A silver lining in the COVID-19 cloud: examining customers’ value perceptions, willingness to use and pay more for robotic restaurants

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the restaurant industry due to enforced closures and limitations on social gatherings, prompting restaurateurs to innovate and adapt in order to ensure the viability of their businesses. Pandemic has also induced changes in our perceptions of safety in public spaces, necessitating the adoption of social distancing and more widespread use of online platforms for purchasing and communication. While the pandemic might be a catalyst for the adoption of contactless technologies, some restaurateurs remain hesitant to invest in service robots because they are not convinced of the return on investment and the potential value service robots can deliver to their customers. Therefore, this study aims to explore customer value perceptions of service robots and their impact on customers’ attitudes and behaviors toward robotic restaurants. Findings yielded by a survey of 445 potential diners in Taiwan show that customers’ willingness to use and to pay more for robotic restaurants are determined by their attitudes toward robots, which are influenced by functional, conditional, epistemic, emotional, co-creation, and social values. Our survey results also reveal that the importance of conditional value is amplified by crisis-specific antecedents, namely the need for physical distancing and mysophobia. These findings have implications for restaurant pricing policies and can be considered by restaurant managers when formulating strategies aimed at sustaining their business in these challenging times.

由于强制关闭和限制社交聚会，COVID-19大流行严重影响了餐饮业，促使餐馆经营者进行创新和调整，以确保其业务的生存能力. 流感大流行还导致我们对公共场所安全的看法发生了变化，这就需要采用社交距离，并更广泛地使用在线购物和交流平台. 虽然这种流行病可能是采用非接触式技术的催化剂，但一些餐馆老板仍然对投资服务机器人犹豫不决，因为他们不相信服务机器人能给顾客带来的投资回报和潜在价值. 因此，本研究旨在探讨顾客对服务机器人的价值认知及其对顾客对机器人餐厅态度与行为的影响. 对台湾445位潜在食客的调查结果显示，顾客对机器人餐厅的态度决定了他们对机器人餐厅的使用意愿和支付意愿，这些态度受到功能、条件、认知、情感、共同创造和社会价值观的影响. 我们的调查结果还显示，条件价值的重要性被特定危机的前因放大，即需要身体距离和神秘恐惧症. 这些发现对餐厅定价政策有一定的启示，可供餐厅经理在制定策略时加以考虑，以期在这个充满挑战的时代维持其业务.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• service robots
• customer perceived value
• physical distancing
• mysophobia
• willingness to pay more

Additional information

Funding

This study was partly supported by a research fund from Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan.