International Journal of Wine Business Research Article 2022

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Wine involvement interaction with dining group dynamics, group
composition and consumption behavioural aspects in USA restaurants
Article in International Journal of Wine Business Research · February 2019
DOI: 10.1108/IJWBR-06-2018-0027
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International Journal of Wine Business Research
Wine involvement interaction with dining group dynamics, group composition and
consumption behavioural aspects in USA restaurants
Johan Bruwer, Justin Cohen, Kathleen Kelley,
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Johan Bruwer, Justin Cohen, Kathleen Kelley, (2019) "Wine involvement interaction with dining
group dynamics, group composition and consumption behavioural aspects in USA restaurants",
International Journal of Wine Business Research, Vol. 31 Issue: 1, pp.12-28, https://doi.org/10.1108/
IJWBR-06-2018-0027
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Wine involvement interaction
with dining group dynamics, group
composition and consumption
behavioural aspects in
USA restaurants
Johan Bruwer and Justin Cohen
School of Marketing, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia, and
Kathleen Kelley
Department of Plant Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park,
Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The importance of the wine involvement construct in explaining consumers’ wine consumption
behaviour is widely acknowledged in the literature, as is the social nature of dining out with others. Yet, there
is a paucity of research examining the relationships between how this construct interacts with dining group
dynamics and wine consumption behavioural aspects in the restaurant environment. This study aims to
investigate these aspects in US restaurants.
Design/methodology/approach – Utilising an online survey that yielded a sample of 513
respondents from across the USA who frequented all the recognised restaurant categories,
respondents are segmented into low and high wine involvement categories using a reliable wine
involvement scale. The authors examine differences between various dining group dynamics, dining
group composition, main choice factors when ordering wine and method of ordering wine in US
restaurants.
Findings – The authors find that diners’ level of involvement with wine provides sharp insights into several
significant differences between involvement and dining group dynamics, group composition, choice factors
when ordering wine and method of ordering wine in restaurants. High involvement diners dine out in larger
groups, order more wine, spend more money on wine, are more often the main decision-maker ordering wine
for the dining group and use wine menus and wall board displays more often when ordering than low
involvement diners. They are also more discerning about the taste of wine, grape variety and wine style in
terms of choice factors when ordering.
Practical implications – The nature and dynamics of dining groups are aspects that have profound
implications, in various ways, for the restaurant industry. The level of involvement diners have with wine is a
strong predictor of various outcomes in terms of dining group behavioural aspects regarding wine. Wine-
related restaurant category-specific profile descriptions, such as those developed in this study, can be helpful
for restaurants when creating business strategies.
Originality/value – The authors make a substantive contribution by being the first study to
examine the relationships between dining group dynamics, dining group composition and
behavioural aspects concerning wine consumption and involvement in the restaurant environment.
The authors then map this information to derive wine-related profile descriptions for all US restaurant
categories.
Keywords Market segmentation, Conceptual/theoretical, Wines, Consumer behaviour,
Survey research, Scale development/testing
Paper type Research paper
IJWBR
31,1
12
Received 16 June 2018
Revised 20 August 2018
Accepted 17 September 2018
International Journal of Wine
Business Research
Vol. 31 No. 1, 2019
pp. 12-28
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1751-1062
DOI 10.1108/IJWBR-06-2018-0027
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1751-1062.htmDownloaded by University of South Australia At 17:53 11 April 2019 (PT)

Introduction
Wine is an important component of the US restaurant industry representing US$19.8bn in
sales value in what is the largest wine consuming market in the world. Restaurant sales in
the USA totalled US$766bn in 2017. This shows a strong upward trend from US$370bn in
2000 and US$587bn in 2010 (National Restaurant Association, 2017). More specifically,
dining-drinking establishments accounted for US$548bn (72 per cent) of the total restaurant
industry sales with table service restaurants and limited service restaurants contributing US
$263bn and US$234bn respectively of that figure (National Restaurant Association, 2017).
The total US wine market is worth US$44bn, and while the on-premise trade “only” has a 16
per cent share of volume it contributes a significant 45 per cent of the total market value. To
put the importance of alcoholic drinks to the US foodservice industry in further perspective,
ratios in per cent value analysis for food to drinks are 77 per cent to 23 per cent for full-
service restaurants and 23 per cent to 77 per cent for cafés/bars (Euromonitor International,
2018). While wine volumes sold in the on-premise sector have been stagnant during the five-
year period 2012 to 2017, value has increased by nearly 11 per cent during the corresponding
period (Euromonitor International, 2017). This underlines the importance and potential for
further growth of wine sales in the on-premise sector. Eating out is part of the American
lifestyle to such an extent that 90 per cent of consumers say they enjoy going out to
restaurants compared with “only” 66 per cent who enjoy going to grocery stores (National
Restaurant Association, 2017).
Consumer behaviour has long preoccupied marketers as they strive to best position their
product by anticipating consumer wants and needs. The consumer decision-making process
is, however, frequently complicated and can be explained by a number of theoretical
constructs, also relevant to the foodservice market where wine represents a good example of
these phenomena (Roe and Bruwer, 2017). There has, nevertheless, been surprisingly little
situational research (i.e. in the restaurant situation) to explain the interaction of product,
situational and personal factors, more specifically, the wine product involvement and
consumption situation (Hirche and Bruwer, 2014). While involvement with wine as a
product has been used as an explanatory medium with consumers segmented into high- or
low-involvement categories (Barber et al., 2007; Bruwer and Huang, 2012; Hirche and
Bruwer, 2014), this has not been done in the restaurant setting.
According to Sobal and Nelson (2003), the eating of food by humans is largely a social
activity to such an extent that “eating alone is devalued and is not considered a real meal for
many people” (p.88). Hence, in the restaurant setting by far, the majority of people are dining
in a group situation with other people (Her and Seo, 2018) and solo dining is fairly
uncommon (Bruwer and Johnson, 2005). The size of the dining group, the nature of the
relationships between dining group members and the composition of the group are likely to
have an impact on the consumption behaviour related to products being offered in the
restaurant, such as wine. There is a paucity of research focused on wine consumption and
dining group dynamics, composition and decision-making, and no previous study has
examined the potential relationship(s) between these variables and wine involvement, which
is a firmly grounded theoretical construct. There has also been no research linking these to
the various restaurant categories (full-service family, casual ethnic foodservice, fine dining
upscale, bar/taverns, cafeteria/grill/buffet and quick-service/limited service restaurants),
either in the USA, which is the focal market of our study, or elsewhere.
Our study makes a substantive contribution in four ways. Firstly, by examining how
wine involvement level relates to dining group dynamics and dining group composition.
Secondly, by determining how wine involvement level relates to the amount of wine
consumed and amount spent on wine in restaurants. Thirdly, by identifying the main choice
Wine
involvement
interaction
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