This study applied Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) and Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory in order to empirically verify the impacts of the importance-performance disconfirmation of emotional dining space design at restaurants on emotional respon...
This study applied Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) and Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory in order to empirically verify the impacts of the importance-performance disconfirmation of emotional dining space design at restaurants on emotional responses and those of the emotional responses on satisfaction and behavioral intentions.
IPA indicates the size and orientation of customer satisfaction with the features drawn from the expectations and judgment of the customers who visit restaurants on emotional dining space design while (expectancy) disconfirmation refers to the impacts on the customers' emotional responses as a whole. However, since the variables constituting gap (disconfirmation) factors do not always move to the same direction, it is impossible to understand the importance of the disconfirmation meaning a gap on the customers' emotional responses analytically. Therefore, while the directions of the items of measurements comprising the factors was taken into account, it was analyzed dividing into negative and positive disconfirmation to analyze concretely, and directions were examined: to which element should more importance be attached among those of emotional dining space design and which element should be maintained, improved or noticed.
To carry out this study, 300 copies of questionnaires were distributed to the customers of Western (Occidental, Italian) and Oriental (Korean, Japanese) restaurants by each type, and 293 were used for the Western-style restaurants and 247 for the Oriental-style restaurants as valid samples. As the method of empirical analysis, technical statistics was used, and factor analysis, reliability analysis, ordered probit method and multiple regression analysis were carried out, and through the empirical analysis, suggestions corresponding to the goals of research were drawn out, and the results of the study are as follows:
First, to examine importance-performance differences perceived by the customers for 24 variables in the contents of emotional dining space design, all of the emotional dining space design turned out to be negative (-) so that it shows they were not satisfied with the emotional dining space design in general as the level of perceived execution was low. Second, the items for which both the importance and the performance of emotional dining space design were rated high were the cleanness of cutlery, tablecloths and napkins; the comfort of the temperature and humidity of the space; the comfort and the harmony of illumination; the ease and cleanness of the space in the general restaurants, while in the Western-style restaurants, those were all the same as the general restaurants, and in Oriental-style restaurants, the sophistication of food dishing and the comfort of chairs were added to the items. Third, for the items of which the significance of emotional dining space design was rated low but the execution of it was rated high (the second quadrant), unlike the Oriental-style restaurants, the sophistication of food dishing appeared in the general restaurants, while in the Western-style restaurants, the sophistication of food dishing and the harmony between food and cutlery appeared. Fourth, the items of which both the importance and the performance of emotional dining space design were rated low (the third quadrant) included a lot of items: the beauty of cutlery, the harmony and sophistication of the cutlery and tablecloths, the comfort of moderate noise in the space, the beauty of space design, and the sophistication of the interior of the space and the uniqueness of space design in the general restaurants. Fifth, the items of which the significance of emotional dining space design was rated high while the execution low (the fourth quadrant) were the same in the general restaurants and the Western-style restaurants: the comfort of chairs (shape and fabric) and the freshness of the scent in the space, while the freshness of the scent only appeared in the Oriental-style restaurants.
Meanwhile, as the results from the impacts of the variables of overall, positive and negative disconfirmation for each factor of emotional dining space design of the restaurants on the emotional responses of pleasure and awakening, first, the impacts of the overall and negative disconfirmation in the space (temperature, lighting, scent and furniture) in the pleasure model of the general restaurants on emotional responses turned out to be more important than other factors. In addition, in the awakening model, it turned out that the overall disconfirmation of emotions about the space (temperature, lighting, scent and furniture) and emotions about music and interior had negative (-) impacts, so it was predicted that negative disconfirmation had great impacts.
Second, in the pleasure model of the Western restaurants, it turned out that the overall and negative disconfirmation of emotions about space (temperature, lighting, scent and furniture) and about the cleanness of the space had negative (-) impacts. Meanwhile, in the awakening model, it appeared that all of overall, negative and positive disconfirmation of emotions about music and interior were significant, and they had negative (-), negative (-) and positive (+) impacts, respectively.
Third, in the pleasure model of the Oriental restaurants, it turned out that the overall and negative disconfirmation of emotions about the cleanness of the space had significantly negative (-) impacts on pleasure, while it was assumed that the positive disconfirmation of table emotions also had significantly negative (-) impacts on pleasure. Lastly, in the impacts of the emotional responses on later behavioral intentions, it appeared that all of the general restaurants, Western-style and Oriental-style restaurants had positive (+) impacts on emotional responses and turned out that the emotional responses had positive (+) impacts on the later behavioral intentions.