The Influence of Celebrity Chefs on Restaurant Customers’ Behavior

ABSTRACT

Celebrity chefs have been a ubiquitous marketing tool utilized in the food service industry. This study investigates the impact of restaurant attributes on customers’ willingness to pay (WTP), likelihood to repurchase, and tip amount in celebrity chef restaurants by conducting an experimental design. The results highlight the importance of food quality at celebrity chef restaurants on customers’ WTP and the likelihood to repurchase, Additionally, the inter-relationships between service quality and ambience on tipping amount and between service and food quality on repurchase intention are also significant. This study contributes to theoretical and practical implications for food-service operators in the development of effective marketing strategies.

名厨 效应一直是餐饮服务业中广泛使用的营销工具。本研究通过实验设计，调查餐馆特性对名厨餐馆中客户的支付意愿（WTP）、再次光临的可能性和小费数量的影响。结果显示，在名厨餐馆中，食品质量对下列各项有重大影响：客户的支付意愿、再次光临的可能性、服务质量与付小费氛围之间的互动、服务和食品质量与再次光临意向的关系。这项研究对于餐饮服务运营商制定有效的营销策略具有理论和实践意义。

KEYWORDS:

• Celebrity chefs
• Celebrity endorsement
• Likelihood to repurchase
• Restaurant attributes
• Tipping
• Willingness to pay