Emotions and Switching Barriers (Paperback)

The present study represents the first attempt to develop a reliable and valid emotion scale that may be used to assess customers' emotional experiences in the full-service restaurant industry. This measurement may be used to explain downstream variables (e.g., quality, price/value, word-of- mouth, repurchase, and attitudes). That is, the developed scale would act as a stimulus for additional research that develops more integrative theories in explaining restaurant customer behaviors. In the second part of this study, the previous framework of intention formation was extended by incorporating switching barriers. The results showed that switching barriers decrease the likelihood of customer switching intention even when other factors (e.g., unfavorable assessment of restaurant attributes/dissatisfaction) foster customers' switching. Thus, the active use of components of switching barriers, such as developing superior menu items, presenting a clean/attractive dining area, providing reliable benefit programs and services, building up relational bonds, and treating customers in a special manner are strongly recommended to restaurant operators.