{"id":11964,"date":"2024-07-09T12:12:03","date_gmt":"2024-07-09T04:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/?p=11964"},"modified":"2024-07-09T12:28:30","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T04:28:30","slug":"secret-sauce-utm-scholars-decode-customer-motivations-for-visiting-internet-famous-restaurants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/secret-sauce-utm-scholars-decode-customer-motivations-for-visiting-internet-famous-restaurants\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret sauce: UTM scholars decode customer motivations for visiting Internet-famous restaurants<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\u4e2d\u6587\u6458\u8981 \/ Summary in Chinese<\/span>\n\n\n\n
A study by UTM\u2019s Dr. Vicky Chen Zhaoyu and Dr. Irene Chan Cheng Chu provides an in-depth look at what motivates people to visit Internet-famous restaurants. Quality and continuous innovation were found to be key to sustaining the buzz and ensuring long-term success in the competitive dining landscape<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

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In a world driven by digital trends and social media buzz, so-called \u2018Internet-famous restaurants\u2019 have become culinary darlings that entice food enthusiasts and casual diners alike. But what drives customers to flock to them? UTM scholars Dr. Vicky Chen Zhaoyu and Dr. Irene Chan Cheng Chu investigated this phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their findings were featured in the academic paper \u201cA Dining Career Ladder: Customers\u2019 Motivation of Visiting Internet-Famous Restaurants\u201d, published in May in the online version of the Journal of China Tourism Research. (Click\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0for access to full paper.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their study revealed a hierarchy of motivations that guide customers\u2019 dining choices, conceptualised as a \u201cdining career ladder\u201d. Based on interviews with 27 Chinese participants, the researchers identified four levels of customer motivation: physiological need, stimulation and novelty, sense of belonging and socialisation, and self-esteem and recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the most basic level, diners were driven by physiological needs, seeking gourmet food and relaxation, Dr. Chen and Dr. Chan found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As customers gained more experience with Internet-famous eateries, their motivations were found to evolve. The desire for stimulation and novelty, including curiosity and experiencing the unique atmosphere of a restaurant, came to the fore. The reputation of a restaurant as reported online also played a significant role at this level, the study showed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social aspects followed, with patrons looking to attend either to socialise or in response to the bandwagon effect. At the highest level, the \u2018fear of missing out\u2019 became a powerful motivator, pushing customers to visit just to keep up with trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study also highlighted factors that could disrupt this pattern. In the event of negative experiences, consumer motivations could retreat to a position where the customer focused primarily on physiological needs. The research found that customers\u2019 negative experiences could be attributable \u201cto their high expectations of Internet-famous restaurants because of the restaurants\u2019 marketing efforts and the bandwagon effect before their actual visits,\u201d the UTM scholars noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The right recipe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For restaurant owners and marketers, these findings offered \u201cvaluable insights,\u201d Dr. Chen and Dr. Chan said. While the initial draw of Internet-famous status was undeniable, sustaining that interest from patrons required more than just a clever marketing campaign, the scholars highlighted. \u201cWhile attracting initial attention is important, equal emphasis should be placed on maintaining that interest, to encourage repeat visits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Factors such as \u201clong queues, delayed service, and poor food quality\u201d were found to put customers off revisiting, noted Dr. Chen and Dr. Chan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ensuring that the real-life experience aligned with online promotion was crucial. \u201cIt is imperative for both restaurant owners and marketers to ensure that their online promotions genuinely reflect the reality of their establishments, including the decoration, food, and service,\u201d the study asserted. Such alignment would help prevent risk of disappointment among clients and foster customer loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-quality gourmet food remained a cornerstone for success, whether catering to first-time or repeat visitors, said the UTM scholars. Innovation was equally critical. With customers\u2019 curiosity and appetite for novelty driving their decision on whether to make return visits, regular updates to the menu and to the overall presentation of the restaurant were essential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the study underscored the importance of the social environment within these restaurants. They were not only places to eat, but also social venues where ambience played a key role. \u201cRestaurant operators can make effective use of these spaces by providing\u2026 lively areas for socialising, and quiet, private sections for individuals or groups seeking a more intimate dining experience,\u201d the researchers suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor: UTM Public Relations Team<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A study by UTM\u2019s Dr. Vicky Chen Zhaoyu and Dr. Irene Chan Cheng Chu provides an in-depth look at what motivates people to visit Internet-famous restaurants. Quality and continuous innovation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":11966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,136],"tags":[2769,1706,3121,3122,333,3120,2768,1958,400,2861,1085,2754,2859,175],"class_list":["post-11964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-knowledge","category-main_headline","tag-chan-cheng-chu","tag-chen-zhaoyu","tag-customer-motivations","tag-dining-career-ladder","tag-food-and-beverage","tag-internet-famous-restaurants","tag-irene-chan","tag-journal-of-china-tourism-research","tag-macao","tag-macao-university-of-tourism","tag-restaurant","tag-social-media","tag-utm","tag-vicky-chen"],"views":110,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11964"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11972,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11964\/revisions\/11972"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}