Motivations to visit an edible insect restaurant, perceived value, health consciousness, and customers’ intentional responses: A self-determination theory perspective

Abstract

Due to the insufficient empirical investigations into edible insect restaurant customers’ post-purchase behavior, we sought to examine the effect of edible insect restaurant visit motivations on perceived hedonic and utilitarian values and their subsequent impact on customers’ behavioral intentions, considering the moderating effect of health consciousness. Specifically, this study incorporated novel experience, identity building, sustainable sourcing, taste quality, and nutritional value as key motivational factors. A survey was conducted among 417 individuals who had recently visited or dined at an edible insect restaurant, and the responses were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results confirmed that identity building, taste quality, and nutritional value are key motivators influencing both hedonic and utilitarian values. We further found that hedonic and utilitarian values drive customers' revisit and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions. Lastly, the results revealed that health consciousness positively moderates the hedonic value–WOM and utilitarian value–revisit intention linkages. While this study provides valuable insights, its findings are context-specific, and future research could explore its framework in other cultural and restaurant settings. The findings help practitioners in the hospitality and restaurant industry develop effective marketing and branding strategies to encourage customer revisits and promote positive word-of-mouth.