Kyung Hee University · Social Sciences
Professor Young Namkung's research lab specializes in consumer behavior and service management within the hospitality and restaurant industries, with a strong focus on food quality, service fairness, customer satisfaction, and sustainable practices. The lab investigates how perceived quality attributes, emotional responses, and green initiatives influence customer loyalty and behavioral intentions. It also explores the role of digital marketing, particularly Instagram, in shaping brand equity and consumer engagement in the foodservice sector. The research integrates quantitative methods such as structural equation modeling, logistic regression, and multistage service failure analysis to provide actionable insights for restaurant managers and marketers.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Food quality seems to be accepted as a fundamental component to satisfy restaurant customers; however, it has been often overlooked in restaurant service quality and satisfaction studies. The primary objective of this study was to investigate how food quality is perceived in relation to satisfaction and behavioral intentions in mid- to upscale restaurants. This study also attempted to identify which attributes among food-related qualities are critical in improving satisfaction and heightening re
Purpose This study aims to identify key quality attributes that significantly distinguish highly satisfied diners from non‐highly satisfied diners. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from four mid‐to‐upper scale restaurants: two in a mid‐western city and two in an eastern city in the USA. Logistic regression was used to determine which quality attributes are critical in distinguishing highly satisfied diners from other diners. Findings This study shows that appealing food presentati
This study examines customers’ willingness to pay more for green practices in restaurants using hypothetical scenarios. The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics of consumers with a higher willingness to pay more and examine the relationship between consumers’ perceptions of green brand image and their willingness to pay more for a restaurant’s green practices. A total of 334 responses showed that more than two-thirds of restaurant customers would be willing to pay extra
Purpose This study aims to investigate interrelationships among perceived service fairness, emotions and behavioral intentions in a restaurant context. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from two casual dining restaurants in the USA. The data were analyzed following Anderson and Gerbing's two‐step approach, utilizing both a measurement model and a subsequent structural model. Findings This study shows different roles for each fairness perception in relation to emotions and behaviora
A multistage approach for restaurant service enables managers to determine and focus on the most critical stage of service failure to reduce customer dissatisfaction and defection. A survey of 491 diners in the United States assessed customer reaction to failures in the follow four service stages: (1) reception, (2) ordering, (3) meal consumption, and (4) checkout. The study found that in both casual dining and fine dining restaurants, service failure in stage 3 (consumption) most strongly dimin
Instagram is used as an effective and visual marketing channel for building brand equity in the minds of consumers. Therefore, this study aims to classify Instagram marketing activities and analyze the associated effects on customer-based brand equity (brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality, brand love, and Instagram re-usage intention) formation through Instagram marketing activities. To this end, data were collected from 358 coffee consumers who had visited any of the five coffee bran
Abstract This study establishes coding paradigms for the process of visiting restaurant Websites in order to more fully understand the Website experience of restaurant customers. Applying grounded theory, based on Strauss (1987) coding paradigms of main context, causal condition, action/interaction strategies, intervening conditions, and consequences the study found “Website experience” and “Website usability” emerging as core categories of the main context. “The source of information,” “Website
Purpose This paper aims to examine the applicability of fairness concepts as a lens for evaluating services in restaurants addressing service fairness issues within, as well as outside of, the service failure context. Design/methodology/approach Data are collected from two casual dining restaurants in the USA. In order to identify the underlying structure of perceived service fairness in restaurants, this study proposes and tests the fitness of two competing models – a traditional three‐factor m
Taking pictures of food and sharing them on social networking services has now become a general consumer trend. In particular, many companies are interested in Instagram marketing due to the increase in users and word-of-mouth effect generated by using hashtags. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate Instagram users’ food-content acceptance processes by applying the information adoption model. Sample data for this study was collected by an online survey company and a total of 333 valid respon
The coffee industry has grown into a highly competitive management environment, which has led to the contemplation of differentiated marketing strategies as tools for business success. Practitioners operate their own SNS brand pages to encourage customers to participate and engage in two-way interpersonal marketing practices that can generate value co-creation. This paper aims to explore the relationships among the types of value offered by SNSs, brand attitude, and customer value-co-creation be
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