou não de um sistema alternativo de atendimento, dadas as medidas restritivas de funcionamento decorrentes da pandemia da COVID-19. Contextualização: O advento da COVID-19 ocasionou mudanças drásticas no cotidiano dos empreendimentos brasileiros, inclusive no setor de Alimentação Fora do Lar (AFL). Dona Zizi e seu filho Pedro, donos de um restaurante de comida caseira no município de Goiânia, precisaram reinventar o formato do atendimento ao cliente no período pandêmico, com o intuito de evitar a perda da clientela, a demissão em massa de colaboradores e o fechamento do estabelecimento. Tea principal: Tomada de decisão em tempos de pandemia. Público: O caso pode ser aplicado a estudantes dos cursos de graduação em administração, nas disciplinas de marketing, empreendedorismo e planejamento estratégico. Originalidade/valor: Os discentes irão assumir o papel do gestor e tomar decisões sobre um leque de inquietações e problemas que surgiram no cotidiano do Gastrô Mineiro, no período da pandemia. Este caso de ensino resgata conceitos teóricos básicos sobre o Mix de Marketing, Cinco Forças de Porter, Teoria da Decisão e Análise da Concorrência, com objetivo de traçar estratégias que atendam as contingências decorrentes da pandemia e ampliar a proposta de valor do restaurante em estudo.

When a Robot Makes Your Dinner: A Comparative Analysis of Product Level and Customer Experience Between the U.S. and Chinese Robotic Restaurants

Integrating two theoretical frameworks, the product level theory and the experience economy model, this research analyzed and compared robotic technology applications and customer experiences in selected case robot restaurants in the United States and China. Guided by the product level theory, we first analyzed in which product/service levels were robots applied in each case restaurant in Study 1. Then in study 2, guided by the experience economy model, we further explored customers' dining experiences and compared if customers' experience differs due to variations in product/service levels that robot applied. The study first contributes to the product level theory by extending its application to the context of robotic restaurants. It also contributes to the experience economy literature, and in particularly, whether applications of robotic technologies at different product levels matter in customers' dining experience. The study included case restaurants both from the United States and China, presenting findings with cultural implications. Given the challenges presented by COVID-19 and the industry is exploring alternative ways for service delivery and food production, such a study is particularly meaningful.

Determinants Affecting Willingness Of Office Workers To Use Coffee Houses Services In Bangkok During Covid-19 Outbreak

The purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants influencing the willingness of office workers to use coffee houses services in Silom and Sathorn areas in Bangkok during the COVID-19 outbreak. The conceptual framework presented comprises variety seeking, desire for unique products, cosmopolitanism, personal innovativeness, product evaluation, behavioral intention impact willingness to use coffee house services. The sample (n = 490) was gathered from online questionnaires using convenience and snowball sampling techniques. The study employed the Structural Equation Model (SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) for the data analysis to confirm reliability, validity, goodness-of-fit of the model, and hypotheses. The findings revealed that variety seeking and personal innovativeness significantly impacted product evaluation and behavioral intention. In contrast, the desire for unique products and cosmopolitanism had no impact on product evaluation and behavioral intention. In addition, both product evaluation and behavioral intention also had a significant impact on the willingness to use coffee house services. Therefore, for practical implications, business owners and entrepreneurs could enhance product varieties to attract more customers for better sales revenue generation.

The sooner, the better? Interactions of stakeholders in online food delivery service platforms

PurposeThis research aims to explore the interactions of stakeholders in online food delivery (OFD) platforms, including restaurants, the delivery system and the platform, and the effect on total sales. In order to comprehensively analyze the service of stakeholders, the authors adopted the time duration which provides a unified metric for assessing service performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) model analysis to verify the interactions among restaurants, the delivery system, and the platform itself, and to assess their effects on the sales. Data were collected from one of the biggest OFD service platforms in China – Eleme.com.FindingsFirst, the findings confirmed that the service performance of restaurants, the delivery system and the platform itself influence one another. There is a bidirectional causality between food preparation time (FPT) and actual delivery time (ACDT), as well as between FPT and advance arrival time (ADAT), ACDT and ADAT. Second, the service performance of restaurants, the delivery system, and the platform itself all positively affect sales, thus demonstrating unidirectional causality.Originality/valueThe current research is a pioneering empirical study, as it confirms the dynamic interactions between participants in OFD platforms and the dynamic influence of their respective service performances on sales. The findings of this research have a number of implications for the management and operation of online food ordering and delivery platforms.

Relationships among memorable brand experience, brand preference, and behavioral intentions: focusing on the difference between robot servers and human servers

PurposeThis study aims to examine the differences among memorable brand experience, brand preference and behavioral intentions based on the type of service providers, such as robot servers and human servers. In addition, this study investigated the relationships among the four concepts.Design/methodology/approachThe data was collected from 296 customers who experienced robot servers and from 307 customers who experienced human servers.FindingsThe data analysis results indicated that there was a statistical difference with the mean value of the five concepts according to the type of employee. The results also revealed that memorable brand experience has a positive influence on brand preference, which in turn positively influences intentions to use, word-of-mouth and willingness to pay more.Originality/valueThis study attempted to find the difference between robot servers and human servers in memorable brand experience, brand preference and behavioral intentions in the restaurant industry for the first time.

Customers' Perceptions Towards Food Ordering Applications in Punjab

With the emergence of a number of food ordering applications in the market, it has become equally challenging for customers to choose from the available applications. The objective of this study is to determine the level of awareness about online food ordering applications among customers. Further, the study evaluates the factors affecting customer perception towards online food ordering applications in Punjab. The study also determines the influence of demographic variables on the buying behavior of customers on online food ordering apps. The primary research data was collected through a structured questionnaire from 485 respondents who prefer ordering food through virtual applications, and SPSS software was used for analysis. Factor analysis was employed to find out the behavior of respondents towards food delivery applications. ANOVA was applied to check the impact of demographics on customer perception. The study identified eight factors affecting customer perception towards food ordering applications, i.e., discounts and offers, perceived ease of use, customer support, convenient operating hours, reliability, restaurant choice and variety, alternative mode of payment and serviceability of which 'discounts and offers' was found to be the most important factor. Further, the findings of the study revealed a significant role of demographic variables such as age, education, occupation and income in affecting customers buying behavior towards food ordering applications.

Consumer attitudes toward ordering from cloud kitchens: a gender and marital status perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine consumer's perceptions of cloud kitchens, including the influence of perceived innovativeness (PI), utility motivations (price and food varieties), and food safety risk perceptions (FSRP) on trust;the impact of hedonic motivations and trust on attitude;and the moderating effect of FSRP on the relationship between utility motivations (food varieties) and trust. The relationships were examined with respect to gender and marital status.Design/methodology/approachThe Theory of Consumption Value served as the theoretical underpinning of this study. Data was collected with an online survey (n = 316) using the Qualtrics panel. The partial least squares–structural equation modeling method was used to analyze the survey data.FindingsPI, utilitarian motivations (price) and hedonic motivations (food varieties) positively influenced trust, whereas trust positively influenced attitude. FSRP negatively impacted trust and moderated the relationship between utility motivations (food varieties) and trust. Hedonic motivations positively influenced consumers' attitudes. Multi-group analyses highlighted the differences attributed to gender and marital status.Research limitations/implicationsPI and utility motivations influenced trust, supporting the notion that consumers are open to new and convenient ways to order food. Additionally, the negative influence of FSRP on trust and its moderating role on the path between food varieties and trust highlights the importance of FSRP on food consumption. Finally, this study provided insight into the influence of gender and marital status on perceptions of ordering from cloud kitchens.Originality/valueThe cloud kitchen business model is undergoing exponential growth, and this study provides an understanding of cloud kitchens from a consumer's perspective.

Multi-method simulation approach: multiple restaurants to multiple customers on-demand food delivery services in Dubai

Since early 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted various supply chains including the on-demand food delivery sector. As a result, this service industry has witnessed a tremendous spike in demand that is affecting its delivery operations at the downstream level. Previous research studies have explored one-to-one and many-to-one solutions to the virtual food court delivery problem (VFCDP) to optimize on-demand food delivery services in different cities. However, research efforts have been limited to multiple restaurant orders from only one customer which does not apply to traditional systems where multiple customers request on-demand food delivery from multiple restaurants. This study rigorously analyses multiple restaurants to multiple customers (Many-to-many) food delivery simulation models in ideal weather conditions that are constrained with multiple key performance indicators (KPIs) such as delivery fleet utilization (the number of couriers utilized over the fleet size), average order delivery time, and fuel costs. This research also benchmarks the on-demand food delivery queueing methodologies using system dynamics and agent-based simulation modeling where three on-demand food delivery routing methodologies are simulated including First-in-First-Out (FIFO), Nearest, and Simulated Annealing using AnyLogic. The results suggest that the Many-to-many (Nearest) method outperforms other delivery routing methods which would have positive implications on optimizing existing food delivery systems and managerial decisions.

Book review

For that reason, this is a book for those with an interest in the built environment, the real estate economy, offices and the workspace and the role of individuals in the development of cities. When it was published (2021), we were one year into the COVID-19 pandemic and the London office market was struggling to see occupancy levels reach 10% what they had been at the start of 2020.Throughout 2020 and 2021, a variety of "experts” in the UK were prophesying the end of the office. The book studies this development process and the consequences from the growth of trade and increasing office demand whereby the City of London could not accommodate buildings and people within the Square Mile.

Identifying core "responsible leadership” practices for SME restaurants

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify the core responsible leadership (RL) practices that are most relevant to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) restaurants. Furthermore, the authors adapt scales to measure these practices and conduct a pilot study to evaluate their impact on business performance in such establishments.Design/methodology/approachExploratory sequential mixed methods are used to fulfill the research aims. In the first phase, a set of definitions and practices associated with RL are derived from a systematic literature review. Second, a projective method of data collection is applied, involving a panel of 16 experts. Third, a fuzzy cognitive map is developed, which captures the responses of 40 owners or general managers of SME restaurants.FindingsTwenty-five practices are identified from the systematic literature review. The results show the five leadership practices that match the order of importance assigned by the experts: societal orientation, ethics, stakeholder involvement, power-sharing and environmental orientation. The relevance of those five practices is validated to explain SME restaurants' financial performance and innovation performance.Practical implicationsInnovation is the key to advancing business sustainability and resilience, and the results identify the specific RL practices that enable improvements to be made in innovation performance among SME restaurants.Originality/valueThis paper identifies the RL practices that are particularly relevant to the tourism field (specifically, the restaurant industry), offers measurement scales for those practices and provides empirical evidence of the relationship between these RL practices and business performance in SME restaurants.

Restaurant patronage during the COVID-19 pandemic and the protection motivation theory: influence of consumers' socio-demographic, situational, and psychographic factors

To systematically investigate factors affecting consumers' restaurant patronage decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study drew on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to (1) evaluate how threat and coping appraisal (i.e., PMT factors) may vary based on socio-demographics and COVID-19 situational characteristics, and (2) determine if PMT factors influence actual restaurant patronage behaviors. Furthermore, the current study examined consumers' perceptions of health-protective actions that restaurateurs could take to minimize consumer risk of contracting COVID-19. Data were collected from U.S. adults (N = 627) using an online crowdsourcing platform in early May 2020. Findings showed significant relationships between socio-demograhic factors and perceived severity and/or vulnerability to COVID-19, along with concerns of coping with the virus for in-restaurant dining. For take-out/delivery patronage, coping concerns were greater for those with lower education levels and those with more health concerns than their counterparts. Furthermore, consumers' higher levels of coping appraisal predicted their higher take-out/delivery frequency. Results also suggested actions that restaurateurs could take that would influence consumers' restaurant patronage decisions. This study provides new insights related to PMT in the context of restaurants in a pandemic situation and practical information for restaurateurs to recover and prepare for future pandemics or similar crises.

Exploring key factors sustaining micro and small food, wine and hospitality firms through the COVID-19 crisis

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of how micro and small firm owners/managers cope with an extreme event, as this has implications on how firms make decisions. The study considers self-efficacy and stakeholder theory as tools to gain more in-depth knowledge.Design/methodology/approachThe perspectives of owners/managers of 308 micro and small firms operating in the food, wine and hospitality industries in Italy, one of the most affected nations, were drawn through an online questionnaire.FindingsThe importance of determination, passion, family support and a sense of responsibility towards internal and external stakeholders emerged as fundamental factors helping firms confront the crisis. Five theoretical dimensions that help explain how firm owners/managers make decisions to safeguard their firms during the COVID-19 crisis are identified. Three of these, "motivational”, "stepping up” and "firm-based”, are directly associated with tenets of self-efficacy theory, and two, "human-moral” and "entity-based”, with stakeholder theory. Further complementing this second contribution, a theoretical framework underlining conceptual and practical implications is proposed.Originality/valueThe study delves into the challenges and survival of a key group of firms facing an extreme crisis. The identified dimensions provide useful conceptual depth and practical insights that, together, form part of a proposed framework. For instance, the "human-moral” dimension reflects upon aspects that have wider implications, notably, for firms' employees and the wider society.

How does ethical climate enhance work–family enrichment? Insights from psychological attachment, psychological capital and job autonomy in the restaurant industry

PurposeThis study aims to propose a conceptual model that examines the role of ethical climate on work–family enrichment in the restaurant industry, which is one of the most vulnerable sectors affected by global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The mediating effects of psychological attachment and psychological capital and the moderating effects of job autonomy were also investigated to enrich understanding of ethical climate and work–family enrichment.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual model was evaluated by using a quantitative–qualitative mixed-methods approach. In Study 1, survey data was collected from a sample of 405 restaurant frontline employees and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. In Study 2, interviews were conducted with eight restaurant frontline employees and analyzed thematically. The data for Study 1 and Study 2 was collected from Jharkhand, a state in eastern India.FindingsThe results of Study 1 show a direct relationship between ethical climate and work–family enrichment. The mediating effect of psychological attachment and psychological capital on that direct relationship was also established, whereas job autonomy was found to be a significant moderator that negatively affects psychological attachment and work–family enrichment. The qualitative insights in Study 2 shed additional light on the rationales of the effects observed in Study 1 through the voices of restaurant frontline employees whilst triangulating the quantitative findings in Study 1.Research limitations/implicationsThis research contributes novel insights that explain how ethical climate positively shapes work–family enrichment through the lens of psychological attachment and psychological capital, albeit cautiously, given the negative effect of job autonomy. Nevertheless, this research remains limited to restaurant frontline employees, thereby necessitating future research in other service industries to improve the generalizability of its findings.Originality/valueThis research offers a seminal extension of the direct effect of ethical climate on work–family enrichment (i.e. the "what”) by theorizing and validating the mediating (i.e. the "why”) and moderating (i.e. the "how”) effects of psychological attachment, psychological capital and job autonomy.

Determinants of restaurant experience during the on-going pandemic scenario in India

Foodservice firms have been among the most affected business units during the COVID-19 pandemic. The slew of lockdowns and resulting apprehensions of contracting virus infections have largely deterred customers from patronizing various food outlets. However, with internet assistance consumers have increasingly found perceived refuge from unsafe dining experiences. As a result, the paper makes attempt to identify the determinants of customers' dining experience in restaurants. A total of 1,545 customer reviews from 97 foodservice outlets of 14 Indian cities were collected. R programming was used to perform qualitative analysis on the reviews to identify the features. Bigram analysis was applied to calculate the repeated phrases. Based on the repeated phrases, researchers measured the factors that contribute toward the customers' dining experience. The findings suggest that food quality and taste, food variety, staff behavior, restaurant ambience, along with social distance and safety norms mainly determine guest satisfaction. The findings also reveal that hotels need to apply recovery strategies such as training staff to adapt to the new-normal strategies and provide a safe environment to improve restaurant businesses. This study uses novel dataset and the findings essentially contribute to the food service literature. Further study can be done using big data in varied settings.

Determinants of intentions to use the foodpanda mobile application in Bangladesh: the role of attitude and fear of COVID-19

PurposeThis study investigates the determinants influencing customers' intentions of using the foodpanda mobile app during COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on review of the literature studies and 388 usable data collected from respondents having prior experiences in online food delivery (OFD) services in Dhaka city in Bangladesh. The subsequent data are analyzed through structural equation modeling using Smart PLS 3.3.3.FindingsThe findings show that perceived usefulness (PU), ease of use, convenience, attitude and fear of COVID-19 significantly impact intentions to use foodpanda mobile app (ITUFPMA) and attitude. Further, attitude partially mediates between PU, ease of use, convenience and ITUFPMA. Moreover, fear of COVID-19 moderates the strength of association between attitude and ITUFPMA.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study may be useful to OFD service operators in formulating business strategies for improving customers' foodpanda mobile app use intentions and coping with competitive business environment of sharing economy sector.Originality/valueThe study presents a unique case highlighting what are influencing customer intentions toward OFD services during COVID-19 context. The current study provides important insights for industry operators by integrating PU, ease of use, convenience, attitude and fear of COVID-19 in examining ITUFPMA during COVID-19 situation.