Exploratory Study of Romanian Generation Z Perceptions of Green Restaurants

Daniel I. Chiciudean, Vanessa P. Shonkwiler, Iulia C. Mureșan, Alina Zaharia and Gabriela O. Chiciudean ()
Additional contact information
Daniel I. Chiciudean: Department of Economic Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Vanessa P. Shonkwiler: Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Iulia C. Mureșan: Department of Economic Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Alina Zaharia: Department of Agrifood and Environmental Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010371 Bucharest, Romania
Gabriela O. Chiciudean: Department of Economic Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Administrative Sciences, 2024, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: The hospitality industry has taken advantage of consumers’ increasing concerns regarding environmental issues. Worldwide, green restaurants have increased their profitability by using environmental attributes as a competitive advantage. In Romania, restaurants could profit from this new trend. This study aims to determine the perception of Generation Z consumers regarding green restaurants, since these younger consumers seem to have adopted more eco-friendly behavior compared to previous generations. Another objective of the study refers to assessing the importance of attributes relating to environmental protection and organic food when choosing a restaurant, consequently revealing a suitable market segment for this type of restaurant. In order to determine their degree of knowledge related to the concept of green restaurant, potential consuming behavior if implemented, and identifying the factors considered important when choosing a restaurant, this research compiles information from individuals belonging to Generation Z. Using principal component analysis, five factors were obtained, among which the “health and fresh food” was the most important. Based on the five dimensions, K-means cluster analysis led to three profiles of consumers. “Pro-environmental and convenience seekers” represent the largest cluster and should be considered the main target for future green restaurant practitioners. Additionally, our study finds an overall positive attitude toward green restaurants among the respondents and, more specifically, opinions on how these restaurants could address environmental issues and offer organic food, both important factors for Generation Z. This translates into a strong incentive for future entrepreneurs considering this business model in Romania.

Keywords: green practices; restaurants; pro-environmental; consumer behavior; cluster analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/14/1/21/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/14/1/21/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:14:y:2024:i:1:p:21-:d:1323841

Access Statistics for this article

Administrative Sciences is currently edited by Ms. Nancy Ma

More articles in Administrative Sciences from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().