Influence of restaurants' physical environments on emotion and behavioral intention

Modifying the Mehrabian--Russell model, this study proposed a conceptual model to explore how customers' perceptions of dining environments influence emotion and behavioral intention (BI) in the upscale restaurant setting. Using a structural equation modeling analysis, this study showed that facility aesthetics, ambience, and layout as dining environments had significant effects on the degree of customer pleasure, while facility aesthetics and employees significantly influenced the level of arousal. In addition, the results indicated that facility aesthetics and employees among physical environments had direct influences on BIs. Among customer emotions, pleasure was a significant determinant of BIs. Finally, the interdependence between pleasure and arousal was supported. The implications for restaurateurs and academic researchers are discussed.