The impact of social media use on restaurant choice

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the impact of social media use on consumers’ restaurant choices. It presents data from a questionnaire developed for examining social media use and restaurant choice on a trip and home. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to explore the underlying theoretical structure of the phenomena. Four social media use factors were extracted. Then the measurement model and the structural model were tested. Findings show that three social media use factors (searching for services, social interactions, and searching for products) influenced individuals’ restaurant choices on the trip (more) and at home. Based on the results, restaurants should appear more on social media. Restaurants are recommended to share the ambiance, foods, and menus on social media frequently.