Impulsive Buying Behaviour and Restaurant Selection and Consumption

Abstract: The study explores à la carte restaurant and its connection with impulsive buying, in terms of restaurant selection, menu selection and extraordinary experiences which reflects the purpose of the study and was explored with three research questions. Prior research of restaurant consumption and impulsive buying was not clear on how consumers select a restaurant and choose on the menu impulsively. The relation between extraordinary experiences and impulsive buying was also limited. The theoretical framework consisted of impulsive buying and previous studies of restaurant selection, menu selection and extraordinary experiences. A qualitative method in the form of semi-structured interviews was conducted on fourteen Swedish consumers. The findings suggest that impulsive buying is more present in terms of menu selection and extraordinary experiences due to various factors such as service and influences from the environment. Restaurant selection had signs of impulsiveness, however, the overall process was rather planned. The study contributes to research on impulsive buying behaviour and restaurant consumption and extraordinary experiences, as well as practical and future implications that could be useful.