Examining diners’ decision-making of local food purchase: The role of menu stimuli and involvement

Abstract This study explores how menu stimuli can influence diners’ decision-making of local food (i.e., dishes prepared with locally sourced ingredients) at restaurants. A 2 (diner type: traveler vs. resident) by 3 (menu cues/stimulus: visual vs. verbal vs. control) by 2 (involvement with local food: low vs. high) scenario-based experiment is administered to 830 U.S. consumers. The results reveal that providing local producer’s information does not necessarily increase diners’ attitudes and purchase intentions when excluding the effects of diner type and involvement. Travelers’ responses are more favorable when exposed to a visual and control stimuli (vs. verbal); while residents respond more favorably when the producer’s information is available (vs. control). A significant three-way interaction effect is identified. In the low-involvement group, travelers’ reactions towards three menu stimuli significantly differ from those of residents. However, both travelers and residents respond equally towards three menu stimuli in the high-involvement group.