How Do Diners Make Decisions Among Casual Dining Restaurants? An Exploratory Study of College Students

Abstract

Casual dining is a unique sector in the foodservice industry, and consumer decisions in this market are of great interest to marketers. Adopting the well-established Consumer Styles Inventory, this study explores the decision-making styles of college-age diners—an important and emerging growth segment. With survey data collected from a self-administered survey, it identifies five decision-making styles adopted by college students: hedonistic, habitual, price conscious, confused by overchoice, and brand conscious. The discussion highlights some notable managerial implications, as well as some limitations and directions for research.

KEYWORDS:

• casual dining
• decision-making models
• Generation Y
• dining out
• restaurant
• college students