Solo Dining in Chinese Restaurants: A Mixed-Method Study in Macao

TABARI, Saloomeh, CHOI, Suh-hee and EALAINE, CL Yang (2020). Solo Dining in Chinese Restaurants: A Mixed-Method Study in Macao. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 90, p. 102628.

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Official URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/...
Link to published version:: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102628

Abstract

Given the emergence of solo dining resulting from the changing family structure and increasingly individualised lifestyle in contemporary Chinese society, this study investigates solo dining in the setting of Chinese restaurants in Macao, including the solo dining motivations, behavioural characteristics, and experiences, taking into considerations the underlying social and cultural factors. Adopting a sequential exploratory mixed-method design, 18 interviews were conducted, followed by a survey with 493 local diners. Findings show that freedom of choice and satisfying hunger are the main motivations for solo dining, and some solo-friendly attributes, food-related attributes, and restaurant characteristics are considered as important elements. Solo dining is perceived positively, partly because its perceptions and experiences are shaped by the diners’ socio-cultural backgrounds and unique regional characteristics, in which solo dining is considered relatively common in Macao as opposed to extant literature that has suggested an essentialised assumption about Chinese group-oriented dining preference. Sociocultural insights and managerial implications are provided in catering to the growing solo diner market.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 1504 Commercial Services; 1505 Marketing; 1506 Tourism; Sport, Leisure & Tourism
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102628
Page Range: p. 102628
SWORD Depositor: Symplectic Elements
Depositing User: Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited: 17 Jul 2020 11:55
Last Modified: 29 Jan 2022 01:18
URI: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26655

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