Customers’ behavioral intentions towards Heritage Cafe in the George Town World Heritage Site (WHS), Penang, Malaysia
List of Authors
  • Cheah, Hun-Kean

Keyword
  • Heritage café, food quality, perceived price, customer satisfaction, behavioral intention

Abstract
  • Since the listing of the George Town World Heritage Site, old buildings have been transformed into cafés, boutique hotels and home stays. In order to generate profit from the cafés, it is essential for the café owners to understand customer behavioral intentions towards heritage cafés. No previous study has investigated customers behavioral intentions towards heritage cafés in George Town. Therefore, to explore this phenomenon, the current research investigates the quality impacts of food, service, ambience and perceived price on customer behavioral intentions towards heritage cafés in George Town. A selfadministered questionnaire based on previous validated scale was used. 300 completed questionnaires were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and SmartPLS. The findings indicated that the quality of food and service influences customer behavioral intentions significantly. However, ambience quality and perceived price have no significant positive impact on customer behavioral intentions. The current study adds to the literature on behavioral intentions by undertaking a study in a destination of significance to the Malaysian tourism economy. Moreover, the findings from this study help to provide some insights to heritage café owners in particular on the importance of improving food and service quality to attract loyal customers.

Reference
  • 1. Andaleeb, S., & Conway, C. (2006). Customer Satisfaction in the Restaurant Industry: An Examination of the Transaction-specific Model, Journal of Services Marketing, 20(1): 3–11.
    2. Bei, L., & Chiao, Y. (2001). An Integrated Model for the Effects of Perceived Product, Perceived Service Quality, and Perceived Price Fairness on Consumer Satisfaction and Loyalty, Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 14: 125–140.
    3. Bolton, L., Warlop, L., & Alba, J. (2003). Consumer Perception of Price (Un) Fairness, Journal of Consumer Research, 29(4): 474–492.
    4. Brady, M., & Robertson, C. (2001). Searching for a Consensus on the Antecedent Role of Service Quality and Satisfaction: An Exploratory Cross-national Study, Journal of Business Research, 51(1): 53–60.
    5. Bujisic, M., Hutchinson, J., & Parsa, H. G. (2014). The Effects of Restaurant Quality Attributes on Customers Behavioural Intention, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(8): 1270–1291, DOI 10.1108/ IJCHM-04-2013-0162.
    6. Chang, K., (2000). The Impact of Perceived Physical Environments on Customers’ Satisfaction and Return Intentions, Journal of Professional Service Marketing, 21(2): 75–85.
    7. Cronin, J., & Taylor, S. (1994). SERVPERF versus SERVQUAL: Reconciling Performance based on Perceptions-minusexpectations Measurement of Service Quality. Journal of Marketing, 58(1): 125– 131.
    8. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error, Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1): 39–50.
    9. Goh, Y. N. (2015). Investigating Revisit Intention for the Boutique hotels of Penang: A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Asian Social Science, 11(4): 126–134.
    10. Ha, J., & Jang, S. (2010). Effects of Service Quality and Food Quality: The Moderating Role of Atmospherics in an Ethnic Restaurant Segment, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 29: 520–529.
    11. Hair Jr, J., Hult, G., Ringle, C., & Sarstedt, M. (2013). A Primer On Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), SAGE publications, Incorporated.
    12. Han, H., & Kim, W. (2009). Outcomes of Relational Benefits: Restaurant Customers’ Perspective, Journal of Travel and Tourism Management, 26(2): 820–35.
    13. Han, H., & Ryu, K. (2009). The Roles of Physical Environment, Price Perception, and Customer Satisfaction in Determining Customer Loyalty in the Restaurant Industry, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 33(4): 487–510.
    14. Heung, V. C. S., & Gu, T. (2012). Influence of Restaurant Atmospherics on Patron Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31: 1167–1177.
    15. Hooper, D., Coughlan, J., & Mullen, M. (2013). The Service Scape as an Antecedent to Service Quality and Behavioral Intention, Journal of Services Marketing, 27(4): 271– 280.
    16. Hwang, J., & Ok, C. (2013). The Antecedents of Consequence of Consumer Attitudes toward Restaurant Brands: A Comparative Study between Casual and Fine Dining Restaurants, International Journal of Hospitality Management, (32): 121–131.
    17. Jang, S., & Feng, R., (2007). Temporal Destination Revisit Intention: The Effects of Novelty Seeking and Satisfaction, Tourism Management, 28(2): 580–590.
    18. Jang, S., & Namkung, Y. (2009). Perceived Quality Emotions and Behavioral Intentions: Application of an extended Mehrabian-Russell Model to Restaurants, Journal of Business Research, 62(4): 451– 460.
    19. Jani, D., & Han, H. (2011). Investigating the Key Factors Affecting Behavioral Intention: Evidence from a Full-service Restaurant Setting, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 23(7): 1000–1018.
    20. Joung, H. W., Choi, C. E. K., & Goh, B. K. (2015). The Impact of Perceived Service and Food Quality on behavioral Intentions in continuing Care Retirement Communities: A Mediating Effect of Satisfaction, Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 16(3): 221–234, DOI: 10.1080/1528008X.2015.1016593.
    21. Kim, W., Lee, Y., & Yoo, Y. (2006). Predictors of Relationship Quality and Relationship Outcomes in Luxury Restaurant, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 30(2): 143–169.
    22. Kivela, J., Inbakaran, R., & Reece, J. (2000). Consumer Research in the Restaurant Environment. Part 3: Analysis, Findings and conclusions, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12(1): 1–13.
    23. Law, R., To, T., & Goh, C. (2008). How do Mainland Chinese Travelers choose Restaurant in Hong Kong? An Exploratory Study of Individual Visit Scheme Travelers and Packaged Travelers, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27(3): 346–354.
    24. Levy, M., & Weitz, B. (2007). Retailing Management, 6thed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
    25. Liang, R. D., & Zhang, J. S. (2012). The Effect of Service Interaction Orientation on Customer Satisfaction and Behavioral Intention, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 24(1): 153–170.
    26. Malay Mail Online. (2013, September 18). Penang Tourism Boom Spurs Growth of F&B Outlets, Retrieved September 20, 2013 from http://www.themalaymailonline. com/malaysia/article/penang-tourismboom-spurs-growth-of-fb-outlets.
    27. Namkung, Y., & Jang, S. (2007). Does Food Quality Really Matter in Restaurant: Its Impact of Customer Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions? Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 31(3): 387–410.
    28. Nunnally, J., & Berstein, I. (1994). Psychometric Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.
    29. Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V., & Berry, L. (1988). Servqual: A Multiple-item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality, Journal of Retailing, 64: 12–40.
    30. Penang Economic Monthly. (2009). George Town’s UNESCO World Heritage Status: Implications and Challenges in The Road Ahead for Penang, 11(3): 1–20. Retrieved June 19, 2017 from http://penanginstitute. org/v3/files/econ_brief/2009/ EconBrief2009-3.pdf.
    31. Peri, C. (2006). The Universe of Food Quality, Food Quality and Preference, 17(1–2): 3–8.
    32. Rajaguru, R. (2016). Role of Value for Money and Service Quality on Behavioural Intention: A Study of Full Service and Low-cost Airlines, Journal of Air Transport Management, 53: 114–122. http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2016.02.008.
    33. Ryu, K., & Jang, S. (2007). The Effect of Environment Perceptions on Behavioral Intentions through Emotions: the Case of Upscale Restaurants, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, 31(1): 56–72.
    34. Ryu, K., Han, H., & Kim, T-H. (2008). The Relationships among Overall Quickcasual Restaurant Image, Perceived Value, Customer Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intentions, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27: 459–469.
    35. Salamanca, A. (2015, November 21). 25 Most Visited Countries in the World. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://list25.com/25most-visited-countries-in-the-world/.
    36. Sharma, A., & Stafford, T. (2000). The Effect of Retail Atmospherics on Customers’ Perceptions of Salespeople and Customer Persuasion Empirical Investigation, Journal of Business Research, 49: 183–91.
    37. Sulek, J., & Hensley, R. (2004). The Relative Important of Food, Atmosphere, and Fairness of Wait, The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 45(3): 235–47.
    38. Sureshchander, G., Rajendran, C., & Anatharaman, R. (2002). The Relationship between Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction: A Factor-specific Approach, Journal of Services Marketing, 16(4): 363– 79.
    39. Susskind, A., & Chan, E. (2000). How Restaurant Features Affect Check Averages: A Study of the Toronto Restaurant Market, The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 41(6): 56–63.
    40. The Star Online. (2016a). Medical Tourism Growing in Malaysia. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://list25.com/25-mostvisited-countries-in-the-world/.
    41. The Star Online (2016b). 3 cities in Malaysia make the Top 10 Asian destinations for 2017, Retrieved March 16, 2017 from http://www.star2.com/travel/asiaoceania/2016/12/08/3-cities-in-malaysiamake-the-top-10-asian-destinationsfor-2017/.
    42. Ting, H., & T. Ramayah (2016). What Matters to Infrequent Customers: A Pragmatic Approach to Understanding Perceived Value and Intention to Revisit Trendy Coffee Café, Springer Plus, 5: 651–661. DOI 10.1186/s40064-016-2259-5.
    43. Tourism Malaysia. (2016a). Malaysia Travel Guide. Retrieved June 19, 2017 from http:// ebrochures.malaysia.travel/storage/myfile/ ebrochures/20161029050019%7Cadmin/ MALAYSIA%20TRAVEL%20GUIDEENGLISH-27052015//files/assets/basichtml/page-3.html#”.
    44. Tourism Malaysia. (2016b). Malaysia’s Jan-June 2016 tourist arrivals grow 3.7%. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.tourism. gov.my/media/view/malaysia-s-jan-june2016-tourist-arrivals-grow-3-7.
    45. UNESCO, World Heritage Centre (2017). Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca, Retrieved on March 16, 2017 from http://www.tourism. gov.my/media/view/malaysia-s-jan-june2016-tourist-arrivals-grow-3-7.
    46. World Atlas. (2016). The Most Visited Countries in Asia and the Pacific. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.worldatlas.com/ articles/the-most-visited-countries-in-asiaand-the-pacific.html.
    47. Xia, L., Monroe, K., & Cox, J. (2004). The Price is Unfair! A Conceptual Framework of Price Fairness Perceptions, Journal of Marketing, 68(4): 1–15.
    48. Yang, C., & Chang, T. (2011). Binomial Real Option Pricing for Restaurant Menu Analysis, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 52(3): 273–282.
    49. Zhang, X., & Prybutok, V. (2005). A Consumer Perspective of e-service Quality, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 52(4): 461–477.