In the highly competitive restaurant industry of today, providing good meals alone is no longer sufficient. It's also necessary to provide incentive dining experiences that go beyond the food. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to investigate how incentive eating experiences which are characterized by service innovation, customer focus, e-promotion, and perceived value can increase online customer engagement and promote electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM). It also seeks to evaluate how other factors—like customers' egoism, customer engagement, and demographics like gender, age and education influence their inclination for E-WOM.
This is quantitative research, including data collected via a web-based questionnaire from customers of cafés and restaurants. Data were examined to assess the correlations between the variables using statistical software called WarpPLS. The findings demonstrate the crucial role of service innovation, perceived value, and e-promotion in designing incentive eating experiences. These elements also have a major impact on online customer engagement, which in turn affects e-WOM. By showing how well-designed an innovative eating experience may stimulate positive customer interaction and e-WOM, which in turn fosters consumer advocacy in the digital age, this research has the potential to influence practices within the restaurant business.