Is There an Economic Future for Eco-Friendly Eateries?

More and more consumers are turning to environmentally friendly products and services, even though this can occasionally mean a higher cost. Restaurants are no exception to the idea of greener living, but are customers willing to allow for the extra expense involved? Young Namkung and SooCheong (Shawn) Jang researched this in their article “Are Consumers Willing to Pay More for Green Practices at Restaurants?” from the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research.

The abstract:

This study examines customers’ willingness to pay more for green practices in restaurants using hypothetical scenarios. The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics of consumers with a higher willingness to pay more and examine the relationship between consumers’ perceptions of green brand image and their willingness to pay more for a restaurant’s green practices. A total of 334 responses showed that more than two-thirds of restaurant customers would be willing to pay extra money for green restaurant practices. Age, previous experience, involvement, and self-perception were found to be significant in accessing consumers’ willingness to pay more for green practices in restaurants. In addition, the results showed that customers with a strong likelihood to pay more for green practices had higher perceptions of green brand image than those who were less likely to pay extra.