The effects of sustainable restaurant practices on diner behavior

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of sustainable restaurant practices on green brand image (GBI) and sustainability-related diner loyalty (LOY) by providing a comparative analysis between two major types of restaurants [i.e., full-service restaurant (FSR) and quick-service restaurant (QSR)]. Additionally, the present study examines the moderating role of restaurant type (FSR vs. QSR) on the relationships between sustainable restaurant practices, GBI, and LOY. An online self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The sustainable restaurant practices were measured using four dimensions, namely (1) food-focused sustainability practices (FfSP), (2) waste-reduction practices (WRP), (3) water- and energy-efficiency practices (WEEP), and (4) administration-focused sustainability practices (AfSP). A convenience sample of 656 Turkish restaurant customers were surveyed and a total of 623 useable questionnaires (316 FSR customers and 307 QSR customers) were analyzed. To analyze the data, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was performed. The results indicate that FfSP and AfSP positively influence GBI for both FSR and QSR customers. It was also found that FfSP, WRP and AfSP positively influence LOY for FSR customers. On the other hand, WEEP and AfSP were found to have positive effects on LOY for QSR customers. The study also reveals two significant results regarding the moderating role of restaurant type. While the positive effect of WRP on LOY was found to be stronger for FSR customers, the positive effect of WEEP on LOY was found to be stronger for QSR customers.