Initial Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Perspective on Health Risk Communications in the Restaurant Industry

Xi Wang (), Liang Tang, Linan Zhang and Jie Zheng
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Xi Wang: Culture, Creativity and Management, School of Culture and Creativity, BNU-HKBU United International College, Zhuhai 519085, China
Liang Tang: Department of Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management, College of Human Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Linan Zhang: Department of Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management, College of Human Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Jie Zheng: Department of Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management, College of Human Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-20

Abstract: Restaurant online review websites have made changes to adapt to customers’ shifting needs during the COVID-19 crisis. Based on information behavior theory and social penetration theory, the present study investigated the changes in customers’ emotions and how the volume of online reviews as an indication of sales is impacted by the instructional (i.e., with quantitative variables) and emotional (i.e., with qualitative variables) information on review websites. By comparing the same month (January–April) during 2017–2020, positive sentiment experienced a plunge, while negative sentiment showed an upsurge in April 2020. The volume of reviews was impacted by five quantitative variables (i.e., confirmed COVID-19 case number, food delivery option, takeout option, delivery fee, and delivery time) and seven qualitative variables (i.e., anticipation, fear, trust, anger, disgust, joy, and sadness). This study provides new insight into understanding information content on review websites during the crisis (e.g., pandemic) from the perspective of health risk communication.

Keywords: Wilson’s theory of information behavior; health risk communication; customer emotion; COVID-19 pandemic; textual review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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