The effect of perceived restaurant cleanliness and crowdedness on customer satisfaction and behavioural intention: The moderator role of COVID-19 risk perception

The aim of this thesis study is to investigate the effect of perceived restaurant cleanliness and crowdedness on customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions; the moderating role of COVID-19 risk perception in the effect of perceived cleanliness and crowdedness on satisfaction; and the mediating role of satisfaction between perceived restaurant cleanliness and crowdedness and behavioural intentions. For this purpose, firstly a literature review was carried out including examination of the theories and findings in the literature regarding the variables in question and followed by the creation of the hypothesis and determination of the scales to be used. After collecting data with determined data collection tools from the participants who had eaten out in the last week in Istanbul, validity and reliability analyses of the scales were carried out and the hypotheses were tested. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. Results of the study showed that perceived restaurant cleanliness significantly and directly effects customer satisfaction, revisit and word of mouth intentions and also effects intentions of revisit, word of mouth and pay more with the mediation of customer satisfaction; customer satisfaction significantly affects intentions of revisit, word of mouth and pay more. On the other hand, the effect of perceived restaurant crowdedness on customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions and the moderating role of COVID-19 risk perception in the effect of perceived restaurant cleanliness and crowdedness on customer satisfaction was not found significant. These findings are discussed in the light of the literature in the discussion section. Some suggestions both for the sector and researchers are made in the conclusions.