Purpose

This study aims to examine how customers’ perceptions of the quality and credibility of restaurants’ food safety information influence customers’ information adoption and, consequently, their trust in the restaurant and purchase intention. It also explores the moderating effects of customers’ food safety knowledge and health consciousness.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were asked to read a food safety message from a chain restaurant’s website before taking a self-administered online survey. Using a cross-sectional design, a total of 526 valid responses were collected in the USA through Amazon Mechanical Turk. A two-step approach consisting of a measurement model and a structural equation model was applied to test the direct and indirect effects. Additionally, hierarchical regression models were developed to test the moderating effects.

Findings

Results show that perceived information quality significantly affects perceived information credibility and has a significant direct and indirect influence on information adoption. Furthermore, information adoption has a direct positive influence on customers’ trust in the restaurant and an indirect effect on purchase intention (full mediation effect of trust). Finally, the moderation effects of health consciousness and food safety knowledge were supported.

Practical implications

Restaurateurs can apply research findings to increase the likelihood that customers adopt their food safety information and to enhance customers’ trust and, consequently, purchase intention in restaurants.

Originality/value

Reflecting on framing theory and information processing theory, this study examines the ways that customers process restaurants’ food safety information by developing an original conceptual framework with strong empirical data support.

中文翻译：

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食品安全信息的信息处理：对餐厅顾客来说真正重要的是什么？

目的

本研究旨在探讨顾客对餐厅食品安全信息的质量和可信度的看法如何影响顾客的信息采用，从而影响他们对餐厅的信任和购买意愿。它还探讨了顾客食品安全知识和健康意识的调节作用。

设计/方法论/途径

参与者被要求在进行自我管理的在线调查之前阅读连锁餐厅网站上的食品安全信息。使用横断面设计，通过 Amazon Mechanical Turk 在美国总共收集了 526 份有效回复。采用由测量模型和结构方程模型组成的两步​​法来测试直接和间接影响。此外，还开发了层次回归模型来测试调节效应。

发现

结果表明，感知信息质量显着影响感知信息可信度，并对信息采用产生显着的直接和间接影响。此外，信息采用对顾客对餐厅的信任有直接的正向影响，对购买意愿有间接的影响（信任的全中介效应）。最后，健康意识和食品安全知识的调节作用得到支持。

实际影响

餐馆老板可以应用研究结果来增加顾客接受其食品安全信息的可能性，并增强顾客的信任，从而提高餐馆的购买意向。

原创性/价值

本研究反思框架理论和信息处理理论，通过开发具有强大实证数据支持的原创概念框架，探讨顾客处理餐厅食品安全信息的方式。