Finished Dissertation

Business&ManagementResearchProject

“Doesbrandingnowhaveasbiganimpactoncustomerloyaltyaspriceandqualitywithin

therestaurantindustry?”

AndrewTolkienStudentNumber:270602

SubmissionDate:27thApril2016WordCount:9847

Identifyingthetruedriversofcustomerloyaltywithintherestaurantindustry

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Abstract Purpose:Thepurposeofthisreportwastoexaminetheimpactthatbrandinghasonloyaltyandcompareittotheimpactofthetraditionalsatisfactionfactorswiththeindustry,priceandfoodquality.Withbrandingbecominganincreasinglypertinenttopicwithinthe21stcenturyduetotheimpactofsocialmediamarketing,itwasvitaltoconsidertheimpactitcanhavewithinthisindustry.Therestaurantindustrywaschosenasthesubjectindustryasitisconsideredoneofthehardestindustriestoachieveloyaltyinduetotheimmensevarietyavailabletocustomers.Methodology:Toanswerthekeyresearchquestion,4researchobjectiveswereformedtomakethesubjectmoremanageable.Afullliteraturereviewwasperformedontheavailableliteraturewithintherelevantfieldsofresearchforthissubject.Followingtheliteraturereview,questionnaireswereansweredbyatotalof78people,andinterviewswereconductedwith10peopleinordertogainanideaaboutcustomers’opinionsonthedriversofcustomerloyalty.ThefindingswereanalysedalongsidetheexistingtheoriespresentedintheliteraturereviewtofindaconclusiontothekeyquestionFindings:Theprojectreachedanunderstandingthatbrandingplaysanequalroleinbuildingcustomerloyaltytopriceandquality.Thiswasduetothefactthatbothsatisfactionfactors,e.g.priceandquality,andstrongbrandingarerequiredforacustomertoreachanoptimumstageofloyaltyandbetotallybrandloyal.

Acknowledgements IwouldliketothankmydissertationtutorNasirSalariforhissupportandguidanceduringtheformationofthisresearchproject,hisknowledgeandinsighthelpedtoimprovethequalityofthisproject.SecondlyIwouldliketothankmyfriendsandfamilyfortheirconstantsupportandguidancethroughoutthisproject.FinallyIwouldliketothankthosewhotookthetimetobequestionnaireandinterviewsubjects,thisprojectwouldhavebeenimpossibletocompletewithoutyourinput.

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Table of Contents

ABSTRACT 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2

1 .0 INTRODUCTION 5

2.0 RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 6

3.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 7

3.1 EXPLORING LOYALTY 73.2 DEFINING A BRAND 83.3 BRAND EQUITY 103.4 THE SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECT 123.5 CONCLUSION 13

4.0 METHODOLOGY 13

4.1 RESEARCH COLLECTION METHOD 134.1.1 QUESTIONNAIRE 134.1.2 INTERVIEW 144.1.3 MIXEDMETHODSAPPROACH 144.2 PARTICIPANTS 154.2.1 SAMPLING 154.2.2 ETHICALISSUES 154.3 PROCEDURE 164.3.1 RELIABILITYANDVALIDITY 164.3.2 DATACOLLECTIONDETAILS 164.3.3 DATAANALYSIS 16

5.0 FINDINGS 17

5.1 QUANTITATIVE DATA 175.1.1 LOYALTYBASEDFINDINGS 175.1.2 BRANDINGBASEDFINDINGS 185.1.3 SOCIALMEDIAFINDINGS 215.2 QUALITATIVE DATA 225.3 GAINING QUANTITATIVE DATA FROM QUALITATIVE 27

6.0 DISCUSSION 286.1 IF LOWER PRICES AND HIGHER QUALITY DO INCREASE CUSTOMER LOYALTY, WHY DO CUSTOMERS STILL GO ELSEWHERE? 286.2 DO CUSTOMERS SEE THEMSELVES AS DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THE BRANDING OF A RESTAURANT? 296.3 ARE CUSTOMERS MORE LIKELY TO REMAIN LOYAL TO A COMPANY BRANDED IN A POSITIVE WAY? 316.4 HAS SOCIAL MEDIA HAD AN IMPACT ON EATING HABITS? 326.5 OTHER FINDINGS OF INTEREST 336.6 “DOES BRANDING NOW HAVE AS BIG AN IMPACT ON CUSTOMER LOYALTY AS PRICE AND QUALITY WITHIN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY?” 336.7 FURTHER RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS 34

7.0 REFERENCES 35

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8.0 APPENDICES 38

8.1 QUESTIONNAIRE LAYOUT 388.2 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES 39

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1.0 Introduction Thecreationandmaintenanceoflong-termcustomerrelationshipsissomethingthatallrestaurantsstrivetoachieve(Liuetal,2014).Foralong-termrelationshipbetweenaconsumerandarestauranttoexist,theconsumermustfeelsomeformofloyaltytowardstherestaurant.Thiscreationofloyaltywill,inturnleadtorepeatcustomandpositivewordofmouthneededforapotentiallysuccessfulventure(Sun&Lin,2010).Itmakessensetherefore,forrestaurantstodoalltheycantomaximizethelevelsofloyaltytheircustomersfeeltowardsthem.Therestaurantsectorsturnoverincreasedto£21.6bnin2014,anenormousincreaseof39%since2010’sfigureof£15.5bn(Shubber,2015).Thisgrowthinthesectorcanbeattributedtomanythings;changesinlifestylehabits,fastgrowthindisposableincome,aboomin‘fastcasual’restaurants,andafeelgoodfeelingthat’sbeginningtoemanateacrossthecountry(Shubber,2015).Changesinlifestylehabitshaveseenamassive75%offamilieseatoutinrestaurantstogethermorefrequentlythantheydidfiveyearsago(Eversham,2015)Thisreportwillexplorethecommonthemesassociatedwithbuildingcustomerloyaltyandalsolookatnewtrendsinconsumerbehaviorrelatingtoloyalty.Thepurposeofthisresearchistoidentifythetruebasisofcustomerloyaltyinmodernsociety,whetherpriceandqualityareallimportantorwhetherbrandingisadominantforce.Costandqualityhavelongbeenassociatedasthekeydriversincustomerloyaltyintherestaurantindustry,thisisdueto‘thelevelofsatisfaction/dissatisfactionexperienced’acustomerfeelsafterweighingupthe‘perceivedvalue’aftertakingintothe‘quality’and‘price’(Iglesias&Guillen,2004).Thisperceivedvalueandsatisfactionwouldthen,intheory,determinethecustomer’slikelihoodofreturningandbecomingaloyalcustomer.However,itcouldbearguedthatinthemodernworld,brandinghasanequalimpactoncustomerloyalty,anditisthisthatwillbeexploredinthisresearchproject.Toexploretheimpactofbrandingwemustalsoexploretheimpactofsocialmediaonthebrandingandsuccessofrestaurants.Socialmediaisbecominganincreasinglyimportantissueforrestaurantstoconsider,thisisduetoa‘positivecorrelation’‘foundbetweenarestaurant’srevenuesanditssocialmediareviews’(Windels,2012).Thisimpactismeasurable,asanincreaseofratingbyjustonestaronreviewsitessuchasYelphavebeenfoundtoleadtoanincreaseinrevenueof‘between5and9percent’(Weber,2011).Fromthiswecanbegintounderstandthegrowingimportanceofsocialmediafortherestaurantindustryandhowitcanaffectabrand. Thereasonforthisresearchisprimarilyderivedfromthegrowthof‘fastcasual’restaurantsintheUKsuchasNando’s,GourmetBurgerKitchen,andFrankieandBenny’s.Thepremiseoftheserestaurantsistodeliversitdownrestaurantqualitywiththespeedoffastfood(Shubber,2015).Nando’s,inparticularisthemostsuccessfulinthismarket,andhavecreatedanincrediblyloyalcustomer

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basethroughspecificandtargetedsocialmediamarketing.‘Restaurantsinthe'”fastcasualsector”haveanaverage“revisitintent”(definitelyorwillprobablygoagain)of69percent.Nando’shasa'revisitintent’of80percent’(Brown,2013).ThespeedatwhichNando’shavegrownwithinthelast15yearsfromalossmakingtakeawayrestaurant,intoasuccessfulfastcasualrestaurantthatisalmostingrainedinteenagecultureisimpressive.Thekeytotheirsuccesshasn’tjustbeenabouttraditionalrestaurantloyaltyfactorssuchasqualityandprice,butalsoheavilyreliantonanincrediblystrongbrandimage.(Brown,2013).ItisthisimpressivebrandingthathasgainedNando’ssuchaloyalfollowing,anditbegsthequestionastowhetherbrandnowhasasbiganimpactonloyaltyastheproductprovided.Withtherestaurantindustrygrowingatsuchapace,itisimportantthatloyaltyisformedtocapitaliseontheexpandingmarket.Inordertodothis,chainrestaurantsneedtounderstandthekeyfactorsthatcanincreasethelikelihoodofcustomersformingapositivelong-termrelationshipwiththem.Withbrandingpotentiallybeingalargefactorinthisformation,researchneedstobeconductedinordertoestablishthetruecausesofloyaltyamongstcustomers.

2.0 Research Aims and Objectives Basedupontheacademicliteratureavailableandlackofresearchsurroundingthisarea,thefollowingresearchquestionhasbeendevised:“Doesbrandingnowhaveasbiganimpactoncustomerloyaltyaspriceandqualitywithintherestaurantindustry?”Thisquestioncanbebrokendownintoaseriesofsub-questions,whichwillhelptoorganiseandfocustheresearch.Theseareasfollows

• Iflowerpricesandhigherqualitydoincreasecustomerloyalty,whydo

customersstillgoelsewhere?

• Docustomersseethemselvesasdirectlyaffectedbythebrandingofarestaurant?

• Arecustomersmorelikelytoremainloyaltoacompanybrandedina

positiveway?

• Hassocialmediahadanimpactoneatinghabits?Theseresearchobjectiveswillbeachievedthroughareviewofthecurrentavailableliteraturesurroundingthetopicinfocusandthroughthecollectionofprimarydata.Analysisoftheliteratureandtheprimarydatawillbeperformedtoestablishanypatternsandvarianceswithinthedata,andconclusionstotheresearchobjectiveswillthenbeapplied.

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3.0 Literature Review Theavailableacademicresearchhasbeenevaluatedbelowtogainadeeperinsightintothecontrastingtheoriessurroundingthechosenresearchobjectives.Athematicapproachhasbeentakenwithinthisliteraturereviewtoalloweachrelevanttopictobeanalysedclearlyandconcisely,inordertobuildastrongunderstandingof,andestablishlinksbetween,theliterature.Thekeytopicstobeaddressedwithinthereviewhavebeendrawnfromtheresearchobjectivespreviouslystated.

3.1 Exploring Loyalty Customerloyaltyisatopicthatisincrediblyimportanttoanybusinessreliantonrepeatcustom,howevertherearemanytrainsofthoughtonwhatexactlycausescustomerstoshowsuchfaithfulnesstoacompany.Tounderstandwhatcausescustomerloyalty,wemustfirstestablishwhatcustomerloyaltyis.JacobyandChestnutformulatedoneconceptofloyaltyin1978;theybelievedthatloyaltywassimply‘biasedbehaviouralresponseexpressedovertimebysomedecision-makingunitwithrespecttooneormorealternativebrandsoutofasetofsuchbrands’(p.80).NewmanandWerbeltookasimilarstanceonloyaltybydescribing‘loyalcustomersasthosewhoreboughtabrand,consideredonlythatbrand,anddidnobrand-relatedinformationseeking’(1973,p.404-409).However,bothofthesedescriptionsofloyaltyonlytakeintotheaffectsofloyaltyonthecustomer’sbehaviouranddonottakeintoaccountthepsychologicalcausesandeffectsofloyalty.Itcouldalsobeunwisetojudgeloyaltypurelybasedrepetitivepurchasesbecauseof‘happenstancebuyingorapreferenceforconvenienceandthatinconsistentpurchasingcouldmaskloyaltyifconsumersweremultibrandloyal’(Oliver,1999).Oliver’s(1997)frameworkdescribes4separatestagesthatcustomersdisplaywhenbuildingasenseofloyaltytowardaproductorservice.ThefirststageisCognitiveloyalty;thisphaseisbasedpurelyonbrandbeliefandtheknowledgethatusingthatbrandisinsomewaypreferabletousingothers.Itcouldbethisstageofloyaltythatcouldbeallimportantindecidingwhetherbrandingisasimportantasotherkeyloyaltyfactors.AffectiveloyaltyisthesecondphasedescribedbyOliver,itisformedbythesatisfactionofpriorusageoftheserviceorproduct,thisiswherethequalityoftheproductandwhetherthepricepaidrepresentedvalueissoimportant.Oliver’sthirdphaseofloyaltyisconativeloyalty;thisisinfluencedbyrepeatedpositiveexperienceswithaproductorservice.‘Conation,bydefinition,impliesabrand-specificcommitmenttorepurchase’,thisstageiswhereboththedesireandmotivationtorepurchasearepresent.Oliver’sfinalphaseisActionloyalty,thisiswherethemotivationanddesiretorepurchasearestillpresentaswithconativeloyalty,however,theconsumerisnowreadytoovercomeobstaclestoensuretherepurchaseofaproduct(Oliver,1997).Thisframeworkbeginstoexplorethepsychologicalfactorsinvolvedincustomerloyalty,andalsoshowstheimportanceofbrandingintheinitialloyaltystage.However,itdoesnotexplainthedifferentfactorsthat

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makecustomersfeelasthoughtheyhavereceivedapositiveexperiencefromtheuseofaproductorservice.FromOliver’sresearchwecanunderstandthatinitialsatisfactionuponthefirstuseoftheproductisanecessityforanyloyaltytoformbeyonditofferinganexternaladvantagetothecustomer.Oliveralsobelievesthatloyaltyisbornoutofsatisfaction,however,onceloyaltyisformedacustomercannotreturnto‘meresatisfaction’(1999).OtherresearchbacksupOliver’sclaimsbysuggestingthat‘thereisathresholdatwhichloyaltycanreverttodissatisfactioninthefaceofrepeatedlyunsatisfactorypurchaseepisodes’,andtherebeingnowayofloyaltyrevertingtosatisfactionwherethe‘consumerbecomesopentocompetitiveadvances’again(Olivaetal,1992).Fromthispreviousresearchwecanseethatonceloyaltyhasbeengained,itcaneitherbemaintainedthroughfurtherpositiveexperiences,orlostcompletely.Thisisbecauseacustomercannotgobacktothestateofmindinwhichtheybegantheprocess,withnoknowledgeoropinionoftheproductorservice.Thisideaofloyaltymustnowbefocussedinrelationtotherestaurantindustry,asloyaltywithinthisindustrycanbeconsidereddifferentlytomanyothermarkets.Therestaurantindustryisanindustrythatisseenbysomeas‘antitheticaltoloyalty’duetotheenormousamountofvarietyinthestyle,costandqualityoffoodavailable(Oliver,1999).Consumer’stendtonaturallybe‘variety-seeking’asthe‘lureofnewexperiencewillbetootemptingtoignore’(Oliver,1999).Oliverbelievesthatthisproblemwillaffectrestaurantsthroughoutthefirstthreestagesonloyalty,cognitive,affectiveandconative.Therefore,ifcustomer’swillstillswitchbrandsevenwheninaconativeloyaltystageandstillseekvarietywhensatisfiedwithpreviousexperienceswitharestaurant,itisvitallyimportanttokeepbuildingloyaltyuntilemotionalconnectionsaremadewiththebrandtoanactionloyaltylevel.Onlyatthisactionlevelcantrueloyaltybefoundwithintherestaurantindustryasatthislevelcustomer’swill‘overcomeobstacles’suchasotherbrandstore-purchasefromtherestaurant(Oliver,1999).

3.2 Defining a Brand Thereisaplethoraofdetailedresearchintowhatloyaltyisandhowitcomesabout,however,thereisnotanenormousamountofwrittenworkabouttheaffectofbrandingonloyalty.Theworkthatisavailablehowever,doeshighlighttheimportanceofthebrand.GreggCebrzynski(2007)wroteabouttheever-changingdemandsthatcustomershaveforrestaurantsinhis2007article‘StrikeuptheBrand’.Heexplainedthatinthelateninetiescustomersatisfactionandloyaltywasdrivenbyfactorssuchas‘price-value,service,foodqualityandfun’,however,morerecentlycustomersdemanda‘one-of-a-kindguestexperience’,‘menuvariety’,and‘décor’(Cebrzynski,2007).Additionally,asurveyconductedin2007statedthat‘75%ofallrespondentsviewedbrandequityasveryimportant’,withamajorityagreeingthat‘brandequityistheintangibleingredientthatdifferentiates’onecompanyfromanother(ANA,2007).Although

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theseresponseswerenotdirectlyaimedatrestaurantbranding,theyshowtheimportanceofastrongbrandtodifferentiateandbuildloyalty.‘Theneedtounderstandandleverageconsumer-brandbondshasbecomeespeciallycriticalinamarketplacecharacterizedbyincreasingunpredictability,diminishingproductdifferentiation,andheightenedcompetitivepressures’(Shockeretal.,1994).Abrandcanbeconsideredintwodifferentways,eitherasawayofidentifyingwhereaproducthascomefrom,oranemotionalbondandexperienceswithaproduct.Aakerfollowsthefirsttrainofthoughtsayingthatabrandissimplya‘distinguishingnameand/orsymbol’designedto‘identifythegoodsorservicesofeitheroneselleroragroupofsellers,andtodifferentiatethosegoodsorservicesfromthoseofcompetitors’(Aaker,1991:7).Althoughthisdefinitionistrue,itcouldbeseenaslimitedasitfailstotakeintoaccounttheintangiblebondsandexperiencesthatcustomersmayhavewithproductsthatmakeuptheproductsbrandimage.Weilbacherhowever,statesthat‘brandsprovidethebasisuponwhichconsumerscanidentifyandbondwithaproductofservice’(Weilbacher,1995:4).ThisexpandsslightlyonAaker’sideaasWeilbacherstillbelievesthatbrandtobeaphysicalsymbolofaproductorservice,buthebringsinawarenessofthecustomersbondwithaproductorservice.AlthoughWeilbacher’sdefinitioncomesclosertounderstandingtheideaofthebrand,itstillfallsshortofencompassingtheexternalforcesthatcanaffectabrandanditsimage.Kapfererreferstoabrandfromthecustomer’spointofview,heexplainsthat‘abrandcanbedefinedasthetotalaccumulationofallhis/herexperiences,andisbuiltatallpointsofcontactwiththecustomer’(Kapferer,2004).Kelleralsolooksatabrandfromthecustomer’spointofviewstatingthatabrandis‘thepersonalmeaning’attachedtoabrand‘storedintheconsumermemory’(Keller,2003).Kellerexpandsonthisbywritingthat‘differentsourcesandlevelsofknowledgesuchasawareness,attributes,benefits,images,thoughts,feelings,attitudes,andexperiencesgetlinkedtoabrandanditsunderstandingbytheconsumer’(Keller,2003).Thesetwodefinitionsillustratethemoreemotivesidetobrandingthatthecustomermayfeel,andtheyexplaintheexternalforcesthatcanaffectabrandpositivelyornegatively.Tofinalisetheideaofwhatabrandis,itiscleartheboththeexternalandinternalfactorsthataffectwhatabrandismustbeconsidered.Abrandwillbedefinedbyboththeeffortacompanyputsintocultivatingtheawarenessandimageofit,andalsotheexperiencesthatcustomershavewiththebrandandthethoughtsandfeelingtheseevoketowardsthebrand.Thediagrambelow,(figure1),showstherelationshipbetweenthefirm’sinputandthecustomers’perceptionsinasimplifiedmanor.Itshowsthatacompanycanattempttocreateabrandtopresenttocustomers’,however,thisbrandingwillonlybesuccessfulifthecustomers’perceptionsequatetothesameideas.

Figure1.1,Source:(Chernatony&Riley,1998)

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3.3 Brand Equity Brandequitycanbelookedatfromtwodistinctperspectives,afinancialmarketpointofviewwheretheassetvalueofthebrandisappraised,orfromacustomerstandpoint,evaluatingacustomer’sresponsetoabrandname(Fayrene&Lee,2011).Duetotheemphasisontheimpactofloyaltythatthisresearchprojectcontains,itmakessensetoconsiderbrandequityfromthecustomer-basedapproach.Swaitetal.suggestedthatbrandequityis‘theconsumer’simplicitvaluationofthebrand’andthatbrandsactasa‘signalorcueregardingthenatureoftheproduct’(Swaitetal,1993).Kamakura&Russellexpandonthisdefinitionbyproposingthatbrandequity‘occurswhentheconsumerisfamiliarwiththebrandandholdssomefavourable,strong,anduniquebrandassociationsinthememory’(1993).ThisexpansionintotheassociationsthatconsumersmakebetweenthebrandandtheproductlinksintothetheoryproposedbyLassaretal.TheideadevelopedbyLassaretal.wasthatbrandequitywas‘Theconsumers’perceptionoftheoverallsuperiorityofaproductcarryingthatbrandnamewhencomparedtootherbrands’(Lassaretal,1995).Theyalsosuggestedthatbrandequitycouldbeseparatedintofiveperceptualdimensions;‘performance,socialimage,value,trustworthinessandattachment’(Lassaretal,1995).Obviouslythereisavastrangeofopinionsonhowexactlytodefineatopicasintangibleasbrandequity,asshownbyjustthree,asshownabove,ofthemanyavailabledefinitions.However,despitetherangeofopinionsthatareavailableonthesubjectofbrandequity,theydooftencontainonecommondenominator.ThiscommondenominatoristheusageofoneormoredimensionofAaker’sbrandequitymodel.Aakerdevisedoneoftheearliestconceptsforbrandequityin1991.Aakerdefinedbrandequityasasetof‘assetsandliabilitieslinkedtoabrand’that‘addtoorsubtractfromthevalueprovidedbyaproductorservicetoafirmand/orthatfirm’scustomers’(Aaker,1991).Aakermanagedtocombinebothperspectivesofbrandequityintoonedefinition,hethenseparatedthe‘assetsandliabilities’intofivedistinctcategories:

1. BrandLoyalty2. NameAwareness3. PerceivedQuality4. BrandAssociations5. OtherProprietarybrandassets–trademarks,patents,etc.(Aaker,1991)

Aakerbelievesthatthese5dimensionscancreatevalueforthefirmandforthecustomersthattheyserveifmanagedinthecorrectway.Aaker’smodelshownbelowinfigure2depictsthewayinwhichvalueiscreated.

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Aaker’smodeldisplaysthetheorythateachofthe5dimensionsdescribedfeedintothecreationofbrandequity.Thisbrandequitythenprovidesvaluetoboththefirmandthecustomer’softhefirm.Italsoshowstheideathatthecreationofvalueforthecustomercanprovideevenmorevaluetothefirm.Aakersuggeststhatbrandequitycanaidcustomer’sto‘interpret,process,andstorehugequantitiesofinformationaboutproductsandbrands’(Aaker,1991).Aakerbelievesthatstrongbrandequitywillpositively‘affectcustomers’confidenceinthepurchasedecision’andcanenhancethecustomers’satisfactionwiththeuseexperience’(Aaker,1991).Itisthispositiveeffectthatbrandequitycanhaveoncustomers’purchasingconfidenceandsatisfactionthatisofmostinterestforthisresearchproject,asbothofthesefactorscanplayapartinloyaltymodelputforwardbyOliver(1997).Thesefactorsplayapartintheconativeandaffectivestagesofloyaltywheretheinitialimpressionoftheproductisformedandcustomer’scanbetakenfromcompetition.However,thesefactorsalsoplayaroleinthecognitiveandactionloyaltystagesasstrongbrandequitywillallowcustomerstobuildamoreemotionalconnectionwiththebrandthatwillensurethecustomersdonotbuyfromanyrivals.

Figure1.2,Source:(Aaker,1991:7)

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IthasbecomeclearthebrandequitycouldpotentiallyhaveasubstantialimpactontheinitialstagesofloyaltyputforwardbyOliver(1997).However,researchintothismattermustbecompletedandthatissomethingthatthisresearchprojectwillaimtocomplete.

3.4 The Social Media effect Socialmediaisarelativelynewphenomenonthatishavingaprofoundaffectontheworldaroundus.Duetothecontemporarynatureofsocialmediatherearealimitednumberofspecific,empiricalstudiesrelatingtothetopic.However,theinformationthatisavailableisincredibleinterestingandraisesavarietyofquestionsregardingtherolesocialmediacanplay.Socialmediacanbedefinedas‘theonlinetechnologiesandpracticeswhichpeopleusetoshareknowledgeandopinions’(Larocheetal,2012a).Itisthisabilitytoshareknowledgeandopinionswithanyonethathasledtosocialmediabeinganenormousfactorin‘influencingcustomerperceptionsandbehaviour’(Williams&Cothrell,2000).Thisabilityforonlineopinionstoinfluencecustomerbehaviourisbothadangerandahugeopportunityforbusinesses.Thelargestdangerfactorforcompaniesisthrough‘post-purchasebehaviour’onsocialmediasuchas‘dissatisfactionstatementsorbehaviours’(Mangold&Faulds,2009).Thesestatementsandbehavioursonsocialmediacanquicklygarnerlargeamountsofattentionanddamagebrandequity.However,thekeypartthatsocialmediacanplayforcompanieslookingtoincreasecustomerloyaltyisthroughthemediumofalesscontemporaryconcept,brandcommunities.Brandcommunitiesaremadeupof‘like-mindedconsumerswhoidentifywithaparticularbrandandsharesignificanttraits’(Kalman,2009).Itisbelievedthatcustomers’jointhesebrandcommunities‘toidentifythemselveswithbrandssothattheirsocialneedsofbeingidentifiedaspersonswithappropriateself-identityaremet’(Larocheetal,2012a).Customer’swiththislevelofcommitmenttoabrandarealmostcertaintobeentirelyloyaltothatparticularbrand,thereforecompany’swillseebrandcommunitiesasanimmensepowersforgoodinrelationtotheirbrandequity.Researchsuggeststhatpeoplejoinsocialmediaforsimilarreasonsasthosewhojoinbrandcommunities.TheexplanationgivenbyGangadharbhatlaforpeoplejoiningsocialmediaisto‘fulfiltheirneedforbelongingnessandtheirneedforcognitionwiththosewhohavesharednorms,valuesandinterests’(Gangadharbhatla,2008).Itseemsthatitisdowntothisreasoningthat‘socialmediabasedbrandcommunities’arebecomingincreasinglycommon(Larocheetal,2012a).Newlinesofliteraturesuggeststhattheseconsumersarenolonger‘mererecipientsoftheproductsandvaluesofthefirmbutasco-creatorsofvalue,competitivestrategyandthefirm’sinnovationprocesses’(Franke&Piller,2004).Schauetal.wentasfarasidentifying‘fourcategoriesofpracticesthroughwhichcustomersco-createvalueinbrandcommunities:socialnetworking,impressionmanagement,communityengagement,andbranduse’(Schauetal,2009).Thesesocialmediabasedbrandcommunitiestherefore;

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improve‘customers’relationshipswiththebrand,theproduct,thecompanyandothercustomers’(Larocheetal,2012b).These‘enhancedrelationshipsresultinenhancedbrandloyalty’,andthisiswhysocialmediacanplaysuchalargepartinimprovingbrandloyalty.

3.5 Conclusion Theaboveliteraturehashighlightedthedistinctlinksbetweenbrandingandloyalty,theliteraturealsoshedslightontheincreasingimportanceofsocialmediatogaincustomerloyaltyandincreasebrandequity.Theavailableliteratureregardingloyaltyhasmadeitimmenselyclearthattherearelevelsofloyaltythatacustomercanfeeltowardsabrand.Itwouldinitiallyappearthatbrandingwouldonlyhaveanimpactontheearlystagesofloyalty,todrawincustomersandencouragethemtotrythebrand.However,withfurtherreadingintobrandequityandbrandcommunitiesitcanbeunderstoodthatbrandingcouldpotentiallyplayalargeroleineverylevelofloyalty.Strongbrandequityisofenormousvaluetorestaurantsasitencouragesincreasedloyaltyandencouragesmovementssuchasbrandcommunitiestotakeplaceandincreaseloyaltyfurther.Theliteraturealsodemonstratestheimportancethatsocialmediacanhaveonbrandloyaltyfortherestaurantindustry.Finallytheliteraturediscussesthedifficultiesinobtainingabsoluteloyaltywiththerestaurantindustryduetotheenormousvarietyavailabletoconsumersandthedesirethatconsumershaveforthevariety.

4.0 Methodology

4.1 Research Collection method Inordertocollectbothquantitativeandqualitativedatatoanswerthisstudy’sresearchquestionandobjectives,bothaquestionnaireandinterviewswereused.Itisnecessarytohighlightthattherewasnoparticulartargetaudienceforthedatacollectionineitherthequestionnaireorinterviewformat.

4.1.1 Questionnaire SaundersandLewisdefineaquestionnaireas‘ageneraltermthatincludesallmethodsofdatacollectioninwhicheachpersonisaskedtoanswerthesamesetofquestionsinthesameorder.Questionnairescanbedistributedfacetofacebyaninterviewer,bytelephone,byhand,bypostandbytheweb’(Saunders&Lewis,2011:141).ThesurveyitselfwasconstructedusingfreedatacollectionsoftwareSurveyMonkey,thissoftwarewasselectedasitwascosteffective,simpletouseandhadmorethansufficientcapabilitiestoconstructaquestionnairetothestandardrequired.Thisparticularsoftwarealsoallowedforeasydistributionto

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respondentsasithaddirectlinksforsharingtosocialmediasites,emailandtotheSurveyMonkeycommunity.SurveyMonkeyalsoallowsforeasyinterpretationandanalysisofthegathereddataanddisplaystheresultsingraphsandtabletoviewonline.Thequestionnaireconsistedof10statementsgiventorespondents,toeachstatementtheymustrespondfromfiveoptionsrangingfromstronglydisagreetostronglyagree.Thestatementsthemselvesweredevisedusingtheresearchobjectivesandtheexistingliteratureanalysedintheliteraturereviewinordertogainthemostappropriatedataforthisproject.

4.1.2 Interview

Thekeyreasonforusingtheinterviewtechniquetogatherinformationwastogainqualitativedatafromparticipants.Inordertocollectthisdata,semi-structuredinterviewswereheldwith10people.Withinasemi-structureinterview‘theresearcherwillhavealistofthemesandquestionstobecovered,althoughthesemayvaryfrominterviewtointerview’andthat‘theorderofquestionsmayalsobevarieddependingontheflowoftheconversation’(Saundersetal.2009:320).Therefore,theinterviewsconductedforthisresearchfollowedtheflowoftheconversationwiththeparticipantinordertogainthebestandmosthonestqualitativedatapossible.Theinterviewsconsistedoffivemajorquestionsthatwouldbecoveredwithintheconversation,thesequestionwereagaindevisedfromtheresearchobjectivesandliteraturereview,andinparticularfocussedontopicsthatthequestionnairecouldnotcover.

4.1.3 Mixed Methods Approach Theprimarydataforthisresearchprojectwascollectedusingamixoftwomethods;thiswassothatclaritycouldbefoundbycontrastingthequalitativeandquantitativedatagathered(Gephart,2004).A‘mixedmethodsapproachisthegeneraltermforwhenbothquantitativeandqualitativedatacollectiontechniquesandanalysisproceduresareusedinaresearchdesign’(Saundersetal,2009:152).Thisapproachtodatacollectioncanprovidebetteropportunitiesforaresearchertoanswertheirresearchobjectivesandalsodeterminewhethertheresearchfindingscanbetrusted(Tashakkori&Teddlie,2003).Bycollectingquantitativedata,alargeamountofdatacanberecordedandeasilyanalysedtofindtrends,thiscanbedonequicklyandcheaply.Qualitativedatahowever,willoftenbemoretimeconsuming.Ontheotherhand,itallowstheresearchertocollectdescriptiveinformationtogainamuchdeeperunderstandingofparticipant’sopinions.Thecombinationofthesetwomethodsallowsforafullanalysisofthesubjectmattertotakeplaceandgivesthebestopportunityfortheresearchquestiontobeanswered.Leeuwetal.whoarguethataresearcher‘isbetteradvisedtousemorethanonedatacollectionmode’supportthisargumentbystatingthatitisbestto‘conductamulti-modeormixed-mode’(DeLeeuwetal.2008).

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4.2 Participants

4.2.1 Sampling

Thesamplingstyleforthisresearchcannotbedescribedasrandomduetothewaythequestionnairesandinterviewswereconducted.Thequestionnairescanbebestdescribedasusing‘self-selectionsampling’;self-selectionsamplingiswhereyoualloweachparticipant‘toidentifytheirdesiretotakepartintheresearch’(Saundersetal.2009:241).Thiscanbeconductedthroughpublicisinganeedforparticipantsonrelevantmedia,andthencollectedthedatafrompeoplewhorespond(Saundersetal.2009:241).Thequestionnairecreatedforthisresearchprojectwaspostedtoseveralsocialmediasitesandsomerelevantfoodforums,aswellasbeingemailedtofriendsandfamilyforparticipation.However,theinterviewsampleswereconductedbasedonconveniencetotheauthor.Conveniencesamplinginvolvesselectingparticipantswhoare‘easiesttoobtainforyoursample’,suchasfriendsandfamilymembers(Saundersetal.2009:241).Ithasbeensaidthatthissamplingtechniquecanbe‘pronetobiasandinfluencesthatarebeyondyourcontrol’,however,duetothenatureofthisresearchitcanbedeemedsuitable(Saundersetal.2009:241).However,theseinterviewshavenotspecificallytargetedpeopleofanydemographicanddealwithissuesthatalmosteverybodycanrelateto,thereforetheunsuitabilityofthissamplingmethodislessened.

4.2.2 Ethical Issues

Ethicalconsiderationshavetobemadeduringanyresearchproject,assuch;severalstepsweremadetoensurethatthisprojectremainedasethicalaspossible.Initiallytheresearchproposalwassubjecttoanethicalevaluationbyprojecttutorsthroughthesubmissionofanethicsformbeforeanyresearchcouldbegin.Oncetheprojectgainedapproval,thewayinwhichthedatacollectionoccurredhadtobekeptasethicalaspossible.Thefirststeptakenwastomakeallparticipantsawarethattheyweretakingpartinaresearchproject,andthatbyparticipatingtheyweregivingconsentforanswerstobeusedwithintheproject.Thiswasimportanttoallowallparticipantstoknowwhythequestionswerebeingaskedandinwhatcontext.Secondly,allparticipantshavehadtheiranonymitypreservedthroughouttheprocess.Numbershasreplacedthenamesofrespondentsintheinterviews,andthesoftwareusedforthequestionnairerecordsnodataaboutthepersonanswering.Inadditiontothisanybodywantinghisorhercontributionremovedfromtheresearchcoulddosobyemailingme,thiswasmadeclearbeforetheinterviewscommenced.

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4.3 Procedure

4.3.1 Reliability and Validity

Reliabilityisthe‘degreetowhichanassessmenttoolproducesstableandconsistentresults’(Phelan&Wren,2006).Theparticipantsofboththequestionnaireandinterviewshadawiderangeofdemographics.Participantsincludedstudents,youngprofessionals,andmembersofolderagegroups.Forthisreasonitcanbeconcludedthattheparticipantsgavearelativelygoodrepresentationofthegeneralpublic,andtherefore.Forthisreasonitcanbeassumedthattheresearchcontainsarelativelygooddegreeofreliability ‘Validityreferstohowwellatestmeasureswhatitispurportedtomeasure’(Phelan&Wren,2006).Therefore,forthisresearchallofthequestionsaredevisedeitherfromtheresearchobjectivesorthetheoriesdisplayedwithintheliteraturereview.Forexample,severalofthequestionswithinthequestionnairearedevisedfromOliver’stheoryregardingdifferentlevelsofloyaltymentionedwithintheliteraturereview.Throughthismethodtheresearchshouldbeabletoprovidegoodanswerstowhatisbeingmeasuredwithinthisproject.

4.3.2 Data Collection Details Withinthecontextofthequestionnaires,therewasnospecificinstructiongiventotheparticipants,astheprocesswasself-explanatory.Inordertoensurethatthiswasthecase,thequestionnairewasshowntoseveralfriendsbeforethereleasetoconfirmthatitwasfitforpurpose.Thefeedbackreceivedfromfriendshelpedtore-wordoneofthequestionstomakeiteasiertounderstandfromthereader’sperspective.Similarly,littleinstructionwasgiventotheparticipant’softheinterviews,astheytheinterviewswereconductedinarelativelyinformalmannerandaspreviouslymentionedwereonlysemi-structured.Feedbackfromtheparticipant’ssuggestedthatthemorelaidbackapproachtotheinterviewmadethemmorecomfortabletoshareopinionsontheresearchmatter.TheQuestionnairewasliveandgatheringresultsbetween21stMarch2016and22ndApril2016.Inthistimethequestionnairereceived78responses,frompeopleofallwalksoflife.Theinterviewswereconductedbetween5thMarch2016andthe16thMarch2016.Teninterviewswereconductedintotalconsistingof5questionsperinterview

4.3.3 Data Analysis

Withregardtothequantitativedatacollected,thedatawasenteredintoMicrosoftExcelandsortedintocategoriesofinformation.Therawdatawasthen

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representedinavarietyoftablesandgraphsthatwouldbestanalyseandhighlightthekeyfigureswithinthedata.Withregardstothequalitativedata,allofthedatacollectedwastypedupintoMicrosoftWord;seeappendix8.2,andkeyquoteswerepickedoutfordisplayinthefindingssection.Someofthedataforquestion5oftheinterviewhasbeentranslatedintoquantitativedata,asgainingitinaqualitativefashionandthentranslatingitwasthebestwayofgettingtheparticipantshonestfeelings.ThiscanbeseeninFigure3.

5.0 Findings

5.1 Quantitative Data Fromthequantitativedatacollected,thechartscontainingthefindingshavebeenseparatedintothreedistinctsections;loyaltybased,brandingbasedandsocialmediabaseddata.Thechartsdisplayingtheseresultsareshowninthefiguresbelow.

5.1.1 Loyalty Based Findings

Figure2.1isabarchartdepictingthepercentageofparticipantswhostatedthat

theyregularlyeatatthesamerestaurantswhendiningout

15.38%

28.21%

7.69%

38.46%

10.26%

0.00% 5.00% 10.00%15.00%20.00%25.00%30.00%35.00%40.00%45.00%

StronglyDisagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

StronglyAgree

Iregularlyeatatthesamerestaurantswhendiningout

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Figure2.3isabarchartdepictingthepercentageofparticipantswhowouldremainloyaltotheirfavouredrestaurant,despiteanewcheaperoptionof

similarqualityopening.

5.1.2 Branding Based Findings Figure2.3isacolumnchartdisplayingthepercentageofparticipantswhoaremorelikelytotryanewrestaurantiftheyhaveheardofthebrandname.

12.99%

19.48%

12.99%

41.56%

12.99%

0.00%5.00%10.00%15.00%20.00%25.00%30.00%35.00%40.00%45.00%

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree StronglyAgree

Iammorelikelytotryanewrestaurantifihaveheardofthebrandname

16.67%

23.08%

15.38%

30.77%

14.10%

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00%

StronglyDisagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

StronglyAgree

Iwouldremainloyaltoafavouredrestaurant,evenifanewcheapercompe:torrestaurantofsimilarqualityopened.

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Figure2.4isacolumnchartshowingthepercentageofparticipantsthatprefertovisitrestaurantsthathaveapositiveimpactinsomeway.

Figure2.5isacolumnchartshowingthepercentageofparticipantsthatseethe

imageandstyleofrestaurantsasimportanttowhethertheywillrevisit.

8.97%

20.51%

10.26%

44.87%

15.38%

0.00%5.00%10.00%15.00%20.00%25.00%30.00%35.00%40.00%45.00%50.00%

StronglyDisagree


Iseetheimageandstyleofarestaurantasvitaltowhetheriwillreturntotherestaurant.

1.32%

13.16%18.42%

43.42%

23.68%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

StronglyDisagree


Iwouldprefertovisitrestaurantsthathaveareputa:onforhavingaposi:veimpactontheenvironment,

community,etc

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Figure2.6isacolumnchartshowingthedegreetowhichparticipantsconsidertheatmosphereandenvironmentatarestaurantasimportanttotheenjoyment

oftheirmeal.Figure2.7isacolumnchartdepictingthepercentageofpeoplewhodescribecheap,goodqualityfoodasthebiggestfactorsforthemtoenjoyarestaurant.

8.97%

25.68%

14.10%

35.90%

15.38%

0.00%5.00%10.00%15.00%20.00%25.00%30.00%35.00%40.00%

StronglyDisagree


Theatmosphereandenvironmentprovidedatarestaurantarevitaltomyenjoymentofameal

6.49%

28.57%

10.39%

46.75%

7.79%

0.00%5.00%10.00%15.00%20.00%25.00%30.00%35.00%40.00%45.00%50.00%

StronglyDisagree


Cheap,goodqualityfoodarethetwobiggestfactorsinvolvedinmeenjoyingarestaurant

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5.1.3 Social Media Findings

Figure2.8isapiechartshowingthepercentageofparticipantsthatusesocial

mediainrestaurantselection

Figure2.9isapiechartshowingthepercentageofparticipantsthatwouldvisit

arestaurantsolelyfromtherecommendationofsocialmediareviews

6.41%

26.92%

10.26%

41.03%

15.38%

Iusesocialmediapla@orms,suchastripadvisor,tochooserestaurantstovisit

StronglyDisagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

StronglyAgree

8.97%

30.77%

11.54%

39.74%

8.97%

Iwouldvisitarestaurantsolelyduetosocialmediareviews

StronglyDisagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

StronglyAgree

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Figure2.10displaysapiechartshowingthepercentageofparticipantsthatwill

regularlypostonsocialmediaabouttheirvisitstorestaurants.

5.2 Qualitative Data

Todisplaythequalitativedata,eachquestionwillbepresentedasitwastotheparticipantsandsomeofthemoreinterestingquoteshavebeenpickedout.Afulltranscriptoftheresponsesfromthetenparticipantsisdisplayedinappendix8.2.1. What would make you decide to visit a new restaurant over one you have enjoyed visiting before?

10.39%

31.17%

9.09%

32.47%

16.88%

Iwillregularlypostpicturesand/orinforma:ononsocialmediasiteswhenvisi:ngarestaurant.

StronglyDisagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

StronglyAgree

Participant1:PersonallyIgetboredofeatingatthesameplacesallthetime;Iliketotrynewthings.Sometimesyourevertbacktogoingtothesameplacesbutitsnicetomixitupsometimes.

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2. How would you say that social media impacts your choice of restaurant?

Participant3:I’dsaythatwhenpeopleyouknowhavebeen

somewhereandreallyenjoyeditthatwillalwaysmakemewantto

go.

Participant5:TripAdvisor,I’llalwayscheckrestaurantsoutonthereiftheyhavegoodreviews

I’lloftengoandtrythem

Participant1:I’llalwayscheckoutthereviewandinformationontripadvisorbeforegoinganywhere,ifthemajorityofreviewsareaveragetopoorIwillgenerallygosomewhereelse.

Participant8:Itdoesmassively,I’llfindaplacetogoonsocialmedia,arrangewhoI’mgoingwithandwhenonsocialmedia,andI’llputpicturesonmyInstagramofusattherestaurant.

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3. How would you say you are influenced by the way a restaurant ’s brand is presented to local or national media?

Participant9:Idon’tusesocialmediasonotatall.

Participant1:Ithinkit’sdifficultnottobenowadays,youseebrandseverywhere,andchainrestaurantsdominatethemarketandarereallyactiveonsocialmedia.IguessifI’minatownorcityIdon’tknowverywell,IwilltendtoeatatbrandsIknow.

Participant3:Ithinkwhenabrandhasareputationforpoorfoodorpoorservicethatwillalwaysputyouoff.Ithinksometimestherecanbea

stigmaattachedtocertainplaces,likeMacDonald’s,thatwillputyouofftoo.

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4. Are you more comfortable visiting a restaurant with strong branding than a restaurant that you have never heard of? Why?

Participant9:I’mnotreally,ItendtoonlylistentotherecommendationsofmyfriendsandfamilybecausetheyknowwhatIlikeandhavesimilar

standards.

Participant10:YesI’dsayso,arestaurantwithacertainidentityhasgotanappealtoit,anditmakesachangefromtherunofthemillrestaurantsthataresocommon.

Participant6:No,I’lleatanywhere,whetherunknownoramassivechainrestaurant,aslongasittickstheboxesofwhatIwantforagoodmealI’mnotfussedbythebranding.

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5. What do you see as the most important factors that make you want to revisit a restaurant?

Participant3:Thequalityoffoodisbyfarthemostimportantforme,that’swhyyougoouttoeatattheendoftheday,butIthinkthepriceplaysapart,somaybeyoucouldsaythevalue

formoney.Ialsothinkconvenienceisimportant,I’llordermoreregularlythroughrestaurantsthatareondeliveroobecausethey

willbringrestaurantfoodtoyou.

Participant6:Ieatatalotofplacesandsometimesyourealizethefoodisn’tthebeallandendallofanicemeal,aslongasit’satadecentstandarditwillbefine.Therestauranthastobenicelydecorated,haveabuzzingatmosphereandlovelystaff.Ithinkthosearefarmoreimportant.

Participant4:Definitely,itsmucheasierknowingexactlywhatyou’llgetinachainofdecentrestaurantsthanriskingitwithsomewhereyoudon’tknow.

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5.3 Gaining Quantitative data from Qualitative Withinthefifthquestionposedtoparticipants,regardingthemostimportantfactorsforarestauranttoprovide,theintervieweesgavetheirownopiniononwhattheyfeltwasvitalfortheenjoymentoftheirmeal.Thismeantthatseveralparticipantsrepeatedcertaintermsandsomewereuniquetoparticularpeople.Thetablebelow,Figure3,showsthefrequencyinwhichtheparticipantsmentionedeachterm.KeyTerm FrequencyUsedbyParticipantsFoodQuality 6Servicequality 5Atmosphere/Environment 4Cost 4Convenience 2Sustainability 1Figure3displaysthefrequencyinwhicheachparticipantmentionedthesetermswithintheiranswertothequestion;“Whatdoyouseeasthemost

importantfactorsthatmakeyouwanttorevisitarestaurant?”Ofthetermsmentionedbytheparticipants,foodqualitywasthemostfrequent,followedbythestandardofservicebythewaitingstaff,whereasthesustainabilityoftherestaurantwasmentionedtheleastnumberoftimes.

Participant7:Thecostandthefoodforsure,thatwhyyougotoa

restauranttobehonest,ifthefoodisrubbishoritstooexpensivethenI

wouldn’tgoback.

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6.0 Discussion Withinthissectionoftheresearchproject,attemptswillbemadetoanswerthekeyresearchobjectivesusingtheliteratureavailableandthedatathathasbeencollected.Oncetheinitialresearchquestionshavebeenansweredandanyotherfindingshavebeennoted,alloftheavailableresearchwillbeusedtoanswerthekeyquestionforthisproject,whichisasfollows:“Doesbrandingnowhaveasbiganimpactoncustomerloyaltyaspriceand

qualitywithintherestaurantindustry?”

6.1 If lower prices and higher quality do increase customer loyalty, why do customers still go elsewhere?

Toanswerthisquestionwemustfirstlyensurethatlowerpricesandhigherfoodqualitydoincreaseloyaltywithintherestaurantindustry.ItiswidelyknownthatCostandqualityarelargefactorsindeterminingthesatisfactionofacustomer(Cebrzynski,2007).Itisalsobelievedthatloyaltyisbornoutofthesatisfactionacustomerfeelswithaproductorservice,aswithoutsatisfactionnoinitialattachmentwillbemade(Oliver,1999).Sobythislogic,lowerpricesandhigherqualityshouldincreasecustomerloyalty.Thisisreinforcedby54.54%ofpeopleeitheragreeingorstronglyagreeingthatcheap,goodqualityfoodwerethetwobiggestfactorsforthemtoenjoyarestaurant,asseeninFigure2.7.FurtherreinforcementcanbegainedfromFigure3,aswhenparticipantswereasked:“whatdoyouseeasthemostimportantfactorsthatmakeyouwanttorevisitarestaurant?”,6outof10peoplegaveanswersrelatingtofoodqualityand4outof10gaveanswersrelatingtocost.Therefore,costandqualitydohavealargeimpactonloyaltywithintherestaurantindustry,sowhatexactlyismakingcustomerseatelsewhere.AsOliversuggested,therestaurantindustrycanbeseenas‘antitheticaltoloyalty’duetotheenormousamountofvarietyonofferforconsumersatpresent(Oliver,1999).Whenthisfactoriscombinedwiththethoughtthatconsumerstendtobe‘variety-seeking’astheysearchfora‘newexperience’,thisexplainsonereasonforcustomersoptingtochangerestaurants(Oliver,1999).Iftakenasfactthenthiswouldanswerthequestionposedabove,however,therearemanymoremotivationalfactorsbehindwhyconsumersaren’tnecessarilyloyaltocheaprestaurantswithgoodfoodquality.Todisprovetheideathatrestaurantscannotformanentirelyloyalcustomerbase,astatementwasposedtotheparticipantsofthequestionnaire.ThestatementinFigure2.3read:“Iwouldremainloyaltoafavouredrestaurant,evenifanewcheapercompetitorrestaurantofsimilarqualityopened”.Interestingly,44.87%ofpeopleagreedwiththisstatement,whichsuggeststhatcustomerscanstillbeloyaltoarestaurantwhenthefinancialbenefitisremoved.Soifthisstageofloyaltycanbe

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reached,itisvitaltounderstandthefactorsthataffectitandwhethersomecustomersaremorelikelytobeloyalthanothers.Inordertoachievealevelofloyaltyinwhichcustomerswillignoretheadvantagesofeatingelsewhere,Oliver’s4stagesofloyaltymustbeconsidered(Oliver,1999).WithinthefirstthreestagesofOliver’sframework,loyaltycanbepresent,howevercustomersmaystilleatelsewhere.Thesestagesarecognitive,wheretheproduct/serviceisusedduetoadistinctbenefitoverpurchasingotherbrands,affectiveloyalty,basedonthesatisfactionreceivedbyprevioususageofthebrand,andconativeloyalty,basedonrepeatedpositiveexperienceswiththebrand(Oliver,1999).Itisthereforeonlyinthefourthstageofactionloyalty,wherecustomersarewillingto‘overcomeobstacles’suchaspricetorepurchasethatspecificbrand(Oliver,1999).Attheactionloyaltystage,comescompleteloyalty,toanswerthekeyquestionofthissectionwemustfindoutwhatleadstocompleteloyaltyandwhatismissingfromtheotherstagestoallowcustomerstodeviatefromthebrand.Itcanbesuggestedfromwhatwehavediscussedalreadythatloyaltywillbebuiltfromanumberoffactors,startingwithsatisfaction.Figure2.6showsthat51.28%ofparticipantsinthequestionnairebelievetheatmosphereandenvironmenttobeimportantintheirdiningexperience,with15.38%ofthoseparticipantsfeelingstronglyaboutit.Thiscanbedescribedasasatisfactionfactor,similartothepriceandqualityoftherestaurantsfood.Whileitistheorigintoloyalty,meresatisfactiononitsowncanonlydrivecustomersintothethirdstageofloyaltywithinOliver’sframework.Toachievethefourthstageofloyaltysatisfactionisrequiredtobeinconjunctionwithstrongbrandequity.Asdiscussedwithintheliteraturereviewbrandequitycanbedefinedas‘theconsumers’perceptionoftheoverallsuperiorityofaproductcarryingthatbrandnamewhencomparedtootherbrands’(Lassaretal,1995).Sobrandequityistheconsumersperceptionofthebrand,thisperceptioncanbealteredbytheimageputoutbythebranditselfandtherealityofcustomer’sexperienceswiththebrand.Thereasonthatbrandingcanbesovitalindrivingloyaltyisthatitisdictatedbythecustomer’s‘thoughts,feelings,attitudes,andexperiences’(Keller,2003).Thesefactorsallowthecustomertoconnectwiththebrandbeyondapuresatisfactionlevelandwhenevertheythinkofthebranditcanstirsomeformofemotion.Thisemotioncombinedwithrepeatedsatisfactioniswhatdrivescompleteloyalty,andwithoutanyofthesefactorsitcannotbeachieved.Whencompleteloyaltyisnotachievedthatiswhencustomersgoelsewhere,despitelowpricesandgoodquality.

6.2 Do customers see themselves as directly affected by the branding of a restaurant?

Thebrandingofarestauranttoacustomeris‘thetotalaccumulationofallhis/herexperiences,andisbuiltatallpointsofcontactwiththecustomer’(Kapferer,2004).Thisexperiencecouldbeassmallashavingheardofthebrand,oraslargeasbeingaregularcustomer.Therefore,peopleare

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usuallyinsomewayaffectedbythebrandingofrestaurants.Forthisreasonitisinterestingtodiscoverhowcustomersfeeltheyareaffectedbybrandingandwhethertheyfeelitalterstheireatinghabits.Intheorythestrongerthebrandequityoftherestaurant,themorelikelyitwillbeforcertainpeopletovisitthatrestaurant.Thequestionnaireresultsshowthatcustomershaveanawarenessandappreciationfortheaffectsofbranding,astheyseemmorelikelytoeatwithbrandsthattheyknoworrestaurantsthatarebrandedpositively.Figure2.3showsthat54.55%ofparticipantseitheragreeorstronglyagreewiththestatement:“IammorelikelytotryanewrestaurantifIhaveheardofthebrandname”.Thisisimportant,asitnotonlyshowstheaffectthatbrandshave,butitdisplaystheself-awarenessofcustomerstotheimpactsofbranding.Participantsalsoseetheimageandstyleofabrandasimportantwith60.25%ofpeopleagreeingorstronglyagreeingthatitplaysavitalpartintheirenjoymentofarestaurant,asshowninFigure2.5.Theimportancethattheparticipantsplacedonthebrandimageofarestaurantisthoughtprovoking,asitshowshowawaretheyareoftheaffectsthatdifferentbrandimageswillhaveonthem.Theinterviewresponsesfollowasimilarpatterntothequestionnaire.Thekeyquestionfromtheinterviewwas:“Areyoumorecomfortablevisitingarestaurantwithstrongbrandingthanarestaurantthatyouhaveneverheardof?Why?”Participant1statedthatthey‘definitely’feelmorecomfortablevisitingabrandtheyhaveheardof,as‘youknowexactlywhatyouaregoingtoget’.ThisisinterestingasitatoddswithOliver’stheorythatcustomersare‘variety-seeking’,anddisplaysacomfortintheknowledgeoftherestaurantsbrand(Oliver,1999).However,someresponsesdifferedfromthenorm,participant6statedthattheywill‘eatanywhere’that‘tickstheboxes’ofwhattheywant‘foragoodmeal’andthattheyare‘notfussedbythebranding’.Thisresponseisofparticularsignificance,astheyclearlydonotseethemselvesasaffectedbybrandingatall.Ingeneral,theparticipantsseemtobeawareoftheaffectsthatbrandingcanhaveonthem,with7ofthe10participantsstatingopenlythattheyaremorecomfortablevisitingabrandofrestauranttheyhaveheardof.

Itseemsastheinthemostpart,customersareawareofthebrandingaroundthemandknowhowitcaninfluencethem,however,itisfairtosaythatdifferentpeoplemaybeaffectedbybrandingindifferentways.Althoughwecan’tsaythatallcustomersseethemselvesasdirectlyaffectedbybranding,amajorityoftheparticipantsinourresearchseemtobeofthisopinion.Theparticipantsawarenessofhowbrandsoperateandconveythemselvesmaymeanthatbrandshavetofindnewwaystogetthereimageacrosstocustomersinthefuture.

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6.3 Are customers more likely to remain loyal to a company branded in a positive way?

Asmentionedpreviously,brandingwillaffecteverycustomerdifferently,andwhatmightbepositivebrandingforonepersoncouldbenegativetoanother.Positiveandstrongbrandingtowardsatargetcustomerbaseshouldleadtostrongbrandequity,whichinturnshouldleadtoincreasedlevelsofloyaltywithinsaidcustomerbase.Intheorystrongbrandequityleadstothecreationofvalueforboththefirmandthecustomer,asdiscussedearlierintheliteraturereview(Aaker,1991).Whenvalueiscreatedforcustomers,itincreasesthelikelihoodthattheywillbecomeattachedtothebrandinanemotionalway,thiscaninturnleadtothecreationofbrandcommunitiesandimprovedloyalty,whichcreatesvalueforthefirm.

Thetheorysuggeststhatcustomerswillbemoreloyaltoacompanythatisbrandedinapositiveway;thedatacollectedfromtheresearchwillnowbecomparedwiththetheorytocometoaconclusionforthisresearchobjective.Theresultsfromthequestionnaireoverwhelminglysupportthetheoryas67.1%ofpeopleagreeorstronglyagreethattheywouldprefertovisitrestaurantsthathaveapositivereputationwithinthecommunity(Figure2.4).Theinterviewsprovidedasimilaroverviewofthesubjectwhenparticipantswereaskedthequestion:“Howwouldyousayyouareinfluencedbythewayarestaurant’sbrandispresentedtolocalornationalmedia?”Participant2statedthat‘ifyouheargoodthingsaboutarestaurantitwillmakeyouinterestedingoing’andthat‘ifyouhearbadthingsitwilldotheopposite’.Thisbeliefhighlightsthatcustomersarelikelytotakethefirststepintotoloyaltybasedofthebrandingoftherestaurant.However,tomakeaconclusiononthissubjecttherehastobeevidencethatthewayacompanyisbrandedcanhaveaneffectthroughoutallstagesofloyalty.Participant8statedthatthey‘likegoingtocasualplaceswhereyoucanhavealaugh,sosomerestaurantsarebetterthanothers’.Thisparticipantgoesontoexplainhowthey‘love’aparticularchainrestaurant‘becauseeverythingaboutthewaytheycomeacrossisquitechilledandcasual.’Thewayinwhichparticipant8talksdisplaysanemotionalconnectiontothisbrand,whichcandefinitelyincreasetheloyaltytheywillshowtowardsthebrand.Itwouldthereforeseem,afterstudyingtheliteratureandanalysingthecollecteddatathatthereisadistinctlinkbetweenpositivebrandingandcustomerloyaltywithintherestaurantindustry.Theestablishmentofthislinkisvitalasitmeansthatbrandcantailortheirownbrandingtobestsuittheirtargetaudience,thisshouldthen,intheory,increasethelevelsofloyaltytheywillreceivefromcustomers.Thisfactorcombinedwiththepotentialimpactsocialmediamayhaveonrestaurantcustomerscouldbeofparticularusetorestaurants.

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6.4 Has social media had an impact on eating habits?

ThetermsocialmediaincorporatessocialnetworkssuchasFacebookandtwitter,butalsoincludesreviewsitessuchastripadvisor.Socialmediaisdefinedastheonlinetechnologiesandpracticeswhichpeopleusetoshareknowledgeandopinions’(Larocheetal,2012a).Ithastheabilitytoaltercompanyperformance,allowcompaniestocommunicatedirectlytocustomersandallowinstantsharingofopinionsandexperiences.Socialmediasitesliketripadvisorhaveallowedcustomerstofindoutfarmoreinformationaboutarestaurantbeforetheirfirstvisit.Beforesocialmedia,criticreviewsandwordofmouthwerethebestwaysgaininginformationaboutarestaurant;nowmostrestaurantsinthecountryhavehundredsorthousandsofreviewswrittenbyrealcustomers.Wecanestablishthehugeaffecttripadvisorhashadoneatinghabitsbylookingatsomeoftheresultsofthequestionnaire.WithinFigure2.8,56.41%ofparticipantsagreedorstronglyagreedthattheyusesocialmediasites,suchastripadvisortochoosetherestaurantstheyvisit,andtofurtherthisargument48.71%oftheparticipantsagreedorstronglyagreedthattheywouldchoosearestaurantsolelyonsocialmediareviews(Figure2.9).Foraconceptascontemporaryassocialmediathisisastaggeringsetofresults,however,itIshardlysurprisingconsideringtheamountofdatathatitispossibletoshareinstantlyonsocialmediaforanyonetoview.Theinterviewquestionrelatingtosocialmediaalsobroughtupsomeinterestingcomments,thequestionposedtoparticipantswasasfollows:“Howwouldyousaythatsocialmediaimpactsyourchoiceofrestaurant?”Themajorityofthecommentswererelativelyexpected,suchasparticipant1whosaidthattheywill‘alwayscheckoutthereviewandinformationontripadvisorbeforegoinganywhere’.Amajorityoftheparticipantssaidthattheyusesocialmediainsomeregardwhenchoosingarestaurant,andthisappearstohavebecomethenorm.However,participant8’sanswerbroughtaboutintriguebystating‘I’llfindaplacetogoonsocialmedia,arrangewhoI’mgoingwithandwhenonsocialmedia,andI’llputpicturesonmyInstagramofusattherestaurant.’Thisraisedthequestionthatsocialmediaisn’tjustchangingeatinghabitswithinrestaurants;tosomepeopleitisredefiningtherestaurantexperience.Socialmediaplaysapartinalmosteverystepofparticipant8’sdiningexperienceandthisparticipantisnotalone.49.35%ofparticipantstothequestionnairesaythattheyagreeorstronglyagreewiththestatementfeaturedinFigure2.10,whichsaystheywillregularlypostpicturesand/orinformationonsocialmediasiteswhenvisitingarestaurant.Thisfigureisincrediblyhigh,andhasamassiveaffectontheeatinghabitsofnotjusttheposterofthepicture/information,butanyonethatseestheposttoo.Thiscouldhaveanaffectonloyaltyasseveralintervieweesechoedparticipant3’ssentimentthat‘whenpeopleyouknowhavebeensomewhereandreallyenjoyeditthatwillalwaysmakemewanttogo.’Socialmediaisclearlyhavinganenormousimpactontheeatinghabitsofcustomers,itischangingthewaypeopleapproacheveryaspectofarestaurant.

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Whatismoststaggeringistheimpactthatsocialmediahasmadesuchanimpactinsuchashortperiodoftime,andthisimpactseemssettogrowwithmoreandmorepeopleadoptingsocialmediaplatformseveryday.Whatwillbeinterestingishowbrandsapproachsocialmediainthecomingyearsasitcanposeanenormousopportunitytothemtoincreaseloyaltythroughbrandcommunitiesandinteractionwithcustomers.

6.5 Other Findings of Interest Althoughunrelatedtothefourresearchobjectives,severalotherfindingshavebeenuncoveredthatareofinteresttothisstudy.Thesefindingswillgenerallyconsistoffindingsthatwerenotexpectedbeforetheresearchbegan.Themainfindingofinterestcameoncethequalitativedatafromquestion5oftheinterviewhadbeentranslatedtoquantitativedatainFigure3,itshowedthatcustomersvaluecertainfactorsasmoreimportantthanfirstexpected.Figure3showedthatcustomersvaluedbothertheservicequalityandtheatmosphereorenvironmentofarestaurantasmoreimportantthantheprice.Thiswasofparticularinterestaspriceandloyaltyhaveinthepastbeendeemedtobethelargestdriversofloyalty(Cebrzynski,2007),however,fromthisresearch,pricingisn’tseenasoverlyimportantwithjust4outof10participantsconsideringittobeimportant.

6.6 “Does branding now have as big an impact on customer loyalty as price and quality within the restaurant industry?”

Tocometoaconclusiontothekeyquestionofthisresearchprojectwemustlookatallthefactorsinvolved.Wehavefoundanswerstothefourresearchobjectivesthatwerelaidoutatthestartoftheresearchprojectandtheymustbeusedtoconstructananswertothekeyquestion.Fromwhatwehavediscussedwecanconfidentlysaythatpriceandqualitystillhaveanenormousimpactonloyalty,thisisduetotheroletheplayaskeysatisfactionfactorsforcustomersintherestaurantindustry.However,favourablepriceandqualityalone,cannotbuildanyformhigherformofloyaltythantheinitialconativestage.Toprogressbeyondthisstage,allothersatisfactionfactorsmustbemetforeachindividualcustomer,thesemayincludetheservicecustomersreceivefromstaffandtheoverallatmospherecreatedinsidetherestaurant.Itiswithoutdoubtneverthelessthatpriceandqualityaretwoofthelargestsatisfactionfactorsforcustomer,ashighlightedinFigure2.7.Duetothistheywillplayavitalroleinloyaltyformostcustomersas,ineffecttheyrepresentthevalueformoneythatcustomersreceive.However,wehavealsoestablishedthatsatisfactionfactorsalonearenotenoughtobuildloyaltytothedesirableactionstagethathasbeendiscussedthroughoutthisreport.Forthislevelofloyaltybrandingisalsorequired,somethingwhichwehaveestablishedcustomersareaffectedbyandarefullyawareofit.Brandingallowsforpositiveemotionaltiestobemadetoabrandandwhenmixedwith

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repeatedsatisfactionfromtherestaurant,loyaltycanprogressintotheactionstage.Therolesocialmediacanplaywithincustomerloyaltyisprofound.Ithastheabilitytoaccentuatetheeffectofanybrandingeffortsthatcompany’srelease,ifusedinthecorrectway.Thisisduetotheabilityitgivesbrandstocommunicatedirectlytoindividualcustomersquicklyandeasily.Thiswillallowbrandstogetafarbetterideaofexactlywhattheirtargetaudiencerequirestobecomeloyalcustomers.SocialmediacanalsobuildloyaltyineverystageofOliver’sframework(1999),aswhencustomerssharepositivereviewsandimagesoftheirvisitonlinethiswillencourageotherwiseuninterestedpeopletotrythebrand,puttingthemataconativestageofloyalty.Associalmediacontinuestogrowinsizeandimportance,thesefactorswillonlybecomeastrongerforceonthesuccessofrestaurantbrands.ConsideringthesefactorsandOliver’sframeworkforloyalty.Priceandqualityassatisfactionfactorsareasvitalnowastheyeverhavebeen,however,customersaredemandingmoreandmoretobesatisfied.Asitstands,itseemsasthough,brandingplaysaverysimilarsizeroleinbuildingloyaltyastheaforementionedsatisfactionfactorsofpriceandquality.Thereasoningbehindthisisthatbothbrandingandsatisfactionarerequiredtobepresentateverylevelofloyalty,andactionloyaltyinparticularcanonlybereachedwithverystronglevelsofboth.However,goingforward,withtheexpansionofsocialmediaandever-increasingcompetition,itispossiblethatbrandingwillbecomethemostimportantfactorbeforetoolong.

6.7 Further Research Recommendations Whileresearchingthistopic,afewotherareasofresearchthatcouldbeofparticularinteresttotherestaurantindustryhavebeenuncovered.Firstlywouldbeaninvestigatedintothefullimpactofsocialmediagoingforward.Alackofuptodateresearchonsocialmediawasdiscoveredduringthereviewofavailableliteratureandfullstudyintothepotentialitmayholdfortherestaurantindustrywouldbeofparticularinterest.Wehavealsodiscoveredawarenessfromcustomersofbrandingandhowitaffectsthem;thismaybeduetosocialmediabeingsaturatedwithbrandrelatedinformationthattheyseeeveryday.However,itposesaquestionofwhetherthiswillaffecthowcustomersareinfluencedbybrandinggoingforward,andwhethercompany’swillhavetoalterthewaytheypresenttheirbrandsforcustomerstoremainsusceptibletothem.

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7.0 References AssociationofNationalAdvertisers(2007)ANA/GuidelineStudyfindsBrandEquityaTopLineObjectiveforMarketers[Online]Availablefrom:https://www.ana.net/content/show/id/408.[Accessed24April2016].Brown,M(2013)‘Nando’snation:thechickenthatconqueredBritain’.TheTelegraph,[Online]Availablefrom:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/restaurants/9902231/Nandos-nation-the-chicken-that-conquered-Britain.html.[Accessed24April2016].D.AAaker(1991)ManagingBrandEquity,Thefreepress,NewYorkDeChernatony,L.andRiley,F.D.(1998),Definingabrand:Beyondtheliteraturewiththeexperts’interpretations.JournalofMarketingManagement14:417-443.DeLeeuw,E.D.,Hox,J.J.,andDillman,D.A.(2008)TheEuropeanAssociationofMethodology:Mixed-modeSurveys:WhenandWhy[Online]Availablefrom:http://joophox.net/papers/SurveyHandbookCRC.pdf.[Accessed24April2016).Eversham,E.(2015)‘75%offamilieseatingoutinrestaurantsmoreregularly’.BigHospitality,[Online]Availablefrom:http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Trends-Reports/75-of-families-eating-out-in-restaurants-more-regularly.[Accessed24April2016].FayreneY.L.,GoiChaiLee.(2011)Customer-Basedbrandequity:ALiteraturereview.JournalofArtsScience&Commerce,2(1).Franke,N.,andPiller,F.(2004)Valuecreationbytoolkitsforuserinnovationanddesign:Thecaseofthewatchmarket.JournalofProductInnovationManagement,21:401–415.Gangadharbhatla,H.(2008).FacebookMe:Collectiveself-esteem,needtobelongandInternetself-efficacyaspredictorsoftheI-generationsattitudestowardsocialnetworkingsites.JournalofInteractiveAdvertising,8(2):5-15.Gephart,R.,(2004)QualitativeResearch,AcademyofManagementJournal,43(4):454-462.Jacoby,J.,Chestnut,R.W.(1978)Brandloyalty:measurementandmanagement.Wiley,Chichester,NewYork.KalmanD.M.(2009)BrandCommunities,MarketingandMedia[Online]Availablefrom:http://www.terrella.com/bcmarketingwp2.pdf[Accessed24April2016].Kamakura,A.W.andRussellG.J.(1993)measuringbrandvaluewithscannerdata.InternationalJournalofResearchinMarketing10(March):9-22.

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Kapferer,J.N.(2004)BrandNEWworld,brandequity,TheEconomicTimes,June30,Mumbai.Keller,K.L.(2003),Brandsynthesis:themultidimensionalityofbrandknowledge”,JournalofConsumerResearch,Vol.29No.4.Laroche,M.,Habibi,M.R.,Richard,M.O.,andSankaranarayanan,R.(2012)Theeffectsofsocialmediabasedbrandcommunitiesonbrandcommunitymarkers,valuecreationpractices,brandtrustandbrandloyalty.ComputersinHumanBehaviour,28(5):1755–1767.Lassar,W.,MittalB.,andSharmaA.(1995)MeasuringCustomer-BasedBrandEquity.JournalofConsumerMarketing12(4):11-19.Liu,C.M.Huang,C.J.Chen,M.L.(2014)RelationalBenefits,CustomerSatisfaction,andCustomerLoyaltyinChainStoreRestaurants[Online]TheInternationalJournalofOrganizationalInnovation.Availablefrom:http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.bathspa.idm.oclc.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=12c4e4a8-7ccf-4c1e-b183-caeccc44710a%40sessionmgr112&vid=1&hid=113.[Accessed24April2016].Mangold,W.G.,andFaulds,D.J.(2009)Socialmedia:Thenewhybridelementofthepromotionmix,BusinessHorizons,52:357–365.Newman,JosephW.andRichardA.Werbel(1973),‘MultivariateAnalysisofBrandLoyaltyforMajorHouseholdAppliances.’JournalofMarketingResearch.10(November),404-409.Oliva,TerenceA.,RichardL.Oliver,andIanC.MacMillan(1992)."ACatastropheMixlelforDevelopingServiceSatisfactionStrategies."JournalofMarketing.56(July),83-95.Oliver,R.L.(1997),Satisfaction:ABehavioralPerspectiveontheConsumer.NewYork:irwin/McGraw-Hill.Oliver,R.L.(1999)‘WhenceConsumerLoyalty’.JournalofMarketingVol.63[Online]Availablefrom:http://www.uta.edu/faculty/richarme/MARK%205342/Articles/Oliver%201999.pdf.[Accessed24April2016].Phelan,CandWren,J.(2006)Exploringreliabilityinacademicassessment.[Online]Availablefrom:www.uni.edu/chfasoa/reliabilityandvalidity.htm[Accessed26April2016].Roberts,P.Priest,H.Traynor,M.(2006)ReliabilityandValidityinResearch,NursingStandard.[Online]Availablefrom:http://search.proquest.com/openview/3d4a3288ee02e614e09ec585c63ed52d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar.[Accessed24April2016].

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Saunders,MandLewis,P.(2011)DoingResearchinBusinessandManagement:AnEssentialguidetoplanningyourproject.Essex.PearsonEducationLtd.Saunders,M.Lewis,P.Thornhill,A.(2009)ResearchMethodsforBusinessStudents.FifthEdition.Essex.PearsonEducationLtd.Schau,J.H.,Muniz,M.A.,andArnould,J.E.(2009)Howbrandcommunitypracticescreatevalue.JournalofMarketing,73(5):30–51.Shocker,A.D.,Srivastava,R.K.,Ruekert,R.W.(1994)Challengesandopportunitiesfacingbrandmanagement:anintroductiontothespecialissue.JournalofMarketingResearch31,149-158.Shubber,K.(2015)‘Restaurantsectorturnoverup39%since2010’.FinancialTimes,[Online]Availablefrom:http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5524e324-fc7d-11e4-800d-00144feabdc0.html.[Accessed24April2016].Sun,P.&Lin,C.(2010).Buildingcustomertrustandloyalty:anempiricalstudyinaretailingcontext.TheServiceIndustriesJournal,30(9),1439-1455.Swait,J.,ErdemT.,LouviereJ.&DubelaarC.(1993)Theequalizationprice:Ameasureofconsumer-perceivedbrandequity.InternationalJournalofResearchinMarketing,10:23-45.Tashakkori,A.andTeddlie,C.(2003)HandbookofMixedMethodsinSocialandBehaviouralResearch.ThousandOaks,CA:Sage.Weber,A.(2011)QuantifyingYelp’simpactontherestaurantindustry.[Online]Availablefrom:https://www.aabacosmallbusiness.com/advisor/quantifying-yelps-impact-restaurant-industry-140006991.html.[Accessed26April2016].Weilbacher,W.M.(1995),BrandMarketing,NTCBusinessBooks,Chicago,IL.Williams,L.,andCothrell,J.(2000)Foursmartwaystorunonlinecommunities.SloanManagementReview,41:81–91.Windels,J.(2012)HowSocialMediaisRevolutionisingtheRestaurantIndustry[Online]Availablefrom:https://www.brandwatch.com/2012/02/socialmediaintherestaurant-industry/.[Accessed24April2016].

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8.0 Appendices

8.1 Questionnaire Layout 1. I regularly eat at the same restaurants when dining out. StronglyDisagree

Disagree Neutral Agree StronglyAgree.

2. I am more likely to try a new restaurant if i have heard of the brand name StronglyDisagree


3. I would remain loyal to a favoured restaurant, even if a new cheaper competitor restaurant of similar quality opened. StronglyDisagree


4. I use social media platforms, such as trip advisor, to choose restaurants to visit. StronglyDisagree


5. I would visit a restaurant solely due to social media reviews StronglyDisagree


6. I will regularly post pictures and/or information on social media sites when visiting a restaurant. StronglyDisagree


7. I would prefer to visit restaurants that have a reputation for having a positive impact on the environment, community, etc StronglyDisagree


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8. I see the image and style of a restaurant as vital to whether i will return to the restaurant. StronglyDisagree


9. The atmosphere and environment provided at a restaurant are vital to my enjoyment of a meal StronglyDisagree


10. Cheap, good quality food are the two biggest factors involved in me enjoying a restaurant StronglyDisagree


8.2 Interview Questions and responses 1.Whatwouldmakeyoudecidetovisitanewrestaurantoveroneyouhaveenjoyedvisitingbefore?P1.PersonallyIgetboredofeatingatthesameplacesallthetime,Iliketotrynewthings.Sometimesyourevertbacktogoingtothesameplacesbutitsnicetomixitupsometimes.P2.Ithinkwhenfriendsandfamilyhavebeensomewhereandreallyenjoyedit,itmakesmereallywanttogo,IsupposesocialmediacanplayIpartinthattoobecauseyoualwaysseetweetsofplacespeoplehavebeenorpeopletaggingthemselvesinsomewhereonFacebookP3.I’dsaythatwhenpeopleyouknowhavebeensomewhereandreallyenjoyeditthatwillalwaysmakemewanttogo.P4.I’mawayalotonbusinesssoIwillquiteoftenjustfindtheclosestrestaurantIcanfindthatwillservedecentfood,butwhenIcanI’llsticktorestaurantsIknowofandhavetriedbefore.P5.TripAdvisor,I’llalwayscheckrestaurantsoutonthereiftheyhavegoodreviewsI’lloftengoandtrythemP6.Idon’twanttoeatthesamethingeverytimeIgooutforfood.Ilovevarietyinmylifeandthatstartswithfood.

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P7.Ifit’scheapandhealthythenI’lltryitout,it’shardtofindhealthyfoodonabudgetandwhenIseesomewherethatdoesI’lljumponit.P8.Ilikeplacesthatseemfunandsociable,I’mnotafanofstuffyrestaurant’swhereeveryoneisreallyquiet.P9.Itendtosticktothesamerestaurantsingeneralsoanywhereelsehastobeprettyspecial.Isupposeifanumberoffriendshavehadawonderfulmealtherethenthatwouldpersuademe.P10.Weonlyhaveafewnearussototrysomewherenew,faraway,thereviewswouldhavetobeprettyspecial.2.Howwouldyousaythatsocialmediaimpactsyourchoiceofrestaurant?P1.I’llalwayscheckoutthereviewandinformationontripadvisorbeforegoinganywhere,ifthemajorityofreviewsareaveragetopoorIwillgenerallygosomewhereelse.P2.LikeIsaid,ifyouseepeopletalkingaboutsomewhereonsocialmedia,itmakesyouwanttogothere.YouwillalwaysseepeoplegoingtoNando’sandthatbecomeamassivethingonsocialmedia.P3.Idon’treallyuseitatalltochoosearestaurant,that’sjustnotwhatIusesocialmediafor.P4.OccasionallyI’llusetripadvisortocheckarestaurant’sreviewsifI’mgoingsomewhereforaspecialoccasion,butgenerallyitdoesn’timpactmetoomuch.P5.LikeIsaidIusetripadvisoralot,butsometimesI’llgototripadvisorifIseepeopletalkingaboutsomewhereonFacebookortwitter.P6.Itdoesn’timpactmetoomuchbecauseI’mgenerallywillingtotryanywhere,butifIseealotofpeopletalkingaboutsomewhereIhaven’tbeenonsocialmediathenImightbemoreinclinedtotryitIsuppose.P7.I’malwaysonsocialmediaandyouhearpeopletalkingaboutnewplacesandthingslikethat,andthatwillalwaysaffectyou.ButIcan’tsayit’stheonlywayIfindoutaboutnewplaces.P8.Itdoesmassively,I’llfindaplacetogoonsocialmedia,arrangewhoI’mgoingwithandwhenonsocialmedia,andI’llputpicturesonmyInstagramofusattherestaurant.P9.Idon’tusesocialmediasonotatall.P10.Itdoestoanextent,weonlygoofftonewplacesforbirthdaysandanniversaries,butwhenwedoI’lldoabitofresearchintotherestaurant.

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3.Howwouldyousayyouareinfluencedbythewayarestaurant’sbrandispresentedtolocalornationalmedia?P1.Ithinkit’sdifficultnottobenowadays,youseebrandseverywhere,andchainrestaurantsdominatethemarketandarereallyactiveonsocialmedia.IguessifI’minatownorcityIdon’tknowverywell,IwilltendtoeatatbrandsIknow.P2.Isupposeifyouhearpositivethingsaboutsomewhereitwillalwaysmakeyouwanttotryitifyoucan,likewiseifyouhearbadthingsitwilldotheopposite.P3.Ithinkwhenabrandhasareputationforpoorfoodorpoorservicethatwillalwaysputyouoff.Ithinksometimestherecanbeastigmaattachedtocertainplaces,likeMacDonald’s,thatwillputyouofftoo.P4.ItendtosticktobrandsIknowwhenIcan,onaday-to-daybasisanyway.Idon’thavethetimetolookupeveryrestaurantreviewtomakesureit’sdecent.I’llofteneatatplaceslikeNando’sbecauseit’smorecasualandIcansitanddowork.P5.Ilikesmallsustainableplaces;I’mavegansoIhavetoworkquitehardtofindnewplaces.Soifit’sgotareputationforusinglocalproduceandtryingnewthingswithinveganfoodthenIwillbeinterestedstraightaway.P6.Iwouldn’tsaythatIamtoomuch,butIsupposeifyouhearabrandnameenoughyouwilleventuallyenduptryingitwhetheryouknowrealizeitsbecauseofthemediaornot.P7.IfIcangetholdofvouchercodesanddiscountdealsthenthathelps.OtherthanthatIthinkeveryonelikestheideaofgoingtosomewherethatisfashionableandtrendyifyoucanaffordto.P8.Ilikegoingtocasualplaceswhereyoucanhavealaugh,sosomerestaurantsarebetterthanothers.IloveNando’sandTurtleBaybecauseeverythingaboutthewaytheycomeacrossisquitechilledandcasual.P9.I’mnotreally,ItendtoonlylistentotherecommendationsofmyfriendsandfamilybecausetheyknowwhatIlikeandhavesimilarstandards.P10.Ifyouheargoodthingsaboutarestaurantitwillmakeyouinterestedingoing,that’sjustthewayitworksdoesn’tit.Likewiseifyouhearbadstoriesitwillputyouoff.4.Areyoumorecomfortablevisitingarestaurantwithstrongbrandingthanarestaurantthatyouhaveneverheardof?Why?

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P1.Definitely,restaurantswithstrongbrandstendtoprovideafeelingof,‘youknowexactlywhatyou’regoingtoget’.SomepeoplemaynotlikethatbutwhenI’mspendingmoneyIprefertoknowIwilllikewhatI’mspendingiton.P2.Yeah,IguessIwouldbe,Ialwaysthinkifalotofpeopleknowaboutitthentheremustbeareasonwhy,allthosepeoplecan’tbewrong.P3.WhenI’mathomeItendtogotorestaurantsIknowbecauseIknowwhatIwillbegetting,butwhenIvisitnewplacesIliketotrynewthingsandnewrestaurants.P4.Definitely,itsmucheasierknowingexactlywhatyou’llgetinachainofdecentrestaurantsthanriskingitwithsomewhereyoudon’tknow.P5.Yes,aslongasit’stherightkindofbrand,somepeoplemightpreferquickfoodetc.Ialwayslookforsustainablehealthyplaces.P6.No,I’lleatanywhere,whetherunknownoramassivechainrestaurant,aslongasittickstheboxesofwhatIwantforagoodmealI’mnotfussedbythebranding.P7.YeahIguessso,Ialwaysassumethatthereisareasonpeoplehaveheardofsomerestaurantsandnotothers,becausetheyarebetter.P8.YeahIdo,youcandomoreresearchonwhattheplaceislike,withsmallunknownplacesyoucanfindreviewsonthefoodbutnotwhatitslikeasawhole.P9.Nonotreally,likeIsaidIwouldonlychoosesomewherenewifsomeoneIknowwellhasenjoyeditthere.P10.YesI’dsayso,arestaurantwithacertainidentityhasgotanappealtoit,anditmakesachangefromtherunofthemillrestaurantsthataresocommon.5.Whatdoyouseeasthemostimportantfactorsthatmakeyouwanttorevisitarestaurant?P1.Thefoodqualityobviouslyisimportant,butIthinkthattheserviceandenvironmentattherestaurantisjustasimportant,thefoodcanbegreatbutifitsboringandthestaffarerudeitwouldputanyoneoffgoingagain.P2.Theatmosphere,Iwillusuallygooutwithmyfriendsandweliketohavealaughandbequiteloud,soifwegosomewhereveryquietwestickoutlikeasorethumb.Thefoodisimportantbutwheneverwegooutitsmoreasasocialthing.P3Thequalityoffoodisbyfarthemostimportantforme,that’swhyyougoouttoeatattheendoftheday,butIthinkthepriceplaysapart,somaybeyoucould

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saythevalueformoney.Ialsothinkconvenienceisimportant,I’llordermoreregularlythroughrestaurantsthatareondeliveroobecausetheywillbringrestaurantfoodtoyou.P4.Wi-FiConnection*laughter*.Butseriouslythefoodhastobedecent,andIdon’twanttopayanarmandalegbecauseIeatoutmostdays.P5.Thewaytheysourcetheiringredients,ithastobelocal,andIlikehavingstaffthatknowaboutthefoodbecauseItendtoaskquestionsaboutthefood.P6.Ieatatalotofplacesandsometimesyourealizethefoodisn’tthebeallandendallofanicemeal,aslongasit’satadecentstandarditwillbefine.Therestauranthastobenicelydecorated,haveabuzzingatmosphereandlovelystaff.Ithinkthosearefarmoreimportant.P7.Thecostandthefoodforsure,thatwhyyougotoarestauranttobehonest,ifthefoodisrubbishoritstooexpensivethenIwouldn’tgoback.P8.;Ilikesomewherefun,whereyoucanhavealaughwiththewaitersandwaitresses,andnotbeaskedtobequiet.Butcostisquiteimportant;I’mastudentsoIdon’thavemuchmoneyknockingabout.P9.ThestandardoffoodandtheserviceIreceivefromthewaitingstaff.P10.Howcloseitistous,wewon’tdriveanhourtoarestauranteveryweekendnomatterhowgooditis.Otherthanthat,thequalityofthefoodisimportant.

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