Effects of COVID-19 on preferences for private dining facilities in restaurants

The present research investigates the effects of the perceived threat of COVID-19 and the salience of the virus on consumers' preference for private dining facilities. Integrating the theories about the psychology of risk with research on preference for private dining, we predict that the promi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of hospitality and tourism management Vol. 45; pp. 67 - 70
Main Authors Kim, Jungkeun, Lee, Jacob C.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2020
CAUTHE - COUNCIL FOR AUSTRALASIAN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY EDUCATION. Published by Elsevier Ltd
Subjects
COVID-19
Perceived threat
Private dining
Private table
Restaurant choice
COVID-19
Restaurant choice
Private dining
Private table
Perceived threat
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Summary:The present research investigates the effects of the perceived threat of COVID-19 and the salience of the virus on consumers' preference for private dining facilities. Integrating the theories about the psychology of risk with research on preference for private dining, we predict that the prominence of the virus systematically increases preference for private dining facilities. Four studies (N = 812) consistently support our prediction. Consumers who perceive the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic to be high (vs. low) evaluate the private dining restaurant (Study 1) and the private dining table (Study 2) highly. Moreover, two experiments showed that the salience of the virus generates a preference for the private (vs. non-private) dining table (Study 3) and for the restaurant with private rooms (Study 4). This research provides a strategy for the restaurant industry to recover from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ISSN:1447-6770
1447-6770
DOI:10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.07.008