영국 소비자들의 한국레스토랑 방문 동기와 선택속성

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Previous study has identified that important motives and attributes in restaurant selection can differ according to the type of restaurants. The objectives of this study are (1) to identify if there are any unique motives for visiting Korean restaurants, which are different from motivational factors that people have when they go to general restaurants, and (2) to explore what makes UK customers choose or hesitate to go to Korean restaurants. This study adopted a qualitative study approach, using semi-structured interviews. 21 British customers who had experienced Asian restaurants were recruited, including both those who had been to Korean restaurants and those who had never been to Korean restaurants but had been to other Asian restaurants, to compare what makes them visit other Asian restaurants while hesitating to go to Korean restaurants. The outcome of this study identifies two motivational factors that influence UK customers to visit Korean restaurants: personal factors, interpersonal factors. In addition, attributes that UK customers consider when they choose to visit Korean restaurants were also identified. The findings showed that while there are unique motivational factors for visiting Korean restaurants compared to other general restaurants in the UK, general restaurant selection attributes such as food quality and service are expected to be better than British restaurants. In addition, it was found that Korean restaurants can serve as cultural ambassadors to convey Korean cultures, since UK customers` critical motive to visit Korean restaurants is to learn about other cultures.