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The mediating role of consumption emotions
Article in International Journal of Hospitality Management · September 2017
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2017.06.015
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International Journal of Hospitality Management 66 (2017) 66–76
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
International Journal of Hospitality Management
j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / i j h o s m a n Refereed papers
The mediating role of consumption emotions
Jahyun Song ∗, Hailin Qu
School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration, Oklahoma State University, 365 Human Sciences, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
a r t i c l e i n f o
Article history:
Received 7 December 2016
Received in revised form 18 June 2017
Accepted 24 June 2017
Keywords:
Consumption emotions
Hedonic value
Utilitarian value
Customer satisfaction
Ethnic restaurants
Asian restaurants
a b s t r a c t
Although the importance of affective reactions has been emphasized in the service industry, there are
still relatively few empirical studies which conclusively explain how consumption emotions induce in a
consumption situation and how such emotions play a role in customers’ satisfaction judgments in the
context of ethnic restaurants. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine how differently positive and
negative emotions mediate the influence of two fundamental values of ethnic restaurant consumption
on levels of customer satisfaction. Data obtained through an online survey was analyzed by means of
structural equation modeling analysis. Results demonstrate that utilitarian value directly and indirectly
affects consumption emotions and customer satisfaction, whereas hedonic value only indirectly affects
customer satisfaction through positive emotions. The findings suggest that not every perceived hedonic
value leads to customer satisfaction unless customer experience positive emotions from such a value. In
that regard, this study holds significant implications to ethnic restaurant marketers.
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.1. IntroductionThe importance of both cognitive evaluation and affective reac-tions has been largely highlighted in the satisfaction literature(Mano and Oliver, 1993; Phillips and Baumgartner, 2002; Wirtzand Bateson, 1999). Researchers have noted that the role of con-sumption emotions is more important in the service industry wherecustomers engage in consumption for hedonic purposes (Wakefieldand Blodgett, 1999). Within the restaurant industry, as one of therepresentative service industries, hedonic purposes may be pur-sued more by ethnic restaurant patronage, because it could beargued that consumers seek not only the experience of enjoyingtasty ethnic foods but also seek out an authentic cultural experi-ence created more from hedonic related dining aspects, such as theinterior, music, mood, and layout (Uncles et al., 2003). Thus, thehedonic nature of the dining service and experience may be morethan or at least as important as its utilitarian feature for the cus-tomers who visit ethnic theme restaurants. Based on this rationale,diners’ emotional responses are presumed to play an integral role inenhancing their satisfaction along with both the hedonic and utili-tarian benefits evaluated by ethnic restaurant customers. However,little research has sought to link the effects of these consump-tion emotions to perceived hedonic and utilitarian values, two corevalues of the restaurant experience, and only a few past research∗ Corresponding author.E-mail addresses: [e-mail] (J. Song), [e-mail] (H. Qu).exercises have examined how these emotions influence customersatisfaction as applied to this restaurant sector (Jang, et al., 2012;Jang, et al., 2011).The cognitive appraisal approach of emotions is widely acceptedas a theoretical standpoint for understanding emotional reactionsinduced during the consumption context (Johnson and Stewart,2005). This theory posits that individuals experience discrete emo-tions based on their cognitive appraisal of specific events and itguides a more complete explanation about consumers’ behavior(Lazarus, 1991). In other words, the experience itself does not elicitthe emotions but the way customers evaluate the experience gen-erates certain emotional states (Rio-Lanza et al., 2009). In a similarvein, Jang and Namkung (2009) proposed the extended Mehrabian-Russell (M-R) model to understand restaurant customers’ emotionsand future behaviors in response to overall service stimuli (suchas product quality, service quality, atmospherics). The authorsstressed that each of these dining factors that form customers’ over-all experiences may have important but different impacts on theiremotions and future behaviors (Jang and Namkung, 2009). Further-more, in their study of cognitive-affective-behavioral model, theyfound that positive emotions mediate the influences of such overalldining experiences on customers’ behavioral intentions. Drawingupon the cognitive appraisal theory and the extended M-R modelfrom the hospitality literature, the current study aimed to exam-ine the role of consumption emotions that account for variation insatisfaction formation, along with consumer service value.Consumption emotions are believed to be crucial factors for aservice firm’s long-term success, as these emotions can enhance
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2017.06.015
0278-4319/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

J. Song, H. Qu / International Journal of Hospitality Management 66 (2017) 66–76 67or diminish a customer’s satisfaction, which in turn, will deter-mine their future decisions and the formation of their loyalty tothe business (Han et al., 2009; Han and Jeong, 2013). In this regard,researchers in the hospitality field have paid attention to consump-tion emotions (Bigné et al., 2008; Han and Jeong, 2013; Lin andMattila, 2010). However, to date, restaurant studies related to emo-tions tend to heavily focused on either hedonic-specific factors(e.g., restaurant atmospherics, ambient odors, and authenticity) orservice-related factors or cases (e.g., service quality, service fail-ure/recovery and service fairness) (Ha and Jang, 2012; Jang et al.,2011; Su and Hsu, 2013). Additionally, their main focus has beenon the relative direct impacts of variables that are examined in thestudy; the mediating role of consumption emotions has only beendiscussed in passing, despite its significance. Furthermore, despitethe critical role of negative emotions in customer satisfaction (Hanet al., 2009), these issues have been comparatively neglected in therestaurant literature. By addressing these research gaps, there is aneed to investigate the degree to which both positive and negativeemotions mediate the impacts of consumer service values on levelsof customer satisfaction in the context of ethnic theme restaurants.This study used Asian restaurants as case examples, because Asiancuisine is one of the top emerging food and restaurant trends in theU.S. and the largest examples of this restaurant segment (Statista,2015).Overall, the purpose of this study was not only to investigatethe direct relationships among perceived value, consumption emo-tions, and levels of customer satisfaction, but more importantly,also to clarify the mediating function of consumption emotionsbetween customers’ cognitive evaluation of dining experiences(perceived hedonic and utilitarian values) and their level of sat-isfaction in the ethnic restaurant context, where hedonism is acore value of the service. In addition, this study sought to provideinsights allowing ethnic restaurateurs to better understand the for-mation process of customer satisfaction and develop more effectivebusiness strategies.2. Literature review2.1. Perceived value: hedonic and utilitarian valueValue as perceived by restaurant customers can be well con-ceptualized and operationalized by an approach that considersutilitarian and hedonic value (Nejati and Moghaddam, 2013; Ryuet al., 2010). According to Babin et al. (1994), utilitarian value rep-resents a usefulness of consumption in instrumental, task-related,functional, cognitive, and is essentially a means to an end. Onthe other hand, hedonic value reflects the potential entertainmentand emotional worth of a shopping experience. In short, utilitar-ian value is a necessity-oriented or practical trade-off between thebenefits and costs whereas hedonic value is an pleasure-orientedor experiential trade-off of these elements (Babin et al., 1994; Ryuet al., 2010).Some researchers have discussed diners’ behavior within thiscontext of hedonic and utilitarian value. For example, Park (2004)classified customer values into both the hedonic and utilitarian inorder to explore the relationship between the customer value ofeating out and the importance of restaurant attributes. The resultsrevealed that hedonic value affects buying frequency more than theutilitarian value does, indicating that the participants in his studychose fast food restaurants for more hedonic reasons than utilitar-ian reasons. On the other hand, Ryu et al. (2010) found not only thatboth hedonic and utilitarian values are significant values that affectcustomer satisfaction, but also that utilitarian value has a greaterimpact on both satisfaction and behavioral intention than hedonicvalue in the context of fast-casual restaurants. There are interestingresults, providing valuable insights into customers’ perceptions ofethnic restaurants as well. The ethnic restaurant study performedby Ha and Jang (2010b) found that utiltarian value had a strongerimpact on customer satisfaction and future behavioral intentionsthan did hedonic value among American customers. When consid-ering the level of familiarity with the restaurants, however, hedonicvalue appeared to lead to more behavioral intentions amongst thelow familiarity group.The results of these studies suggested that utilitarian andhedonic values are clearly associated with customer satisfactionand/or behavioral intentions, and the values’ relative impacts varydepending on the restaurant context. In regards to this variation,the present study examined the relative effect of perceived value byadopting utilitarian and hedonic values as its major dimensions toverify customers’ cognitive evaluations in the ethnic theme restau-rants.2.2. Perceived value and customer satisfactionThe most widely accepted frameworks for understandingperceived value and satisfaction are derived from the Expectancy-Disconfirmation theory (Lewin, 1938; Ma et al., 2011). Customersatisfaction occurs in terms of expectancy disconfirmation, attri-bution, and inequity judgments (Mano and Oliver, 1993). In otherwords, customers are apparently satisfied when the services pro-vided meet or exceed their expectations; when this does not occur,it leads to dissatisfaction. In this respect, perceived value is positedto be an immediate antecedent of customer satisfaction (Oh, 2000).The more the customer perceives the value of service, the higherthe levels of customer satisfaction toward the service (Tam, 2004).Thus, hypothesis 1 is stated as follows.H1a. Hedonic value has a direct and positive relationship to cus-tomer satisfaction.H1b. Utilitarian value has a direct and positive relationship tocustomer satisfaction.The importance of customer satisfaction has been widelyacknowledged in terms of business performance, because cus-tomers are the primary source of most hospitality companies’revenue (Tam, 2004). As aforementioned, customer satisfactionarises when a customer’s perception of the value obtained fromhis/her consumption at least equals the perceived service qual-ity relative to costs (i.e., price, time, effort); but it merits notethat these views consider only the cognitive aspects of satisfactionevaluation and do not consider the affective states that customersmight feel during consumption experiences (Ha and Jang, 2010a).Based on a performance-based approach, many researchers haveasserted that customer satisfaction evaluations should incorporateemotional reactions as well as cognitive evaluations (Kotler, 2000;Oliver, 2010; Rust and Oliver, 1994). For example, Oliver (2010,p. 23) insisted that consumer satisfaction is “the consumer’s ful-fillment response, the degree to which the level of fulfillment ispleasant or unpleasant.” Kotler (2000) also mentioned that satis-faction is the affective state which individuals feel (i.e., pleasure ordisappointment) resulting from the trade-off between perceivedperformance and their prior expectations. In line with this notion,this study considered both perceived value and consumption emo-tions as critical drivers of customer satisfaction.2.3. Consumption emotionsAccording to Westbrook and Oliver (1991, p. 85), consump-tion emotions are a “set of emotional responses elicited specificallyduring product usage or consumption experiences.” Emotions andconsumption emotions have basically the same characteristics of

68 J. Song, H. Qu / International Journal of Hospitality Management 66 (2017) 66–76internal and affective states, and neither feature the external andcognitive states (Sun, 2011). Yet, differences exist between emo-tions and consumption emotions in that the former is more intenseand general, whereas the latter are more specific, unique, and lessintense (Richins, 1997). Since this study investigated affective reac-tions induced during dining consumption experiences, emotionalresponses considered in this study are consumption emotions.2.4. Antecedents of consumption emotions: perceived valueThere are diverse opinions on the question as to whether cogni-tive components are necessary for the creation of emotions (Nyer,1997; Ruth et al., 2002). In the context of this debate, this studyargues that two core values inherent in dining experiences arenecessary for the formation of consumption emotions; in thatconsumption emotions are defined as affective responses inducedduring dining consumption experiences. Such an argument is the-oretically supported by cognitive appraisal theory and an extendedMehrabian–Russell model, which in turn, was originally developedfrom the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework (Jang andNamkung, 2009; Lazarus, 1991; Mehrabian and Russell, 1974).Cognitive appraisal theory claims that individuals experiencediscrete emotions based on their cognitive appraisal of specificsituations (Lazarus, 1991). In other words, experience itself doesnot elicit the emotions but the manner in which customers eval-uate the experience generates certain emotional states (Rio-Lanzaet al., 2009). This theory leads to the rationale that consumptionemotions may arise as a direct result of perceived value since thedefinition of perceived value in this study is ‘consumers’ evalua-tions of dining services based on their perception of what is receivedand what is given’, reflecting the cognitive appraisal dimension.That is, when customers perceive that a dining service is good (orpoor) relative to the money spent, they are more likely to feelpositive (or negative) emotions when eating out (Han and Back,2008). Accordingly, a high perception of value induces more posi-tive emotions and a low perception of value induces more negativeemotions. This led to the following four hypotheses:H2a. Hedonic value has a direct and positive relationship to pos-itive emotions.H2b. Utilitarian value has a direct and positive relationship topositive emotions.H3a. Hedonic value has a direct and negative relationship to neg-ative emotions.H3b. Utilitarian value has a direct and negative relationship tonegative emotions.2.5. The outcomes of consumption emotions: CustomersatisfactionIt is apparent that a happy customer is more thought to besatisfied and more willingly engaged in the relationship with a par-ticular establishment than an outraged customer (Khalifa, 2004).Researchers in consumer behavior generally agreed that cognitivemodels are insufficient to explain customer satisfaction and theirsubsequent behavior (Bigné et al., 2008), and suggested that emo-tional reactions should play a more important role in the predictionof post-consumption responses (e.g., satisfaction, behavioral inten-tion, loyalty), especially when the customers consume the productsor services for hedonic purposes (Edvardsson, 2005; Ha and Jang,2012). Because the hospitality industry offers services that empha-size an experiential component in comparison to manufacturedproducts, emotions elicited during consumption experiences areparticularly important in the overall evaluation of satisfaction. Inresponse, consumption emotions have recently received particu-lar attention in hospitality and tourism literature (Han and Jeong,2013; Hosany and Prayag, 2013; Lin and Mattila, 2010; Liu and Jang,2009a; Ma et al., 2013; Ryu and Jang, 2007; Su and Hsu, 2013). Forexample, Liu and Jang (2009a) examined the relationships amongdining atmospherics, emotional responses, perceived value, andbehavioral intentions and found that both positive and negativeemotions elicited by dining atmospherics significantly influenceconsumers’ post-dining responses. Similarly, using a cognitive-affective-behavior framework, Su and Hsu (2013) discovered thatservice fairness determines tourist experiences on overall satisfac-tion and behavioral intentions either through positive or negativeemotions in the context of heritage tourism. These empirical stud-ies showed that either positive or negative emotions elicited byparticular cognitive evaluation (e.g., atmospherics and service fair-ness) affect the degree to which customers are satisfied. Thisdiscussion thus led us to hypothesize that both consumption emo-tions are associated with the level of customer satisfaction.H4a. Positive emotions have a direct and positive relationship tocustomer satisfaction.H4b. Negative emotions have a direct and negative relationshipto customer satisfaction.2.6. The mediating effect of consumption emotionsAs discussed, the existing literature indicated that emotions arenot only directly influenced by customer value (Gounaris et al.,2007; Ha and Jang, 2010b) but also play a role as a direct antecedentof customer satisfaction (Bonnefoy-Claudet and Ghantous, 2013).It is argued that in restaurant contexts, consumption emotionsmediate the relationship between cognitive evaluations of theconsumption and post-consumption behaviors (Jang et al., 2012;Jang and Namkung, 2009). This premise corresponds to Mehrabianand Russell’s stimulus– organism–response (S–O–R) frameworkin environmental psychology. The Mehrabian and Russell’s (M–R)model posits that the environment (Stimulus) influences emotions(Organism), which in turn, affect individuals’ behavior (Response).Based on this model, there have been attempts to understand din-ers’ behavior in restaurant literature (Ha and Jang, 2010b; Jang andNamkung, 2009; Liu and Jang, 2009a, 2009b).In addition to the physical environment as a source of stim-ulation, a major concern of the original M–R model, restaurantresearchers stressed the fact that other dining factors such as foodquality and service quality have important but different impactson diners’ emotional responses and future behaviors (Jang andNamkung, 2009; Kim and Moon, 2009). As a result, Jang andNamkung (2009) proposed the extended M–R model that includesadditional meaningful factors in order to offer more managerialsuggestions to the restaurant operators. Subsequent restaurantresearch then applied this model to identify not only more influ-ential dining factors in terms of future behavior in the particularcontext of restaurants but also the mediating effect of emo-tions between dining experiences and future behavioral responses(Ha and Jang, 2012; Jang et al., 2012; Liu and Jang, 2009a). Forexample, Walsh et al. (2011) found that store-related cognition(music, aroma, product quality, service quality, and price) influenceconsumption emotions and customer outcomes (satisfaction andloyalty) differently, and emotional reactions mediate the effects ofstore-related cognition on customer outcomes differently in thecontext of coffee shop chains. However, the main focus of priorstudies was still on the relative effects of each dining factor oncustomer outcomes (emotions and satisfaction). Relatively littleresearch to date has paid attention to the mediating role of bothpositive and negative emotions on the relationship between cus-tomers’ cognitive responses and consumption outcomes. To fill this