Influence of restaurant exterior design and service staff ethnicity on perceptions and intentions

• Main Authors: Goh, Eunice Zuan Bao, Oh, Jia Hao, Lin, Xunqi
• Other Authors: Wong King Yin
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Business
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/51390
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This study examined how the exterior design of a restaurant and the ethnicity of the service staff, influences a diner’s perceived authenticity, perceived quality and dining intention. Three cuisines with unique dining environments were reviewed and they are: Japanese, Korean and Indian. An experimental research design using modified pictures was used to investigate the combined impact of exterior design of the restaurant and ethnicity of service staff on perceived authenticity, perceived quality and dining intention. The results revealed that particularly for the Japanese cuisine, diners do take cues from the exterior design of the restaurant and the service staff that they see at the entrance to judge the authenticity and the quality of the restaurant and food, and most importantly, their decision on whether to patronize restaurant. The results of this study are valuable to restaurateurs as it allows them to evaluate the impact of their restaurant’s exterior design and the ethnicity of their service staff, on the perceptions and dining intention of diners across three common cuisines in Singapore.