The role of sensory stimuli in delivering memorable dining experiences

Purpose: In the context of increasing concerns about health, nutraceutical restaurants that provide health benefits have emerged in the marketplace. However, customer experiences at these restaurants are poorly understood. This study focused on sensory experiences and examined the underlying mechanism by which they contribute to memorable dining experiences. Grounded in cognitive appraisal theory, this study developed a memorable dining experience model that links sensory stimuli, meaningfulness, novelty, emotions, and behavioral intentions. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 880 Chinese customers who dined at traditional Chinese medicine restaurants and were analyzed via partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings: The results revealed that sensory stimuli contributed to memorable dining experiences through meaningfulness, novelty, and emotions. Furthermore, memorable dining experiences increased behavioral intentions to spread positive word-of-mouth and revisit intentions. Additionally, customers’ gender moderated the effects of sensory stimuli on meaningfulness and novelty. Practical implications: The findings of this study can be used to identify important sensory stimuli and their roles in delivering memorable dining experiences in traditional Chinese medicine restaurants. Therefore, this study’s findings contribute to an improved understanding of how to efficiently manage sensory stimuli to stimulate memorable experiences for restaurant patrons. Originality/value: This study tests the influence of sensory stimuli on the memorable dining experiences of customers in China.