To whom do restaurants’ preventive measures matter more during a pandemic? The moderating effects of need-for-cognition and relationship strength

Purpose: Does every customer respond in the same way to restaurants’ preventive measures (PM)? To answer this question, the purpose of the present study was to examine the moderating role of need-for-cognition (NC) and customer-restaurant relationship strength (RS) in the impact of restaurants’ PM on dine-in intentions using a trust (Study 1) and psychological discomfort (Study 2) as mediators. Design/methodology/approach: Two studies were conducted using a 2 (PM: present vs control) × 2 (RS: strong vs weak) factorial design. NC was treated as a continuous variable in the regression model. Findings: The results of two experimental studies showed that people with a high NC are more likely to show positive responses (higher trust and less discomfort) to restaurants’ PM when they have strong relationships with the restaurant. In contrast, people with a low NC did not show any interaction between PM and RS for trust and discomfort. Practical implications: For restaurants targeting people with a high NC and with more returning customers than new customers, the study results suggest that safety measures should be promoted. Originality/value: The present study expands the knowledge of customers’ reactions to restaurants’ PM by using the theoretical foundation of the ELM. The results of this study contribute to hospitality research by demonstrating the differences in customers’ thought processes according to their NC and the strength of their relationship with the restaurant.