The influence of servicescape and perceived authenticity towards consumer behavioural intention in upscale ethnic Malay restaurant / Puteri Farhana Nadirah Jamaludin

Identifying restaurant servicescape cues that can promote positive consumer
behavioural outcomes has drawn academics and practitioners' attention. Although
studies shows that servicescape has great impacts on consumer perception on service
characteristics, however the servicescape and e-servicescape across ethnic
restaurants, along with their impacts on consumers’ behavioural intention, appear to
be scarce. This study aims to examines the effects of physical, social, and eservicescape
as determinants of positive consumer behaviours such as revisit
intention, loyalty, and positive WOM. Using purposive sampling, a self-administered
questionnaire was completed by 200 consumers of upscale ethnic restaurants in
Malaysia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the
hypothesized relationships. Results show that physical, social, and e-servicescape are
significantly affect to positive behavioural outcomes. In addition, the essential role
of perceived authenticity as mediation towards the servicescape’s effect in the ethnic
restaurant setting and its positive behavioural intention effects is also discussed. This
study provides insights to restaurateurs in understanding how they can manipulate
ambience, human interactions and online presence that authentically represent a
culture could encourage consumers' positive behavioural outcomes. The present
study contributes to the existing servicescape literature by highlighting the critical
role of the e-servicescape alongside the other two, more tangible elements of a
servicescape: physical servicescape and social servicescape in upscale ethnic Malay
restaurant.