The Relationship between Contact-Free Services, Social and Personal Norms, and Customers’ Behavior for the Sustainable Management of the Restaurant Industry

Abstract

People worldwide are experiencing increasingly complex social issues, and ways of life are changing. This study analyzes the relationship between contact-free service value, personal and social norms, and customers’ behavioral intentions for sustainable restaurant businesses, demonstrating a direct association of the value and extended norm theory. Structural equation model analysis was performed to verify causality between variables; multi-group analysis was performed to confirm the moderating effects of menu price using AMOS; and frequency analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, and reliability analysis were performed using SPSS. The data were collected from Koreans aged 18 years and above (310 responses). The results revealed that contact-free service value positively affects personal norms, and personal norms positively affect behavioral intentions. In addition, social norms positively affect personal norms and behavioral intentions. In particular, it was found that social norms greatly influence personal norms. Finally, the menu price moderated the relationship between social and personal norms. These results present a variety of academic and practical implications, and this is especially meaningful for analyzing the association between contact-free service value and norm theory in the food service industry.