Dining-in or dining-out: influences on choice among an elderly population.

摘要

This study investigates the physiological and psychological changes that mature consumers experience and their impacts on restaurant patronage behaviour in order to understand their motivations for, and inhibitors to dining-out. A telephone survey obtained important restaurant patronage information of consumers 65 years of age and older who live alone. The variables examined include demographic variables, health-related variables, dining-out motivation attributes, dining-out inhibitors, and measures of consumer restaurant-patronage behavior. Two distinctive segments became apparent: restaurant patrons and nonpatrons. The discussion profiles each segment, identifies marketing implications, and proposes relevant operating strategies for restaurant managers.