A comparative study on perceived experiential value and behavioral intentions in robot-enhanced restaurants: examining cultural and gender differences

Purpose This study aimed to (a) investigate the effects of robot service efficiency, enthusiastic curiosity, escapist experience and sense of security on perceived experience value (PEV) and identify which dimension is the strongest determinant of PEV; (b) examine PEV's effect on behavioral intention to dine in a robot-enhanced restaurant (RER); (c) examine cultural differences (Kazakh vs. United States consumers) on these dynamics; and (d) examine gender's moderating effect between PEV and behavioral intention to dine in an RER. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected through a self-administered online survey based on a convenience nonprobability sampling technique with participants in Kazakhstan and the US Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to investigate relationships between the constructs. Findings The findings indicated that PEV was influenced positively and significantly by robot service efficiency, enthusiastic curiosity, escapist experience and sense of security. Gender moderated the relationship between PEV and behavioral intention. Also, multigroup analyses found notable behavioral differences between Kazakh and US participants. Originality/value Grounded in Expectancy-value Theory, the present study demonstrated the effects of experiential (escapist experience), psycho-emotional (enthusiastic curiosity) and quality conditions (service efficiency and sense of security) on PEV and consumers' behavioral intentions, with variations observed across genders and cultures.