Exploring the value of an ethnic restaurant experience: a consumer perspective towards Korean restaurants

ABSTRACTEthnic food consumption experience has become an important means of generating awareness and understanding of a tourist destination's identity and gastronomic culture. Recent research addresses the need for a better understanding of consumers’ perceptions of ethnic restaurant attributes in influencing the consumer decision-making process and improving proactive responsiveness to the current market changes. This study aims to examine the effects of cultural background-based consumer segments on cognitive and emotional perceptions, specifically regarding their Korean restaurant experiences in terms of three dimensions: gastronomy, culture and health. A patron survey was carried out with 256 consumers in Korean restaurants in Adelaide, Australia. The results of the study show that a majority of respondents were more likely to place a greater value on the gastronomic (e.g. taste, variety of food) and health dimensions of Korean food and dining attributes rather than on cultural attributes. Additional ...