Ahmed Anwar Elsaed

The introduction of social media in the restaurant sector has changed the manner in which customers communicate with businesses. Social media marketing activities (SMMAs), such as customization, entertainment, trendiness, and interaction may have a substantial impact on followers’ perceived value and consumer behavioral intentions. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the impact of SMMAs on restaurant social media followers’ purchase intentions (PUR), willingness to pay a premium price (WPP), and e-WoM. Additionally, drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, we seek to explore the mediation impact of perceived value (PV) in these relationships. To achieve this, an online questionnaire was developed for data collection from a convenience sample of casual-dining restaurant followers in Saudi Arabia. A sample of 433 social media followers was studied using PLS-SEM for testing the study hypotheses. The findings highlighted the significant positive impact of SMMAs on followers’ PV, PUR, e-WoM, and WPP. Further, PV partially significantly mediated the relationship between SMMAs and their consequences. Consequently, providing relevant, up-to-date, and entertaining content; responsiveness to customer needs and feedback; and positive brand engagement significantly contributed to enhancing restaurant followers’ perceived value, which sequentially improves their purchase intention, boosts positive e-WoM, and promotes the possibility of WPP for restaurant products and services. This research provides restaurant operators and marketers with valuable insights into how SMMAs influence followers’ behavioral intentions and enhances their understanding of how perceived value can be utilized to capitalize on the benefits of social media.

Hotels in today’s business environment are no longer solely concerned with profit, but rather with profit, people, and the planet (3Ps). In corporate terms, green investment (GI) is regarded as a strategy that aims for maximum profit with minimal environmental impact. As a result, the current study primarily aims to empirically investigate the impact of internal and external drivers on GI adoption in Saudi Arabian eco-friendly hotels. Additionally, it explores to what extent GI affects eco-friendly hotels’ environmental, economic, and social performance. To achieve these objectives, a web-based questionnaire was developed and addressed to the senior manager/director in charge of environmental management in all four- and five-star eco-friendly hotels in Saudi Arabia. The total number of certified eco-friendly hotels in all regions of Saudi Arabia was 403. Only 298 forms were received and were valid for statistical analysis. A structural equation modeling (SEM) technique with maximum likelihood estimation was employed to test the study hypotheses. The findings of this study illustrate that GI is significantly positively affected by external as well as internal drivers. Adaptation to/mitigation of climate change was the highest perceived driver. Additionally, GI has a significant positive contribution to enhancing hotels’ environmental performance, increasing economic performance, and boosting social performance. Based on the study findings, eco-friendly hotel operators should consider GI in their strategic plans, as a corporate strategy aiming at maximizing profit and enhancing the quality of social life without harming the environment.

Over the past few years, food critics have become the new influencers in the restaurants industry. Their reviews affect people in choosing where to eat and what to order and how worthy a restaurant is before visiting it. This research aims to investigate how food critics impact the restaurants' seeking towards improving the food quality and to explore the factors that influence consumers’ experience after reading food critics' reviews. A questionnaire form was developed and directed to a sample of restaurants’ customers, of which 386 electronic questionnaires were valid to analyse. The structure modelling equation and path analysis were used to analyse the relationship between the variables. The results indicated that the effect of food quality on customers’ experience in the presence of food critics’ reviews is higher than the direct effect of food quality on customers’ experience, which means that food critics’ reviews help increase the effect of food quality on customers’ experience. Based upon the findings, it is recommended to invite the celebrities and influencers in food reviews who have many followers to try the restaurant's food and transfer their experience to their followers as a new marketing method.