FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR DINING-OUT IN RESTAURANT DURING AND POST COVID-19

Abstract

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant change in people's food behaviours and preferences. The purpose of this research is to identify the factors that affecting the restaurant customer behaviour and to investigate the most significant factors influencing the customer behaviour when dining out during and post COVID-19. Before choosing a restaurant to dine out, every customer would have various factors before they decided to choose what or where the restaurant of their choice. The customers’ choice usually depending on several factors and criteria such as food quality, service quality and the restaurant environment. This quantitative research has been conducted specifically focusing only in Dungun, Terengganu. by distributing the online questionnaire to the customers who have experienced dining out at restaurants both during and post-COVID-19. As a result, 130 respondents took part in the survey and answered all the questions in four (4) sections in the questionnaire given. Most of the respondents agreed that the cleanliness is the main factor when they are selecting the restaurant to dine out during and post-COVID-19.