The present study aims to examine the relationships between physical and social servicescape elements with inhouse dining behaviour by applying the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework to overcome the challenges that arose due to the breakout of COVID-19. Smart PLS software 3.3.7 has been used to conduct statistical analysis to establish the constructs' reliability and validity and test the developed hypotheses. The study confirms the fitness of the S-O-R framework in predicting in-house dining behaviour in light of COVID-19. The diners should be communicated about the hygiene standards followed during the operation cycle, and a separate zone could be created for people who are more concerned about the health risks. The restaurants cannot afford to compromise with the ambient condition, signs, symbols and artefacts, spatial layout and functionality, perceived similarities and behaviour of other customers, and physical appearance and behaviour of the employees. These components act as stimuli to develop learning and mood, leading to in-house dining.
TopIntroduction
A relatively new strain of the infection, SARS-CoV-2, also known as the 'coronavirus', has spread to over 215 countries since its emergence at the end of 2019. World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a 'Public Health Emergency of International Concern' on 30th January 2020 and said the COVID-19 outbreak was a 'Pandemic' on 11th March 2020. Since then, countries around the world have adopted several preventative measures, including nationwide lockdowns, imposing travel restrictions, shutting down domestic and international airports, and so forth, to stop the spread of the virus. These containment measures imposed by several governments have reduced social interaction between the people and changed people-place relationships.
Events such as social gatherings, seminars, conferences, and sporting activities were either cancelled or rescheduled, along with airline tickets and hotel reservations. This condition altered consumer behaviour globally and had a detrimental impact on purchases related to hospitality and tourism (Torres et al., 2021). The pandemic took a severe toll on the hotel and restaurant sectors. Developing nations such as India, however, faced greater difficulties for a number of related reasons (Japutra & Situmorang, 2021), including densely populated areas, poor hygiene and sanitation practices, and a lack of adequate infrastructure. According to the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourist & Hospitality (FAITH) and the Confederation of Indian Industry, the pandemic caused 38-50 million direct and indirect employment losses in India's tourist and hospitality sectors (Chaturvedi, 2020). Against this backdrop, we must review the restaurant servicescape framework in the context of COVID-19-appropriate consumer and business firm behaviour.
Bitner (1992) conceptualised servicescape as a comprehensive physical environment where the service providers and customers interact. She conceived environment stimuli as three-dimensional (i.e., 1. Ambient conditions; 2. Spatial layout & functionality; and 3. Signs, symbols & artefacts). However, her servicescape framework focussed only on conceptualising manufactured and physical stimuli. As human behaviour is also affected by social stimuli, Wall & Berry (2007) included social stimulants within the servicescape framework to address the limitation of the framework initially developed by Bitner. Myriad research has established that servicescape positively impacts consumers' cognitive, affective, and behavioural responses (Hanks & Line, 2018; W. G. Kim & Moon, 2009; I. Y. Lin & Mattila, 2010). Traditionally, it is believed that customers' cognitive and affective responses lead to behavioural responses (Dick & Basu, 1994). Marketing researchers and academicians argue that the process of customers' purchase intention starts with some cognitive belief, followed by affective responses, and, finally, purchase intention (Bagozzi, 1992; Dick & Basu, 1994). But unfortunately, in a real-world situation, customers' cognitive and affective responses do not always guarantee purchase intention. Currently, where there is fear of COVID-19 amongst the people, 'perceived health risk' may moderate the relationship between the customers' affective and behavioural responses.
Restaurant servicescape components can be adjusted to better handle issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant industry places a high value on customer behaviour, therefore, servicescape insights and recommendations will be critical in assisting the industry in overcoming the obstacles presented by the pandemic. Practitioners and scholars can use the insightful findings to navigate the shifting customer preferences and behaviours in the post-pandemic era. Hence, the significance of the study is justified.
TopObjective Of The Study
The primary objective of the present study is to re-examine the relationship between various physical and social components of the restaurant servicescape and evaluate how these servicescape elements influence customers' in-house dining behaviour by applying the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974). The study aims to investigate how stimuli from the physical and social environment influence diners' responses and subsequent dining behaviour. Further, the study intends to assess the moderating effect of perceived health risks from Covid-19 on the relations under investigation.