Customers prefer partitions over mannequins in socially-distanced dining
rooms
Survey assesses consumer perceptions of different dining room setups implemented by restaurants amid COVID-19 pandemic

Date:
October 13, 2020
Source:
University of Houston
Summary:
Restaurants have had to get creative to enforce social distancing
guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic, including utilizing
mannequins.

Others were more conservative and opted to place plastic or glass
partitions between tables. A researcher found out which socially-
distanced dining room consumers prefer.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Restaurants around the world were forced to shut down their dining rooms
at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year to comply with stay-at-home orders. While many operations closed for good, others
reopened at limited capacity several weeks later, sparking creative
solutions to enforce social distancing guidelines, including utilizing mannequins. Others were more conservative and opted to place plastic
or glass partitions between tables. But which socially-distanced dining
room do consumers prefer?

==========================================================================
A study published in the International Journal of Hospitality Managementrevealed that consumer perceptions of the dining room that
utilized partitions were significantly greater than those that used
mannequins. Scott Taylor, assistant professor at the University of
Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management,
led the survey of more than 300 people comparing the two servicescapes
on the qualities of aesthetics, comfort, safety and cleanliness.

"Results of the current study suggest that consumers have differing
perceptions of the cleanliness of the two socially distant servicescapes
that were assessed," Taylor reported. "However, it was not just
cleanliness that was found to be perceived significantly differently
between the two servicescapes, as respondents indicated that the dining
room that has partitions between tables was more visually attractive,
cleaner looking, more welcoming, safer looking, more entertaining, more sanitary and more comfortable than the dining room with mannequins."
Like much of the country, Taylor, a restaurant industry veteran who spent
years working in both the kitchen and in management, watched in dismay
as thousands of restaurants nationwide closed over the summer. He was
intrigued by a restaurant in Virginia making national news for placing mannequins in its dining room. Dressed in old-fashioned attire, the
figures were staged to be eating, reading and even proposing on bended
knee -- all normal scenes for a normal dining room. But 2020 isn't a
normal year.

"This owner had a fun idea but I wasn't sold that was something I would
want to go experience, so I set out to see what consumers in general
would prefer," recalled Taylor of his initial reaction. A quick online
search showed even more operations doing the same. "I was surprised at
how prevalent it was," he said.

"It was more than I expected." When people dine out, Taylor explained,
they want to visit establishments that are at least somewhat busy,
reinforcing the idea that it must be worth their time and money.

"It's called social density, so I can understand why restaurants would
want to use figures to create that density aspect," he said. "We're just
not used to seeing mannequins in dining rooms. I think the partitions
looked cleaner. You could see why people would be more comfortable with
those in between the tables." In another noteworthy result, survey
respondents over 40 years of age were more likely to go to either establishment, rating both servicescapes as equally comfortable and
welcoming. That finding was somewhat surprising to Taylor, considering
how older people were reportedly at higher risk of contracting COVID-19,
at least in the early stages of the pandemic when the survey was
taken. "They would be more willing than younger people to go to either
type of operation. They didn't perceive as much risk," he said.

As the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, social
distancing tactics will continue to be important for restaurant operators
to ensure guest and staff safety. Taylor is hopeful his findings will
provide the industry with data-driven input to make smart decisions.

"The industry already runs on razor thin margins, and it's even tighter
right now. Any cost savings they can find can be the key to survival,"
he said.

"Don't buy mannequins, partitions are probably a better, less expensive option."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Houston. Original
written by Chris Stipes.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Scott Taylor. The socially distant servicescape: An investigation of
consumer preference's during the re-opening phase. International
Journal of Hospitality Management, 2020; 91: 102692 DOI: 10.1016/
j.ijhm.2020.102692 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201013105815.htm

--- up 7 weeks, 1 day, 6 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)