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Why do young people prefer fast-food restaurants? An exploratory study
Abstract
This study intends to identify the reasons which determine young people to choose fast-food restaurants, as well as the criteria they bear in mind, when they choose such places to eat. There are relatively a few studies in Romania, on this field, which deal with young people's perceptions about fast-food and the products they offer. This study intends to add new information to the specific literature in this field, where we face a growing number of fast -food restaurants and a huge interest young people shown them. The sample included 13 students from Transilvania University in Brasov. Although the research method is a qualitative one, using the focus-group, the results can be taken into consideration by the public decisional factors in the fast-food field in order to elaborate the proper strategies to attract and keep the young consumers.
... Quality of service, variety of options, and pricing are pivotal factors that shape consumer choices in the fast food industry. Health and safety considerations also play a significant role, with research indicating a positive correlation between health-related motives and consumer attitudes towards food choices (Untaru & Ispas, 2014). Consumers who prioritize health and safety often seek continuous information, particularly concerning nutritional content, wellness attributes, and the presence of contaminants in food products (Felicetti et al., 2023). ...
This study aimed to conduct a comparative descriptive analysis of Zambian consumers' perceptions and behavior toward fast food in Lusaka and Kitwe districts. Using a cross-sectional survey research design, data were collected online via Google Forms and a total of 430 questionnaires were analyzed using Excel and SPSS. Factor analysis was performed on Likert scale variables and similar results on all variables were obtained between the two districts. It was found that children at home influenced the purchase of fast foods in the 2 districts and therefore, the study recommended that fast food operators in both Lusaka and Kitwe districts ought to make their food premises child friendly because they should expect consumers visiting their businesses with children. It is also highly recommended that fast food businesses in Zambia should increase the supply of fruits and vegetables, and local foods. It is further recommended that fast food businesses should consider increasing home deliveries and provide spacious seating space for consumers.
... Consequently, they become familiar with and may develop a preference for these brands. These chains are often perceived as affordable and convenient, making them a popular choice among young people (Untaru and Ispas 2013). They also serve as gathering spots for the youth, offering a diverse range of food options that resonate with this demographic. ...
... A study in Bangladesh discovered that factors related to students' preferences for fast food consumption include service effectiveness, easy access, food taste, price and fast service (Goon et al., 2014). Fast food consumption habits are based on the fast food industry's ability to meet consumer needs, which include easy access, easy ordering process, and fast and convenient service (Untaru and Ispas, 2013). ...
This study aimed to examine the preference for and consumption of traditional and fast foods among adolescents in Indonesia and their relationship to social, economic, demographic, and regional factors. This cross-sectional study was conducted online in six provinces in Java and Bali (JB) and nine provinces outside Java and Bali (OJB), involving 4,500 junior high school, high school and university students. Questionnaire items that have been tested included personal and family information, food preferences (three Likert scales), frequency of food consumption (never, ≤ 1/month, 2-3 times/month, and ≥4 times/ month) for about 10–20 types of traditional food and 17 types of fast food that varies among the provinces. The t-test was applied to analyze the differences in scores and frequency of food consumption in Java and Bali (JB) and the provinces outside Java and Bali (OJB). Logistic regression was employed to discover factors that contributed to the frequency of consumption of traditional food and fast food. In the provinces outside Java and Bali, traditional foods—especially groups of food made with cereals, vegetables, seafood, bean and legumes, and traditional snacks—are preferred and consumed over fast food. In Java and Bali, fast food is preferred over traditional food. However, some food groups such as cereals, vegetables and seafood are consumed more in the form of traditional food and snacks. The results showed that in Java and Bali, most adolescents preferred fast food to traditional food (P<0.05). Although fast food was preferred, adolescents in Java and Bali more than often consumed traditional foods made with cereals, vegetables, seafood, beans and legumes, and traditional snacks; because traditional food is more affordable (P<0.05). Meanwhile, in provinces outside Java and Bali, adolescents generally prefer traditional food to fast food. This is in line with the frequency of consumption of traditional food which was also higher than that of fast food from most food groups (P<0.05). Consumption of traditional food and fast food is influenced by several social, economic, and demographic factors such as gender, place of residence, educational level of the adolescents, parental occupation and income, as well as online food purchase habits (P<0.05).
... Meanwhile, in terms of appearance and physical design, Andaleeb & Conway (2006) used only four factors: (1) lighting, (2) decoration, (3) cleanliness of the restaurant and (4) parking. Moreover, Untaru & Ispas (2013) provided additional precise measures that should be employed in accurate physical evidence quality evaluation. (1) Cleanliness, (2) atmosphere, (3) spatial arrangement and functioning, and (4) ambient circumstances were the four key factors of restaurant atmospherics. ...
This study’s primary goals were to look at the antecedent factors influencing customer satisfaction (service quality, food quality, physical environment quality, price fairness, and brand image) and then evaluate the causality between customer satisfaction and loyalty in the fast-food restaurant segment. In this research, 480 questionnaires were delivered to six brand fast-food restaurant customers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, using a self-administered questionnaire method and a convenience sampling methodology, leaving 403 (=83.95 percent) of the total sample size viable for this research. The acquired data were then analyzed utilizing the statistical software SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 26 Graphics in accordance with structural equation modeling (SEM) and qualitative approaches. Before conducting SEM, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to check the data's goodness-of-fit to the model, convergent and discriminant validity, and indicator and composite reliability. It was revealed that except for the service quality and the physical environment quality, brand image was shown to be the most significantly positive antecedent of consumer satisfaction, followed by food quality and pricing fairness. Customer satisfaction then affected the amount of customer loyalty. The study findings made significant advances to current theories and management implications, specifically when assessing success determinants in fast-food restaurants.
... Hence, if a consumer chooses to go to an MVH regularly, that is a conscious decision and not a random outcome or borne out of supply-side constraints. For Vellore, having a proliferation of institutions, the non-sedentary student population (non-family) is large, and such a population is likely to frequent ready to eat food junctions (Baek et al., 2006;Goyal & Singh, 2007;Highhouse, Zickar, Thorsteinson, Stierwalt, & Slaughter, 1999;Untaru & Ispas, 2013). In all, amongst these five cities, there are 69 MVH outlets. ...
Homogenous resource endowment, contrary to resource heterogeneity, is an unlikely source of competitive advantage. Likewise, a proliferation of similar organizations in a given environment, triggers intense incumbent rivalry. In this study, we present evidence of how resource homogeneity amongst industry peer firms leads to non-competitive aggregation under a confederated structure. The creation of that structure is facilitated by quasi-normative, esoteric governance mechanisms, leading to creation, and leveraging of common brand equity as a collective resource, that provide members with competitive advantages. Using an emerging market case study on an ethnic group of about 2,000 independent restaurants, we highlight how the founder’s esoteric beliefs nearly a century ago, coupled with formalized and standardized processes and practices, and the spawning of newer restaurants via replication, reinforce the collective brand equity. Complementing the case study, we adopted the survey method to empirically test and validate the existence of brand equity from customers’ side.
... Particularly for CiC, food and activity provide opportunities to develop and maintain positive relationships, improve social confidence and self-esteem, increase a sense of belonging, develop social skills to interact with peers and the community, strengthen emotional functioning, heal from previous trauma, develop independent living skills, and improve their overall general experience in care and beyond. 13,29,34,[84][85][86][87][88] However, current legislation, statutory guidance, and departmental policies supporting health promotion for CiC international and locally, except in the United Kingdom, do not adequately capture this. The provision of broad health-promotion guidance that is communicated to the general population (ie, eat a balanced diet, engage in sport and recreational activities) is not sufficient to meet the unique health needs of CiC. ...
Background
Children in care (CiC) have often experienced trauma and, as a result, are at high risk for poor health outcomes. It is imperative that human-service stakeholders provide trauma-informed health services and interventions. However, little is known about how health promotion is addressed in the standards and guidelines for CiC. For this scoping review, the aim was to examine and compare how nutrition and physical activity are discussed in: 1) federal standards for CiC across the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia; and 2) state and territory guidance in Australia.
Method
The grey literature was searched for documents outlining key child-welfare standards, guidelines, or policies for the provision of care across foster, kinship, or residential care. Documents were examined for the inclusion of recommendations and/or strategies focused on primary health and the promotion of nutrition and/or physical activity.
Results
A total of 52 documents were included in this review: 28 outlining international federal guidance and 24 Australian documents. In the United States, New Zealand, and Australia, references to physical activity were often broad, with minimal direction, and nutrition was often neglected; the United Kingdom provided more detailed guidance to promote nutrition and physical activity among CiC.
Conclusion
There is a lack of consistency and specificity in guidelines supporting healthy lifestyle interventions for CiC both internationally and within Australia. It is recommended that 1) specific trauma-informed health promotion guidelines are developed for CiC; and 2) trauma-informed health promotion training is provided to carers. Doing so will ensure that care is provided in a manner in which stakeholders recognize the signs and consequences of trauma in order to determine the most appropriate health interventions to improve outcomes and prevent ongoing trauma for this population.
Section Summary The Evolution of the Restaurant Business The restaurant industry is experiencing a significant transformation, driven by various factors including changing consumer preferences, technological advancements, a focus on sustainability, and an increasing appreciation for diverse cuisines. This dynamic sector encompasses a wide range of establishments-from fast-food outlets to upscale dining venues-each catering to distinct tastes and preferences. In this competitive landscape, customer loyalty emerges as a critical element for success. The Growth of Nepal's Restaurant Scene Similar to many developing nations, Nepal's restaurant industry has seen a remarkable surge in the number of establishments. However, sustaining a competitive edge in this burgeoning market presents considerable challenges for many restaurateurs. The evolving tastes and expectations of consumers necessitate that restaurants adopt innovative strategies to foster customer satisfaction and loyalty. Key factors influencing this endeavor include: • Competitive Pricing: Ensuring affordability while maintaining quality. • Inviting Atmosphere: Creating a welcoming physical environment. • Food Quality: Delivering exceptional culinary experiences. • Service Excellence: Providing outstanding customer service. This study aims to explore customer loyalty within the context of restaurant selection in Madhesh Province, examining how demographic factors such as gender, age, family income, and education level relate to dining frequency and preferences. Findings and Implications Preliminary findings indicate that customer loyalty towards restaurant choices in Madhesh Province is above average. Notably, significant relationships were identified between loyalty and factors like price, physical environment, and food quality. However, service quality did not demonstrate a statistically significant impact on customer loyalty.
With globalisation, consumer food preferences are shifting from home-cooked meals to ready-to-eat foods, leading to various health issues, including obesity. This study aims to examine the attitudes of young adults living in the United Kingdom towards fast food products (particularly a prominent international fast food chain) and their views on the health effects of these foods. Although many studies have been conducted on fast food products, relatively few have specifically focused on an international fast food chain. Additionally, there is a lack of sufficient research in the literature regarding fast food-related waste. This research will also explore young adults' attitudes towards food waste resulting from fast food consumption. An online survey was conducted with a total of 104 young adult participants, aged 18 to 36, who met the study criteria and were selected using a 'convenience sampling' method. The study revealed that an international fast food chain is the most preferred fast food restaurant brand among young adults compared to other fast food restaurants. While the majority of young adult participants believe that fast food has harmful effects on health, they still prefer these foods for reasons such as fast service, affordability, and widespread availability. When investigating food waste, more than half of the male and female participants indicated that they take home food they could not finish at restaurants and consume it later. Although many alternatives are available for managing food waste, some participants expressed the belief that such food should be thrown away.
Since the consumers’ eating behavior changed over the years, the increased consumption of fast foods became obvious worldwide. Although prior studies on fast foods indicated there are some national and international similarities, the particularities for each national region are to be researched to explain this trend. The pilot study aims to identify among the potential major influence factors involved in the increment of the consumption of fast foods, and to correlate their influence with the current consumers’ behavior towards fast foods consumption in Galați city, Romania. The data collection instrument was the online questionnaire, which was administered to 156randomly selected respondents, within the age range of 25 to 64 years old (with an average age of 37.14 years). The questionnaire was designed to: a) carry out, in the first phase, a segmentation of the interviewed group into fast food consumers and non-consumers together with a subsequent socio-demographic characterization of fast-food consumers, and b) identify factors that act on the consumers' food choices. The obtained results revealed several major consumption patterns: a) the majority of interviewed individuals, namely 84.62%, are buying and eating fast-foods; b) females and younger individuals (namely, the age range of 25 to 35 years old) constituted the main group of consumers; c) eating choices were made under the influence of multiple factors which could exert a different intensity on consumers’ final decision; d)craving, and eating pleasure respectively, were identified as main factors which can exert an influence on consumers’ eating choices.
The present economic crisis has had a powerful impact on the restaurants in the city of Brașov, which have confronted themselves in the past years both with a decrease in the number of consumers, and with a reduction in the consumption of products and public food services. In this context, this survey aims to analyze the perceptions of the restaurant managers in the city of Brașov regarding the quality of products and services they offer to the consumers, by using, in this sense, one of the techniques that are specific to qualitative research that is the semi – directive in – depth interview method.
Consumer decision making process has always been a subject of interest for marketers. The present study examines the decision making process in respect of restaurant services in India. Restaurant sector is vibrant due to changing life style of people and composition of Indian families. The study aims to augment the understanding about preferences of selected cross-sections of consumers regarding restaurants and differences within the selected cross-section. This exploratory study attempts to investigate the impact of demographic and ‘reason to visit’ variables on restaurant's preferences. In order to assess the relative importance of various aspects of restaurant selection, customers were asked to rate selected attributes like location, less time in serving, convenient operating time, safety, parking facility etc. The study utilized a self-administered questionnaire to a convenience sample of 300 respondents. The findings of the study suggest how consumers from selected cross-sections evaluate intrinsic and extrinsic cues while evaluating a restaurant. It finally presents the implications for researchers and managers of Indian restaurants.
Restaurants are important in generating income for many Asian countries. Therefore, determinants for restaurant service quality need to be identified, especially for the important segments (i.e., youths). This paper examines the importance of service environment (servicescape and human service), food quality and price from the youth's perspective. The types of restaurant investigated were the fine dining, fast food, and food court restaurants. A total of 407 usable questionnaires were analysed. The key determinants on satisfaction and loyalty were human service and price. The impact of servicescape on customer satisfaction and loyalty was relatively smaller, except for fast food restaurants.
The purpose of the study is to examine youth customer behaviour due to the restaurant's atmospheric element environment. It also explores the environment of the restaurant and the use of atmospherics by the restaurateurs through the reactions of the customers. The dimensions of colour, design, lighting, and restaurant layout, among others, were measured. Qualitative data taken from 300 youth customers were analyzed, and interpretations of the relationships were made. It was found that atmospheric elements contributed significantly in each representation of customer behaviour.
This study reports the results of a study designed to evaluate the effects of a service exchange on consumers’ satisfaction after accounting for the effects of the servicescape. An experimental design was adopted to show that servicescapes have an effect on individuals’ preexisting mood states. Consumers’ moods after they had been exposed to the servicescape were crossed with two service exchange states: good and bad. Their reported level of satisfaction was measured. Results indicate that servicescapes have an important effect on consumers’ mood states. Direct effects of servicescape type and service exchange are reported and managerial implications discussed.
Posits that, in recent years, a major food consumption trend in the USA and Canada is that more people are eating more meals outside their homes. It is predicted that this trend will accelerate in the future. As a result, fast-food markets will offer greater growth opportunities for marketers. Presents consumers’ perceptions of and preferences for fast-food restaurants in the USA and Canada. The results of this study may have very important implications for developing successful marketing strategies for fast-food restaurants. Findings of the study offer need-oriented marketing strategies for both franchisers and franchisees in the US and Canadian fast-food sectors to enable them to be more competitive in this fast-changing business environment.
The intent of this research is to develop a model and the associated metrics that measure service quality in fast-food restaurants (FFRs). As part of this process the authors modified the classic SERVPERF instrument to examine the relationships among service quality , food quality, price/value, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intentions. This modified SERVPERF instrument was administered to college students at a large southwestern university. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were employed to analyze the data. A number of significant findings were reported including that the five dimensions — tangibles, employee behaviors, reliability, responsiveness, and empathy — positively influence the perception of service quality. The results also support the contention that service quality and customer satisfaction are two important antecedents of customer intention. The indirect effect of service quality on behavioral intentions is not supported by this study because the authors did not find a significant relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction. The findings also show that food quality is a significant factor in satisfaction. These findings indicate that FFR managers should focus on monitoring and improving service quality and food quality because providing better service to their customers will drive repurchases.
This article offers an overview of the current state of food and beverage management research and some recommendations for the future development of the field. It begins from the premise that establishing such an overview requires an appreciation of the condition and consequences of hospitality research more generally for food and beverage research. A second premise is that understanding of food and beverage research is inseparable from comprehending the nature and role of food and beverage education more generally within the hospitality field. The central theme developed from this is that food and beverage management research is a Cinderella subject even within the hospitality field, where the latter has more generally largely failed to establish credibility within the academy. The irony of this situation lies in the fact that food and beverage management is one of the central subjects that potentially defines hospitality management. The near-utopian prescriptions for the future of food and beverage management research centre on building connections to other food-related research and hence to hospitality, eschewing much of what currently passes for hospitality management research in an effort to rebuild the subject field around the industry's core concerns.