Impact of ‘Dining atmospherics’ and ‘Percived food-quality’ on customer re-patronage intention in fast-casual restaurants

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to build a conceptual model, to show how dimensions of quality – dining atmospherics and food quality influences customers’ perceived value, consumption emotions and re-patronage intentions in fast-casual restaurants. Design – This research examined the interrelationships among the constructs of dining atmospherics, food quality, perceived value, positive consumption emotions and re-patronage intentions. Methodology and Approach – Data were collected from three fast-casual restaurants of densely populated urban town of north India. A self-administered questionnaire was randomly distributed to customers in the restaurants to capture their perception, emotion and behavioural intention. The data collected was later analysed using the factor analysis and structural equation model (SEM) technique. Findings – A significant relationship was found between dining atmospherics and food quality perceptions. Also, food quality was found to influence customer perceived value. Dining atmospherics and food quality were found to affect customers’ consumption emotion. In addition, perceived value and consumption emotion were confirmed as strong determinant of customers' repatronage intentions. Further, the mediating role of food quality, perceived value, and consumption emotion were also confirmed in the study. Practical Implications – The study provides practical implications that support fast-causal restaurateurs in enhancing their customers’ revisits to dine. Originality of the research – This study provides new insight on the combined effects of quality dimensions (dining atmosphere and food quality) in inducing perceived value and consumption emotion, which in turn, affects customers’ re-patronage intentions in fast-casual restaurant settings.