The emerging trend of organic food consumption is manifested by the opening of organic food restaurants in the hospitality sector. In this respect, drawing on cue utilization theory, stimulus-organism-response (S–O-R) theory, equity theory and the principle of dual entitlement, the aim of the current study is to investigate the role of perceived food quality (PFQ), price fairness (PF), perceived value (PV) and customer satisfaction (CS) on customers’ revisit and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions towards organic food restaurants. For this purpose, the empirical data were collected by means of a written survey instrument from customers who had previously visited an organic food restaurant. The hypotheses were analyzed with maximum-likelihood estimation. The findings revealed that PFQ positively influences PF and PV. The significant positive relationships were also confirmed between PF, PV, and CS. The findings were also supported that consumers’ behavioral intentions are influenced by CS. Furthermore, CS acts as a partial mediator among PFQ, PF, PV and behavioral intentions. Some significant theoretical and managerial insights are also presented.

Introduction

The demand for organic food consumption motivates food producers to provide more organic food products and consumers purchase these products from both physical and virtual stores for their household consumption. On the other hand, for dining out, organic food restaurants are a good option for organic food consumers. Therefore, this format enables restaurateurs to achieve a competitive advantage by differentiating themselves from rivals with providing health claims. Despite this potential, still, a considerably limited number of organic food restaurants exits in the hospitality industry. Hence, it is imperative to comprehend the success factors of organic food restaurants for both the hospitality industry and academic researchers. Food scandals have caused consumers to question the quality of food products. Extant literature provides empirical support that PFQ is the most critical factor in customers’ choice of restaurants (Jung et al., 2015; Namkung and Jang, 2007; Filimonau and Krivcova, 2017). Additionally, previous research reported that PFQ is also a critical factor in determining CS, customers’ revisit and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions (Kim et al., 2009; Liu and Jang, 2009; Ha and Jang, 2010). Particularly, health value, attitude towards healthfulness and taste was found to have an influence on customers’ behavioral intentions towards healthful menu items (Jun et al., 2014). Furthermore, food-related attributes (serving organic and local food or ingredients positively impact customers’ willingness to pay, wait longer and travel farther for a green restaurant (Kwok et al., 2016). As such, customers’ evaluations regarding the quality of these products are vital for the development of organic food restaurants. Hence, it is useful to understand and how customers’ food quality perceptions influence their behavioral intentions towards organic food restaurants for investors and marketers in the hospitality industry.