Consumers' Perceived Effectiveness of COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies in Restaurants: What Went Well and What Could We Do Better?

Overview

Journal Int J Hosp Manag

Date 2022 Mar 21

PMID 35309520

Authors

Yang Xu

Smita Singh

Eric D Olson

EunHa Lena Jeong

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

As restaurants are resuming normal operations, COVID-19 mitigation strategies are still in place. An effective COVID-19 mitigation protocol may facilitate a more successful rebound since consumers may perceive a lowered risk to purchase food from the restaurant with protocols in place. However, little is known regarding how consumers evaluate restaurants' present efforts to contain the transmission of COVID-19. By using a rigorous scale development procedure, this study creates a scale to measure restaurant consumers' perceptions of COVID-19 mitigation strategies (acronym: PHASE): Protective equipment/technology (P); Health and hygiene (H); Access of purchase/serving (A); Safety measure for customers (S); and Employee safety measure (E). The study further identifies the areas that need to be improved by using importance-performance analysis. Findings of this study provide guidelines for restaurant professionals to potentially reallocate their existing resources to refine their COVID-19 mitigation strategies and to better prepare for the future.

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