How COVID-19 Affected the Customer Experiences of Restaurant in Busan

Abstract

COVID-19 epidemic had a significant impact on restaurants and food service enterprises. Food safety and limiting the spread of coronavirus have become a challenge in the food services and restaurant sectors, where delicate and fresh food items are served and delivered to customers after passing through a series of operational steps that include order taking, food receiving, food preparation, packing, and delivery to customers. The present study aimed to investigate how COVID-19 affected the customer experience of the restaurant in Busan. The research model has tested the relationship among customer expectations, behavioral intentions, and customer satisfaction. Factor analysis has been employed where five dimensions were found to affect behavioral intention of customers: safety, online food service, inconvenience, COVID-19 policy, and less socialization of restaurants. Multiple regression analysis tests indicated acceptable and unaccepted behavioral intentions. The result indicated that the safety and COVID-19 policy had a more significant influence on the behavioral intention of customer experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the mediating effect of satisfaction demonstrates that customer’s less socialization as unfavorable behavioral intention.