MALAYSIAN FINE DINING RESTAURANTS: PROFILING OF CONSUMERS’ DEMOGRAPHICS AND DINING-OUT BEHAVIOR AND DETERMINATION OF PURCHASING ORIENTATION VIA DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES

This study examines the association of the demographic profiles and dining out behavior of Malaysian fine dining restaurant consumers’ with their purchasing orientation. Additionally, consumers’ purchasing orientation via their demographic features was determined. Surveys were conducted using self-administered questionnaire at 8 fine dining restaurants. 1200 questionnaires were distributed and 419 useable questionnaires were collected. Data were analyzed using the SPSS employing cross-tabulation and logistic regression. Findings showed that 4 demographic variables i.e. gender, educational level, occupation and monthly income and 3 dining-out behavior i.e. frequency of visit, dining-out companion (with family) and reason for dining-out (special occasion) were found to have significant association with consumers’ purchasing orientation. 4 demographic variables i.e. gender, educational level, occupation and income were shown as significant determinants of consumer purchasing orientation. The findings of this study should be of interest to this industry. The profiling of the demographics and dining-out behaviour of the consumers’ of fine dining restaurant as well as the creation of a logistic regression equation to predict the probability of cluster membership will help restaurateurs understand their customers better and enable effective actions for business improvement via accurate business forecasting and target segments that are much more likely to patronize their restaurant