The restaurant experience at the times of coronavirus: The “new normal” between delight and safety

PURPOSE The spread of COVID-19 is causing huge economic losses in many industries, including the tourism and hospitality sector (Song, Yeon and Lee, 2021). Several reports and academic papers show that the restaurant industry is one of the worst affected industries by the pandemic (Gössling, Scott, and Hall, 2020). As existing literature shows that consumption of leisure services, such as fine-dining restaurant experiences, is largely driven by hedonic or emotional motives (Lin, 2004; Ryu and Jang, 2007; Tang et al., 2001), the aim of this study is to investigate the change in value drivers of restaurants’ customers during the Covid-19 emergency, with a focus on the balance between perceived safety and customer delight. The research verifies the following hypotheses: (H1) different adopted safety measures differently affect the perception of safety by consumers (Hp2) the perceived covid safety positively impacts on the intention to go to a restaurant during the Covid emergency (instead of homecooking or food delivery) together with the traditionally considered value drivers. RESEARCH METHODS Following an in-depth analysis of the literature related to the restaurant experience, and a qualitative preliminary analysis through focus groups, a quantitative model was developed (figure 1) to investigate how consumers' intention to go to the restaurant during Covid-19, is affected by the safety measures adopted within the restaurant’s premises. To this end, three restaurants’ safety measures scenarios have been developed (low, medium and high) and tested to find the best level required in order to attract and satisfy the customer. An online questionnaire was developed and submitted to a sample of 206 individuals in Italy. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Program (SPSS) version 21 was used for the statistical analysis based on regressions. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results showed that, in this context of health emergency, the fear of coronavirus contagion is a relevant variable that influences the consumer’s decision to go to the restaurant. At the same time, however, the analysis of collected data revealed the weight of the in-restaurant security measures in influencing and shaping the dining experience. The most original result of this study is the assumption that, although these measures are a fundamental condition for going to the restaurants, when consumers perceive the presence of “excessive” safety measures they describe their experience as less enjoyable. The tested model highlights that perceived safety is actually affected by the degree of safety measures implementation, with a major role played by table layout and outdoor availability. As for the intention to visit the restaurant, it is positively affected by the perceived safety to a point where the safety measures adopted by the restaurant become excessive as they lead to a distortion of the experience itself; beyond this point the relationship is inversed. IMPLICATIONS To make the restaurant experience a perfect balance between delight and safety is today more than ever a priority in order to foster the recovery of the industry. This study identifies the ideal balance point at which the restaurant is able to show adequate safety while ensuring a delightful experience. With these conditionds, food quality and service quality are confirmed as highly valuable factors in the customers’ decision of going to a restaurant. Further studies could provide more details on the the quality of the lived in-restaurant experiences and their impacts on loyalty and word of mouth.