Unlocking the secrets of nutraceutical dining: Scale development of traditional Chinese medicine restaurant

Jou nal o Tou ism, He i age & Se ices Ma ke ing, Vol. 11. No. 2, 2025, 42-53 42
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Unlocking he sec e s o nu aceu ical
dining: Scale de elopmen o adi ional
Chinese medicine es au an
Ja Young (Jacey) Choe
Ci y Uni e si y o Macau, China
Jong-Hyeong Kim
A izona S a e Uni e si y, USA
Seongseop (Sam) Kim
The Hong Kong Poly echnic Uni e si y, Hong Kong
Abs ac :
Pu pose: This s udy aims o de elop and alida e a mul idimensional scale ha iden i ies he a ibu es in luencing
dining expe iences a nu aceu ical es au an s, speci ically hose based on T adi ional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I
add esses gaps in hospi ali y li e a u e by clea ly de ining nu aceu ical es au an s and p o iding a comp ehensi e
measu emen ool.
Me hods: The esea ch employed a igo ous mul i-s ep scale de elopmen p ocess, including li e a u e e iew,
quali a i e in e iews, expe e iews, and empi ical alida ion. Da a we e collec ed om 993 Chinese dine s who had
ecen ly pa onized TCM es au an s, using a s a i ied andom sampling app oach. Explo a o y and con i ma o y
ac o analyses, conduc ed wi h SPSS and Sma PLS so wa e, ensu ed he scale’s eliabili y and alidi y.
Resul s: The s udy iden i ied i e key dimensions o TCM es au an a ibu es: in e io design/ u ni u e/ ablewa e,
ood quali y, ood ecommenda ion, se ice quali y, and a mosphe e. S a is ical analyses demons a ed s ong in e nal
consis ency, con e gen alidi y, disc iminan alidi y, and nomological alidi y. Impo an ly, ood a ibu es showed
he highes in luence on cus ome s’ e isi in en ions media ed h ough place a achmen .
Implica ions: This alida ed scale p o ides es au an manage s and esea che s wi h an ac ionable amewo k o
enhance cus ome loyal y and dining sa is ac ion. Fu u e esea ch could ex end his scale’s applica ion ac oss di e se
cul u al con ex s and di e en ypes o heal h-o ien ed dining es ablishmen s.
Keywo ds: Nu aceu ical es au an s, adi ional Chinese Medicine, es au an a ibu es, scale de elopmen , dining
expe iences, place a achmen , cus ome e isi in en ion
JEL Classi ica ion: L83, M31, Z32
Ci a ion: Choe, J.Y., Kim, J-H., & Kim, S. (2025). Unlocking he Sec e s o Nu aceu ical Dining: Scale De elopmen
o T adi ional Chinese Medicine Res au an . Jou nal o Tou ism, He i age & Se ices Ma ke ing, 11(2),
h p://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17284842
Biog aphical no e: Jacey Choe is an Associa e P o esso a he Facul y o In e na ional and Tou ism Managemen a
Ci y Uni e si y o Macau. He esea ch in e es s include es au an ma ke ing and managemen , inno a i e se ices in
hospi ali y, and ou ism sus ainabili y ([email p o ec ed]). Jong-Hyeong Kim is an Associa e p o esso and
Associa e Di ec o a HNU-ASU Join In e na ional College, China. His esea ch in e es s include consume beha iou
in ou ism and hospi ali y indus y, wi h a ocus on memo able expe iences (Jong-Hyeong.Ki[email p o ec ed]du). Seongseop
Kim is a P o esso a he School o Ho el & Tou ism Managemen , The Hong Kong Poly echnic Uni e si y. His
esea ch in e es s include ou ism impac s, sus ainabili y, new echnology and ou ism, e en /con en ion ou ism, and
ou ism and hospi ali y ma ke ing ([email protected]). Co esponding au ho : Jong-Hyeong Kim (Jong-
[email protected]).
1 INTRODUCTION
As li e expec ancy inc eases, he e is a g owing end owa d
adop ing a balanced and heal hy die ha can sus ain
indi iduals’ heal h and nu u e hei o e all well-being (Kim
e al., 2025a). Many consume s a e in e es ed in he
complemen a y he apeu ic e ec s o ood o imp o e hei
heal h (Wu & Liang, 2018). Such oods a e e e ed o as
“nu aceu icals,” which is a combina ion o he wo ds
“nu i ion” and “pha maceu icals” (Kim e al., 2024a). A
nu aceu ical es au an is one ha p o ides ood wi h medical
bene i s, such as p e en ing disease o imp o ing indi iduals’
UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF NUTRACEUTICAL DINING: SCALE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE RESTAURANT 43
heal h s a us (Kim e al., 2024a). The concep o nu aceu ical
ood can be ound in he T adi ional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
heo y, which holds ha ood and medicine a e isogenic (Zhao
e al., 2021). App oxima ely 1.5 billion people use Chinese
medicine wo ldwide, and he TCM indus y con inues o
de elop in China (Yuan e al., 2016).
In he es au an indus y, he che s a Mi a, a Can onese
es au an in Hong Kong, ha e egula consul a ions wi h TCM
doc o s o ge ad ice on how o main ain and p esen he heal h
balance o he ood on he menu (Sun & Wong, 2024).
Fu he mo e, a es au an in Hangzhou, China, uses he
medicinal p ope ies o he bs o maximize he heal h bene i s
o dishes ha a e pai ed wi h medicinal wines o nu i ious
be e ages (Michelin Guide, 2024). To keep ab eas o his
g owing end o consuming nu aceu ical oods o a heal hy
die , he ood/ es au an se ice li e a u e has esea ched
a ious hemes such as consume s’ subjec i e well-being in
egan es au an s (Lim e al., 2022), business p inciples o
se ing o ganic ood in es au an s (Pouls on & Yiu, 2011),
consume accep ance o educed calo ies and a in menus
i ems (Rahama e al., 2022), and he e ec i eness o TCM
die s (Zhang e al., 2021). Howe e , he ex an li e a u e has
he ollowing esea ch gaps.
Fi s , he majo i y o he p e ious s udies concep ualized a
heal hy ood es au an as a o m o egan o o ganic
es au an . While hese es au an s ocus on o e ing dishes
made om plan -based ing edien s and ood wi h non-
chemical e ilize s and pes icides (Kolasa, 2018),
nu aceu ical es au an s emphasize p o iding meals o suppo
cus ome s’ heal h and ca e o speci ic die a y needs, based on
conc e e heo y and p ac ice such as TCM (Shen e al., 2010).
Second, he majo i y o p e ious ood he apy s udies based on
TCM heo y a e clinical esea ch (Shen e al., 2010; Zhang e
al., 2021). Fo example, Shen e al. (2010) used a special menu
o Chinese oods based on TCM heo y as a ea men o
hype ensi e pa ien s wi h Yin-de iciency and claimed ha
applying TCM heo y helped o es o e he Yin-Yang balance
and imp o e hei heal h signi ican ly. Howe e , opics
ela ing o TCM die s in es au an s ha e no been examined
om he es au an managemen pe spec i e.
Thi d, iden i ying he a ibu es o nu aceu ical es au an s is
c i ical in esponse o a signi ican inc ease in con empo a y
consume s’ in e es s in culina y medicine and heal hy ood
ha can p e en disease o imp o e heal h (Kim e al., 2024a;
Sun & Wong, 2024). Howe e , wha makes a nu aceu ical
es au an di e en om o he ood se ice ope a ions has
ecei ed li le a en ion in he ood/ es au an se ice li e a u e.
Fo example, no esea ch has a emp ed o iden i y he
cha ac e is ics o nu aceu ical es au an s in e ms o
de ini ion and dimensionali y. Addi ionally, ew e o s ha e
been made o de elop a eliable and alid scale o a ibu es o
nu aceu ical es au an s. The hospi ali y li e a u e documen s
a ious ins umen s o cap u e he key a ibu es o es au an s,
such as SERVQUAL (Heung e al., 2000), DINESERV (Chun
& Nyam-Ochi , 2020), DinEX (An un e al., 2010), and o he
measu emen i ems (Bujisic e al., 2014; Ka amus a a & Ülke ,
2020; Liu & Tse, 2018). Howe e , hose scales measu ing
es au an a ibu es (e.g., SERVQUAL and DINESERV) a e
limi ed o cap u ing he salien a ibu es o es au an s as hey
mainly ocus on se ice aspec s (Ki ela e al., 1999; Gadel ab
& Ekiz 2019). Mo eo e , he ex an scale de elopmen s udies
in ood/ es au an li e a u e ocus on cus ome expe iences
(Ali, 2022), and consump ion alue (Choe & Kim, 2019), no
he cogni i ely pe cei ed s imuli o a special- hemed
es au an s. The e o e, we aim o b idge hese esea ch gaps.
The esea ch objec i e o his s udy is o de elop a scale o
iden i ying a ibu es o TCM-based nu aceu ical es au an s.
Mo e speci ically, his s udy has he ollowing esea ch
ques ions:
(1) Wha a e he a ibu es o TCM es au an s om he
pe spec i e o Chinese dine s?
(2) How do Chinese dine s pe cei e and p io i ize he a ious
a ibu es o TCM es au an s?
(3) How alid and eliable a e he de eloped measu emen
i ems in ela ion o heo e ically based ou come a iables such
as place a achmen and e isi in en ion?
Chinese dine s we e chosen as he sample because hey a e
amilia wi h he concep o TCM heo y, and he inc easing
popula i y and success o TCM in he ood and es au an
se ice indus y is e iden in China (Wang, 2023). The esul s
o his s udy can help o inc ease unde s anding o cus ome s’
p e e ed a ibu es in newly-eme ging nu aceu ical
es au an s o bo h academicians and indus ial p ac i ione s.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. A ibu es o Nu aceu ical Res au an s
Al hough he e m “nu aceu ical es au an ” is s ill new, he
concep o ood as medicine is gaining popula i y in Wes e n
socie y (Kim e al., 2025a). Nu aceu ical o medicinal
es au an s p o ide dishes ha ha e medicinal p ope ies. Fo
example, Le Bo anis e is a plan -based o ganic es au an ha
ollows he mo o “Food is hy medicine” in he US. Each dish
on he menu is me iculously desc ibed, de ailing i s nu i ional
unc ions, which is in line wi h he es au an ’s commi men o
using ood as medicine (Salaza , 2023). While he his o y o
nu aceu ical es au an s in he Wes e n egion is ela i ely
sho , he his o y o ood as medicine in Asia is much longe ,
and he concep o ‘medicine ood’ is amilia o many
consume s. Pa icula ly in China, TCM is a well-es ablished
medical sys em ha has been used o o e 3000 yea s o ea
a ious diseases (Kim e al., 2024a). I o e s a unique
app oach o he ea men o illness based on a combina ion o
heo e ical and p ac ical p inciples (Zou, 2016).
TCM es au an s a e ood and be e age ope a ions ha p o ide
TCM die s o cus ome s (Kim e al., 2024a). TCM die s
in eg a e he bs and ood wi h he aim o p e en ing diseases o
imp o ing heal h s a us, based on he guidelines o TCM
heo y (Wu & Liang, 2018). In e es ingly, applying he
concep o TCM in he business sec o is now conside ed
“ endy” and “cool” by many young Chinese. They consume
medicine-in used ood and d inks because hey hink is a
ashionable way o main ain heal h (Wang, 2023). In line wi h
his, mo e s udies o TCM applica ion in he hospi ali y se ice
sec o should be conduc ed (Wu & Liang, 2018; Kim e al.,
2024a).
In he hospi ali y li e a u e, ood- ela ed, se ice s a - ela ed,
and ambiance- ela ed quali y a e he h ee mos widely ag eed-
upon a ibu es o es au an s (Song e al., 2021). Food- ela ed
quali y e e s o he as e o ood, eshness, po ion size, menu
a ie y, empe a u e, and ood p esen a ion (Kim e al., 2021).
Se ice s a - ela ed quali y means whe he he s a p o ide
eliable, esponsi e, ca ing, p o essional, and angible se ices
(Chun & Nyam-Ochi , 2020; Pa asu aman e al., 1988).
Ambience- ela ed quali y indica es bo h he so (e.g., com o ,
s yle, and imp ession) and ha d (cleanliness, sa e y, noise, and
44 Ja Young (Jacey) Choe, Jong-Hyeong Kim and Seongseop (Sam) Kim
space) dimensions o es au an s (Bujisic e al., 2014).
Addi ionally, esea che s ha e in es iga ed o he es au an
a ibu es ha a e ela ed o cus ome s’ pe cei ed bene i s and
alues, such as p ice, con enience, social belonging, posi i e
emo ions, and heal h bene i s (An un e al., 2010; Choe & Kim,
2018; Kim e al., 2019). Kankam-Kwa eng e al. (2020) ind
ha di e en ia ion s a egies signi ican ly in luence es au an
pe o mance unde condi ions o compe i i e in ensi y.
While heal h- ela ed a ibu es a e inc easingly impo an as
consume s become mo e conce ned wi h he calo ic and
nu i ional con en o hei es au an meals (Ka amus a a &
Ülke , 2020; Wu & Liang, 2018), exis ing measu emen scales
a e no well-sui ed o iden i ying he speci ic cha ac e is ics o
nu aceu ical es au an s ha can ca e o cus ome s’ heal h
conce ns speci ically o indi idually. A e e iewing he ood
and es au an li e a u e wi h he applica ion o TCM heo y
and exis ing es au an a ibu e s udies, po en ial cons uc s o
TCM es au an a ibu es a e discussed in he ollowing
sec ions.
En i onmen al ha mony wi h ood
TCM explains ha indi iduals’ ood consump ion should be in
alignmen wi h en i onmen al ac o s such as he season,
wea he , and geog aphical loca ion (Shen e al., 2010; Wu &
Liang, 2018). Fo example, i e ce eals ( ice, sesame seeds,
soya beans, whea , and mille ), i e ui s (jujube, plum,
ches nu , ap ico , and peach), i e animals (bee , dog mea ,
po k, mu on, and chicken), and i e ege ables (ma ow,
chi e, bean sp ou s, shallo , and onion) a e oods ha ha e
he apeu ic e ec i eness (Wang, 1997, as ci ed in Shen e al.,
2010). Such oods can be consumed p ope ly by conside ing
en i onmen al ha mony o p o ide nou ishmen , supplemen
nu i ion, gi e ad an ages, and aid in eco e y (Shen e al.,
2010). Dishes in TCM es au an s should emphasize he
impo ance o consuming oods ha a e in ha mony wi h he
na u al en i onmen o main ain dine s’ heal h and well-being.
Food balance
The “Yin (cold) and Yang (ho )” heo y ep esen s he
philosophical guidance o TCM, and i se es as a pe spec i e
ha accoun s o he o igins and a ia ions o he uni e se
(Zou, 2016). The cha ac e is ics o mo ing, b igh , and
p og essing pe ain o “Yang”, while any hing ha has
s illness, da kness, and degene a ion ep esen s “Yin”. Any
pa hological changes in he human body can be explained by
he “Yin-Yang” heo y (Be ino, 2014; Zou, 2016). TCM ood
he apy is based on he p inciples o balancing he Yin and
Yang p ope ies o ing edien s, cooking echniques, and he
ha monious combina ion o he i e undamen al la o s o
ood (spicy, swee , sou , bi e , and sal y) (Be ino, 2014; Zou,
2016). TCM he apy ecommends o a oid he cons an in ake
o ex emely “Yin” ood, such as suga , alcoholic be e ages,
and e ined lou s and ex emely “Yang” ood, such as ed
mea , sal y ood, and p ocessed mea . In summa y, TCM
es au an s should p o ide a balanced die in e ms o Yin and
Yang p ope ies, la o s, and cooking me hods o p omo e he
o e all well-being o cus ome s.
Sui abili y o own physique
P o iding TCM ood ailo ed o each indi idual’s unique body
cons i u ion is essen ial o add essing de iciencies and
enhancing o e all heal h (Wu & Liang, 2018). Acco ding o
TCM heo y, unc ional oods can slow down he aging
p ocess (e.g., Chinese yam, lo us seed), imp o e he lus e o
acial skin (sesame seed, honey), educe excessi e body a
(e.g., bamboo shoo s, g een cabbage), ea hype ension (e.g.,
oa s, mung bean sp ou s), and ea diabe es (e.g., oma o,
wol be y) (Weng & Chen, 1996). In Shen e al.’s (2010)
s udy, a g oup o hype ensi e pa ien s was educa ed o
consume ood wi h cold p ope ies o clea away hea and
p oduce body luids, such as cele y, jelly ish, oys e , and
banana, while hey a oided consuming mu on, black peppe ,
onion, and ginge . These unc ional oods we e ound o be
e ec i e in ea ing hype ensi e pa ien s. Howe e , i he
same oods we e aken by o he s wi h a di e en heal h s a us,
he esul migh no be he same. The e o e, cus omizing TCM
cuisine o an indi idual’s speci ic body ype and heal h s a us
is one o he impo an ea u es o TCM es au an s.
Food ecommenda ion
Food ecommenda ions in TCM es au an s a e c i ical
because cus ome s may no ha e adequa e knowledge abou
TCM heo y and ood medicine. F on line pe sonnel play a key
ole in c ea ing sa is ac o y ouchpoin s be ween cus ome s
and se ice p o ide s (Kim e al., 2024b). Wi h ega d o
on line employees’ se ice, p o essional menu knowledge is
conside ed one o he impo an ac o s ha a ec cus ome s’
posi i e expe iences a TCM es au an s (Alhelala e al.,
2017). Guo e al. (2023) explained ha ood ecommenda ion
by se ice s a is a e y impo an a ibu e o TCM
es au an s and cus ome s app ecia e he ailo ed cuisine based
on ood he apy. By explaining he cooking p ocess,
ing edien s, and unc ions o he cuisine, se ice s a in TCM
es au an s can e ec i ely assis cus ome s wi h menu choices.
Se ice Quali y
As p e iously men ioned, ood, se ice, and ambiance a e he
h ee key impo an aspec s ha cus ome s expec in
es au an s (Song e al., 2021). TCM es au an s a e no an
excep ion. O he han TCM- ela ed a ibu es, a es au an
should p o ide decen se ice o cus ome s. Se ice quali y
signi ican ly in luences cus ome loyal y and long- e m
pa onage o es au an s (B ady & C onin, 2001). The
SERVQUAL model is ypically adop ed in he con ex o
es au an s o measu e s a ’s eliabili y, assu ance,
esponsi eness, angibles, and empa hy (Kim e al., 2021;
Pa asu aman e al., 1988). The e o e, se ice quali y in TCM
es au an s can be e alua ed by cus ome s’ pe cep ions o s a
as deli e ing accu a e, p omp , p o essional se ice in a ca ing
manne .
A mosphe e
I is well known ha he ambiance o a es au an can a ec
dine s’ emo ions and expe iences (Tsau & Lo, 2020). The
a mosphe e and su oundings a e conside ed c i ical in
c ea ing a posi i e dining expe ience o cus ome s (Kim e al.,
2024b). Fo example, esea che s ha e no ed ha senso y cues
ha c ea e a mosphe e, such as ol ac o y cues (e.g., unique
a omas) and audi o y indica o s (e.g., music ep esen ing a
es au an ’s heme) signi ican ly in luence dining expe iences
(Cao e al., 2019; Al es e al., 2022). Acco dingly, soo hing
backg ound music and pleasan a omas o Chinese he bs ha
help cus ome s eel com o able while dining a e impo an
a mosphe ic cues a TCM es au an s.
In e io design, u ni u e and ablewa e
In e io design, u ni u e, and ablewa e a e impo an angible
elemen s ha can c ea e a posi i e en i onmen o dine s in
UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF NUTRACEUTICAL DINING: SCALE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE RESTAURANT 45
es au an s (Im & Seo, 2024). They a e pa icula ly c ucial
when a es au an has a speci ic heme o con ey o cus ome s
(Kim e al., 2024b). The design can e ec i ely communica e
he co e message he es au an aims o sha e wi h i s pa ons.
When es au an s success ully communica e wi h cus ome s
h ough app op ia e in e io design, hey can c ea e a mo e
ha monious and com o able en i onmen , allowing pa ons o
ully enjoy hei expe ience (Song e al., 2021). The e o e,
in e io design, u ni u e and ablewa e e lec ing he TCM
heme a e impo an es au an a ibu es.
P ice
P ice e e s o a easonable p ice o o he ood and ela ed
se ices ha cus ome s ob ain in a es au an (Liu & Tse,
2018). The objec i e o a ood se ice ope a ion is o a i e a
a p ice he cus ome is willing o pay and ha will p oduce he
desi ed p o i o he es au an (Ba ish, 2020). F om a
cus ome ’s poin o iew, i hey do no pe cei e p ice ai ness
o alue o money in es au an s, hey will no ha e a posi i e
a i ude and will no e u n o he es au an (Choe & Kim,
2018). Kwon e al. (2020) applied machine lea ning-based
na u al language o analyze a as numbe o online cus ome
e iews o es au an s. They ound ha p ice is one o he mos
equen ly men ioned a ibu es in es au an e iews. Thus,
cus ome s ha e a no iceable endency o see p ice as a cos
om hei ade-o pe spec i e, and an essen ial a ibu e ha
de e mines hei dining expe iences.
Table 1: Po en ial cons uc s o es au an a ibu es a ec ing
TCM es au an cus ome s’ dining expe iences
2.2. In luences o Res au an A ibu es on Dining
Expe iences
The p e ious li e a u e indica es ha es au an a ibu es
con ibu e o c ea ing posi i e expe iences o dine s
(Ka amus a a & Ülke , 2020). In Tsau and Lo’s (2020) s udy,
excellen se ice beha io , exquisi e and delicious cuisine, an
amazing physical en i onmen , unique a mosphe e, and high
pe cei ed alue we e conside ed impo an ac o s in
gene a ing memo able dining expe iences. Ka amus a a and
Ülke (2020) demons a ed ha a ibu es ela ed o menu,
employees, physical e idence, cleanliness, a mosphe e, and
suppo ing se ices we e in luen ial in a ec ing dine s’ o e all
expe iences. Alhelala e al. (2017) ound ha pe sonal (e.g.,
idiness, hospi ali y, and ca ing manne ) and unc ional (e.g.,
menu knowledge, menu ecommenda ion, and communica ion
skills) aspec s o se ice employee beha io played a
signi ican ole in c ea ing cus ome sa is ac ion. Addi ionally,
a cul u ally ich and adi ionally hemed a mosphe e
comp ised o unique a omas, com o ing music, ligh ing, and
su oundings posi i ely a ec ed cus ome s’ dining expe ience
(Chen e al., 2020). The way a es au an is deco a ed, he
mood i c ea es, and he a angemen o u nishing, equipmen ,
and space all con ibu e o how cus ome s eel, and how hey
e alua e he o e all dining expe ience (Kim e al., 2024b). In
summa y, when dine s assess he a ious a ibu es o
es au an s posi i ely, hey a e mo e likely o ha e posi i e
dining expe iences, u he c ea ing posi i e eelings o
a ec ion o and loyal y o hose es au an s.
2.3. Ra ionale o Scale De elopmen
As epo ed in Table 2, he ex an scale de elopmen s udies in
es au an se ice a e mainly ocused on cus ome expe iences
(Ali, 2022; Badu‐Baiden & Kim, 2022; Cao e al., 2019; Han
& Jeong, 2013; Tsau & Lo, 2020; Liu e al., 2022), pe cei ed
se ice quali y (Chen e al., 2015; Cheng e al., 2019), and
pe cei ed alue (Choe & Kim, 2019; Kim e al., 2019). These
s udies ha e ad anced ou unde s anding o impo an ac o s
o ming dining expe iences and cus ome pe cep ions.
Howe e , esea che s a gue ha indi iduals de elop hei
cogni i e and emo ional esponses based on hei in e p e a ion
o s imuli (Meh abian & Russell, 1974; Song & Kim, 2021).
Thus, one p oblem in he hospi ali y li e a u e is a lack o
in o ma ion on es au an a ibu es ha a ec cus ome s’
dining expe iences. Such in o ma ion would help es au a eu s
de elop guidelines o assess es au an a ibu es ha would
con ey pleasan dining expe iences.
Table 2. Ex an scale de elopmen s udies in es au an se ice
Fu he mo e, we a emp ed o add ess he speci ic
cha ac e is ics and needs o nu aceu ical es au an s,
dis inguishing i om widely used scales like SERVQUAL,
DINESERV and DinEX. Speci ically, SERVQUAL (Heung e
al., 2000; Pa asu aman e al., 1988) mainly ocuses on he
quali y o he s a a he es au an s. The e o e, SERVQUAL
may no be able o cap u e he dis inc i e cha ac e is ics o
nu aceu ical es au an s, such as p o iding ood wi h
en i onmen al ha mony and he balance o Yin and Yang.
DINESERV (Chun and Nyam-Ochi , 2020) has se e al
dimensions such as ood quali y, se ice quali y, a mosphe e,
and p ice, bu again, mos measu emen i ems o DINESERV
ep esen se ice aspec s in gene al a he han cap u ing he
co e aspec s o special- hemed es au an s. DinEX (An un e
al., 2010) p o ides dimensions such as social ac o s,
a mosphe e, se ice ac o , heal h ac o , and ood ac o s.
Howe e , hei heal h ac o measu es a e y simple aspec ,
such as p o iding low-calo ie ood op ions, a he han
46 Ja Young (Jacey) Choe, Jong-Hyeong Kim and Seongseop (Sam) Kim
cap u ing he main ea u es o medicine ood ele an o
clima e, wea he , and balance in na u e. Mo eo e , he exis ing
es au an scales do no speci ically ha e dimensions such as
ood ecommenda ion, whe he he s a ’s p o essional
knowledge abou ood medicine can help cus ome s choose he
dishes and app ecia e he pe sonalized expe ience. In
summa y, exis ing es au an scales om ea lie models a e
inadequa e o add essing he unique cha ac e is ics o
nu aceu ical es au an s. Thus, he e is a need o de elop a
new scale speci ically ailo ed o TCM dining expe iences.
3 METHOD
This s udy ho oughly e iewed p e ious scale de elopmen
esea ch and ollowed a igo ous p ocess o de elop a scale
ins umen (Chu chill, 1979; DeVellis and Tho pe, 2021). This
p ocess in ol es he ollowing ou majo s ages: 1)
de elopmen o ini ial cons uc s and a pool o scale i ems; 2)
expe s’ e iew; 3) pu i ica ion o scale i ems; and 4)
alida ion o scale i ems. This ou -s age p ocess is lis ed in
Table 3.
Τable 3. Scale de elopmen p ocess
3.1. S age 1: De elopmen o Ini ial Cons uc s and Scale
I ems
Following Chu chill’s (1979) ecommenda ion, he i s s age
o scale de elopmen in ol ed speci ying he s udy cons uc s
and gene a ing a pool o scale i ems. We conduc ed a li e a u e
e iew on ele an s udies, and in-dep h in e iews. Fi s , om
he li e a u e e iew, eigh es au an a ibu es and 25 i ems
we e iden i ied. The a ibu es we e: en i onmen al ha mony
wi h ood, ood balance, sui abili y o ood o wea he ,
sui abili y o ood o pe sonal physique, ood quali y, se ice
quali y, a mosphe ic ac o s, and p ice. Based on hese
indings, we de eloped a p ima y code book o he succeeding
quali a i e da a analyses.
We hen conduc ed in-dep h in e iews wi h 50 Chinese
cus ome s who had dined a TCM es au an s. Quali ied
pa icipan s we e ec ui ed om C edamo, a Chinese panel
da a company. We included sc eening ques ions in he e-mail
in i a ions (e.g., ha e you dined a a TCM es au an in he pas
six mon hs? and Wha is he name o he TCM es au an you
ecen ly pa onized?). The pa icipan s we e asked o ecall
hei mos ecen TCM es au an expe iences o a ew
minu es and in e iewed o answe he ollowing open-ended
ques ions: Desc ibe you expe ience and how would you
e alua e his expe ience?; Wha a e he impo an a ibu es
when dining a TCM es au an s?; Why a e hey impo an ?;
How do hese a ibu es in luence you dining expe ience?;
Wha is you expec a ion o each a ibu e?; Wha a e he
bene i s b ough by hese es au an a ibu es?, and Wha a e
he mos impo an h ee a ibu es when dining a TCM
es au an s? O e all, each in e iew las ed be ween 30 and 45
minu es. We had mo e emale (60%) pa icipan s han males
(40%). The pa icipan s’ ages anged be ween 18 and 52. The
majo i y o he pa icipan s held a bachelo ’s deg ee (72%).
The in e iew sc ip s we e coded using NVi o so wa e
( e sion 14). Two esea che s coded he da a independen ly.
A e coding o es au an a ibu es was comple ed, he
esea che s compa ed hei codes o esol e any disag eemen .
Th ough his p ocess, 78 di e en wo ds desc ibing es au an
a ibu es we e iden i ied and hen educed o 21 wo ds unde
se en dimensions. By assembling he i ems om he li e a u e
e iew and in e iew da a, a o al o 35 i ems ela ed o eigh
cons uc s we e de eloped.
3.2. S age 2: Expe s’ Re iew
To es ablish con en alidi y and ace alidi y (DeVellis and
Tho pe, 2021), expe s in TCM es au an esea ch e alua ed
he app op ia eness and comp ehensi eness o he ini ial scale
i ems. The expe panel included h ee acul y membe s and
wo pos g adua e s uden s who we e amilia wi h TCM
p inciples and had conduc ed TCM es au an esea ch. The
panel e alua ed he ini ial scale i ems based on he de ini ion
o each cons uc and a ed he app op ia eness and con en
ambigui y o he i ems on a 7-poin scale (1= no a all; 7= e y
much). Scale i ems e alua ed as inapp op ia e o ambiguous
by mo e han hal o he expe s we e emo ed. Acco dingly,
a o al o 31 i ems we e e ained o u he analysis.
3.3. Da a Collec ion P ocess and Sampling
Empi ical e alua ion o he de eloped scale was conduc ed
using da a collec ed om Chinese TCM dine s. The 31 i ems
gene a ed in he p e ious s age we e ans o med in o a su ey
ques ionnai e. To ensu e a di e se and ep esen a i e sample,
we employed a panel da a app oach using Weidiaocha, a
p o essional su ey company wi h a na ionwide da abase o
o e 2.9 million Chinese consume s. This me hod enabled us
o e icien ly ec ui a la ge pool o quali ied Chinese
cus ome s om a ious egions ac oss China who had ecen ly
dined a TCM es au an s. The use o panel da a o e ed se e al
ad an ages, including b oad geog aphic co e age, enhanced
sampling con ol, and imp o ed da a eliabili y, as pa icipan s
we e p e-sc eened based on ele an dining expe ience. This
app oach s eng hened he gene alizabili y o ou indings and
ensu ed ha he esponses e lec ed a comp ehensi e ange o
consume pe spec i es wi hin he TCM dining con ex .
Employing a s a i ied andom sampling p ocedu e, he
company sen an in i a ion wi h in o ma ion abou he s udy
and he su ey link o hei panelis s wi h an aim o collec ing
1,000 usable esponses. The same sc eening ques ions used o
he pilo s udy we e included o ec ui quali ied esponden s.
Responden s we e asked o ecall hei mos ecen TCM
es au an expe ience and o e alua e he scale i ems on a 7-
poin scale (1= s ongly disag ee; 7= s ongly ag ee). A e
elimina ing se en esponses ha epo ed he same a ing o

UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF NUTRACEUTICAL DINING: SCALE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE RESTAURANT 47
o e 90% o he i ems, we ob ained 993 usable samples. Using
Coch an’s (1977) o mula, he sample size su passed he
equi ed sample size when conside ing he popula ion in
China, 95% con idence in e al, and ±5% ma gin o e o . O
he 993 esponden s, 56.9% we e emale.
4 RESULTS
4.1. Pa icipan s
The esponden s’ ages anged be ween 18 and 73 yea s, wi h a
median age o 33. The majo i y o esponden s held a
bachelo ’s deg ee (64.5%), and 43.1% o hem we e company
wo ke s while 13.6% we e sel -employed. Rega ding annual
household income, he majo i y (64.8%) ea ned be ween
80,000RMB and 119,999RMB (US$ 10,965-16,447). Abou
45.1% o he esponden s had dined a a TCM es au an h ee
o mo e imes in he pas 6 mon hs.
4.2. C oss Valida ion o Da a
To ensu e me hodological igo while making e icien use o
he la ge sample (n = 993), he da ase was andomly spli in o
wo independen subse s: a calib a ion sample (n = 495) o
explo a o y ac o analysis (EFA) and a alida ion sample (n =
498) o con i ma o y ac o analysis (CFA). This in e nal
c oss- alida ion app oach was chosen because i allows o
independen es ing o he scale s uc u e wi hin he same s udy
while minimizing he isk o o e i ing (Choe & Kim, 2019;
O oo e al., 2021). Gi en ha he o al sample exceeded he
ecommended h esholds o bo h EFA and CFA, spli ing he
da a p ese ed su icien s a is ical powe and p o ided a
obus basis o alida ing he dimensionali y and eliabili y o
he scale. This p ocedu e aligns wi h bes p ac ices in scale
de elopmen esea ch and enhances he gene alizabili y o he
indings (DeVellis & Tho pe, 2021).
4.3. S age 3: Scale Pu i ica ion and Re inemen
Following Chu chill’s (1979) ecommended scale pu i ica ion
p ocess, i em- o- o al co ela ions we e compu ed o all 31
i ems. I ems ha we e poo ly co ela ed ( alue lowe han
0.3) wi h he o al sco e we e elimina ed. This p ocess esul ed
in e aining 27 i ems ou o he o iginal 31 i ems. To assess he
in e nal consis ency o he scale, we used C onbach’s alpha.
The eliabili y o he 27-i em scale was 0.947, indica ing good
in e nal consis ency. EFA was hen conduc ed on he 27 i ems
using p incipal componen analysis wi h p omax o a ion o
iden i y he dimensionali y o es au an a ibu es. Employing
bo h he Kaise -Gu man c i e ion (i.e., eigen alues g ea e
han 1) and sc ee plo analysis, he EFA esul ed in i e ac o s.
To e ain i ems, he ollowing c i e ia we e adop ed: 1)
communali ies g ea e han 0.5, ac o loadings highe han
0.5, and c oss loadings lowe han 0.4 (Hai e al., 2019).
Mul iple ounds o EFA led o he emo al o 5 i ems,
including 2 i ems wi h low communali ies, 1 i em wi h low
ac o loading, and 2 i ems wi h high c oss-loadings.
Acco dingly, 22 i ems co esponding o i e ac o s emained.
The inal EFA was pe o med on he emaining 22 i ems. The
KMO alue was 0.930 and Ba le ’s es o sphe ici y was
6176.987 (p < .001), indica ing he adequacy o he da a o
EFA. The i e- ac o model accoun ed o 67.209% o he o al
a iance. Table 4 epo s he i e ac o s ex ac ed om he
EFA. The ac o s we e labeled as design/ ablewa e/ u ni u e (5
i ems), ood (5 i ems), ood ecommenda ion (4 i ems), se ice
quali y (4 i ems), and a mosphe ic (4 i ems).
Table 4. Explo a o y ac o analysis (N= 495)
4.4. S age 4: Scale Valida ion
Con i ma o y ac o analysis
Sma PLS ( e sion 4.1.0.6) was used o conduc he
con i ma o y ac o analysis (CFA). This so wa e was
selec ed due o i s sui abili y o heo y de elopmen and
explo a o y model es ing, which aligns wi h he objec i es o
scale alida ion. Unlike co a iance-based SEM ools, Sma
PLS imposes ewe es ic ions on da a dis ibu ion and is well-
equipped o handle complex models in ol ing mul iple
cons uc s and indica o s (Hai e al., 2019). In his s udy, he
Shapi o–Wilk es esul s indica ed signi ican non-no mali y
(p < .001), u he jus i ying he use o PLS-SEM o model
es ima ion.
As shown in Table 5, C onbach’s alpha alues anged om
0.807 o 0.877, indica ing adequa e eliabili y. Fu he mo e, all
he ac o loadings anged om 0.729 o 0.885, while Dijks a-
Hensele ’s ho ( anging om 0.809 o 0.882) and composi e
eliabili y alues ( anging om 0.874 o 0.910) we e abo e he
h eshold o 0.7 (Hai e al., 2019). Addi ionally, a e age
a iance ex ac ed (AVE) alues anged om 0.603 o 0.670.
These esul s suppo ed he con e gen alidi y. To assess he
disc iminan alidi y, he Fo nell–La cke c i e ion (Fo nell
and La cke , 1981) and he he e o ai –mono ai (HTMT)
a ios o he co ela ions (Hensele e al., 2015) we e
examined. As epo ed in Table 6, he squa e oo o AVE
alues exceeded he in e cons uc co ela ions. Addi ionally,
all he HTMT alues we e lowe han he h eshold o 0.85
(Hensele e al., 2015). Thus, disc iminan alidi y was
es ablished.
48 Ja Young (Jacey) Choe, Jong-Hyeong Kim and Seongseop (Sam) Kim
Τable 5. Con i ma o y ac o analysis (N= 498)
Τable 6. Disc iminan alidi y assessmen
Model compa isons
To con i m he bes concep ualiza ion o es au an a ibu e
dimensions, his s udy compa ed h ee al e na i e models.
Model 1 was one i s -o de ac o model wi h 22 indica o s.
Model 2 was a i e i s -o de ac o model. Model 3 in ol ed
one second-o de ac o wi h i e i s -o de ac o s. We
examined model i indices o de e mine he bes i ing model.
As epo ed in Table 7, Model 2 concep ualizing es au an
a ibu es as i e i s -o de ac o s showed a be e i han
Model 1 o Model 3.
Τable 7. Model compa isons
Nomological alidi y
Nomological alidi y e e s o he deg ee o a measu ed
cons uc ha makes p edic ion o o he heo e ically ela ed
cons uc s (Hai e al., 2019). To es he nomological alidi y
o he es au an a ibu es scale, wo heo e ically based
ou come a iables we e conside ed: place a achmen (based
on esponses o he ollowing s a emen s: I would eel good i
he es au an was success ul in i s ope a ions; I would eel
happy i I we e o hea a good e iew o he es au an ; I el i
was mo e enjoyable o ea he e han a o he es au an s; and I
had a connec ion o he adi ional Chinese medica ed die
es au an ) adap ed om Kim and Lee (2022) and e isi
in en ion adap ed om Dedeoglu e al. (2018) (based on
esponses o he ollowing s a emen s: I would like o dine
again a his TCM es au an ; I would choose o go o his TCM
es au an a he han o he TCM es au an s; and his TCM
es au an would be my i s choice compa ed o o he TCM
es au an s).
Τable 8. Nomological alidi y o es au an a ibu es scale
G ounded in he S imulus–O ganism–Response (S-O-R)
model (Meh abian & Russell, 1974), his s udy es ed a
s uc u al model in which i e es au an a ibu es (s imuli)
indi ec ly in luence e isi in en ion ( esponse) h ough place
a achmen (o ganism) (see Figu e 1). VIF alues anged om
1.44 o 2.94, indica ing no se ious mul icollinea i y issues
exis ed in he da a (Hai e al., 2019). CFA esul s showed ha
all he ac o loadings we e g ea e han he 0.7 h eshold. As
shown in Table 8, he model sa is ac o ily explained he
a iance o place a achmen (R2= 0.52) and e isi in en ion
(R2= 0.54). Fu he mo e, all i e es au an a ibu es
signi ican ly in luenced place a achmen :
design/ u ni u e/ ablewa e (
b
= 0.170, = 3.423, p < 0.001),
ood (
b
= 0.295, = 5.790, p < 0.001), ood ecommenda ion (
b
= 0.126, = 2.491, p < 0.01), se ice quali y (
b
= 0.175, =
3.259, p < 0.01), and a mosphe ic (
b
= 0.121, = 2.128, p <
0.05). Addi ionally, place a achmen signi ican ly a ec ed
e isi in en ion (
b
= 0.732, = 32.991, p < 0.001). Thus,
nomological alidi y was suppo ed. Rega ding he
compa a i e in luence o es au an a ibu es on e isi
in en ion, he speci ic indi ec e ec o each a ibu e was
calcula ed. The esul s showed ha ood had he g ea es
impac on e isi in en ion (
b
= 0.216) ollowed by se ice
quali y (
b
= 0.128), design/ ablewa e/ u ni u e (
b
= 0.124), ood
ecommenda ion (
b
= 0.092), and a mosphe e (
b
= 0.089).
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UNLOCKING THE SECRETS OF NUTRACEUTICAL DINING: SCALE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE RESTAURANT 49
Figu e 1. S uc u al model o nomological alidi y es .
5 DISCUSSION
Wo ldwide, nu aceu ical consump ion has g own
exponen ially o he pu poses o p omo ing heal h and
wellness. In con empo a y socie y, nu aceu ical consump ion
is an app oxima ely 713 billion USD indus y wi h a p edic ed
compound annual g ow h a e o 8.4% be ween 2024 and 2030
(G and View Resea ch, 2024). A popula o m o nu aceu ical
consump ion in China is TCM die s. Acco dingly, he e a e
o e 78,600 en e p ises pa icipa ing in TCM es au an s and
he medicinal wine indus y (Guo e al., 2023). Despi e he
impo ance o his ma ke , empi ical insigh s in o cus ome s’
pe cep ions ega ding es au an a ibu es a ec ing hei
dining expe iences a TCM es au an s emain scan .
The e o e, his s udy aimed o de elop a eliable scale
ins umen o measu e he es au an a ibu es ha in luence
dining expe iences. Following a igo ous mul is ep scale
de elopmen p ocesses (Chu chill, 1979), his s udy de eloped
a 5-dimensional scale comp ising 22 i ems.
5.1. Theo e ical Implica ions
This s udy makes se e al impo an heo e ical con ibu ions.
Fi s , i in oduces a new esea ch di ec ion in es au an
li e a u e by in eg a ing TCM and hospi ali y managemen
h ough he lens o nu aceu ical consump ion. P e ious
esea ch on heal hy ea ing is mos ly sca e ed and does no
comp ehensi ely cap u e es au an a ibu es a ec ing dine s’
expe iences. Fo example, p io esea ch concep ualized
heal hy ood es au an s as a o m o egan o o ganic
es au an (Lim e al., 2022). Howe e , cus ome s in hese
ma ke s a e mo e conce ned abou heal hy li es yle and
sus ainabili y han imp o emen o heal h condi ions based on
medical heo y and p ac ice (Guo e al., 2023; F iedmann &
B ooks, 2024). Thus, his s udy b idges he esea ch gap by
p o iding salien insigh s in o es au an a ibu es ha a ec
dining expe iences a heal hy ood es au an s.
Second, he ex an es au an li e a u e documen s a ious
ins umen s measu ing cus ome expe iences (Ali, 2022;
Badu‐Baiden & Kim, 2022; Cao e al., 2019; Liu e al., 2022),
pe cei ed se ice quali y (Chen e al., 2015; Cheng e al.,
2019) and alue pe cep ions (Kim e al., 2019). Howe e , he e
is no ins umen ha concep ualizes he an eceden s o hese
ou come ac o s (i.e., es au an a ibu es). Gi en ha
cus ome s’ pe cep ions o s imuli igge cogni i e and
emo ional esponses, i is impo an o unde s and he
es au an a ibu es a ec ing dining expe iences. Thus, his
s udy con ibu es o he li e a u e by de eloping a
measu emen scale o es au an a ibu es in he TCM
es au an con ex .
Thi d, his s udy ound ha es au an a ibu es a ec ing
dining expe iences a TCM es au an s included he ollowing
i e dimensions: In e io design/ u ni u e/ ablewa e, ood,
ood ecommenda ion, se ice quali y, and a mosphe e. O he
i e es au an a ibu es, “se ice quali y” eco ded he
highes mean sco e (g and mean= 5.81). The se ice quali y
i ems indica e ha se ice employees’ empa hy,
esponsi eness, and hospi ableness a e impo an in TCM
es au an s. This inding co obo a es p e ious esea ch ha
iden i ied he c ucial ole o se ice quali y in luencing
cus ome loyal y in di e se es au an con ex s (Kim e al.,
2021; Song e al., 2021; Csapó & Kusumaning um, 2025).
A high mean alue o “ ood” (g and mean= 5.64) suppo ed
he inding ha he p ima y mo i a ion o dining a TCM
es au an s is consuming heal hy ood (Kim e al., 2024a).
Fu he mo e, in line wi h he TCM p inciple, cus ome s we e
conce ned abou ood ha mony wi h he na u al en i onmen
(including season and wea he ) and he Yin-Yang o ood
ing edien s as well as cooking me hods (Wu & Liang, 2018;
Zou, 2016). Since he dimension “ ood” e lec s one o he
unique cha ac e is ics o TCM es au an s well, his en iches
he unde s anding o TCM es au an s and adds new insigh s
in o he exis ing dining- ela ed scales.
The es au an a ibu e o “in e io
design/ u ni u e/ ablewa e”, highligh ing he angible
elemen s in a se ice en i onmen had he hi d highes mean
alue (g and mean= 5.59). Kim e al. (2024a) no ed ha
in e io design, ablewa e, and u ni u e c ea e a mo e
ha monious en i onmen a nos algia es au an s. Likewise,
his s udy co obo a es exis ing s udies ha when a es au an
has a special heme, es au a eu s should pay a en ion o
physical in e io u nishings and deco a i e i ems in he
es au an (Kim e al., 2025b).
“Food ecommenda ion” had a ela i ely high mean alue
(g and mean= 5.54). Alhelala e al. (2017) no ed ha se ice
s a ’s p o essional knowledge abou ood o e ings de e mine
cus ome s’ posi i e dining expe ience. Acco dingly, ood
ecommenda ions om es au an s a a e an impo an
a ibu e o TCM es au an s whe e cus ome s equi e
p o essional knowledge o choose a speci ic dish ha will
bene i hei heal h condi ion. “Food ecommenda ion” is a
new dimension ha ep esen s one o he impo an aspec s o
TCM-based nu aceu ical es au an s, which is di e en ia ed
om exis ing es au an models.
The es au an a ibu e labeled as “a mosphe e” has been
discussed as an impo an ac o a ec ing es au an pa ons’
emo ions and dining expe iences in he p e ious s udies (Tsau
& Lo, 2020). The cu en s udy also ound “a mosphe e” is an
impo an dimension ha need o be included when
in es iga ing nu aceu ical es au an s. Pa icula ly, his s udy
ound ha music and a omas e lec ing Chinese cul u e and
Chinese medicine/he bs comp ise he a mosphe e o TCM-
based nu aceu ical es au an s. Howe e , i should be no ed
ha among he i e dimensions, he in luence o “a mosphe e”
on place a achmen was he weakes , despi e i s signi icance
(= 0.121, = 2.128, p < 0.05). A plausible explana ion o his
esul is ha TCM dine s a e la gely mo i a ed by u ili a ian
pu poses (i.e., heal h p omo ion) a he han hedonic eelings
(Kim e al., 2024a).
50 Ja Young (Jacey) Choe, Jong-Hyeong Kim and Seongseop (Sam) Kim
Finally, he esul s om he nomological alidi y es
con i med he heo e ical mechanism p oposed by he S-O-R
model, which explains how es au an a ibu es in luence
e isi in en ion h ough an in e nal psychological s a e—place
a achmen . P e ious esea che s ha e a gued ha ex e nal
s imuli e oke emo ional o cogni i e esponses, which in u n
shape beha io al in en ions (Meh abian & Russell, 1974; Kim
& Song, 2024). In his s udy, he i e es au an a ibu es
se ed as en i onmen al s imuli ha igge ed emo ional
a achmen o he dining en i onmen , ul ima ely in luencing
cus ome s’ in en ion o e isi . The choice o he S-O-R
amewo k was guided by i s s eng h in cap u ing he holis ic
and expe ien ial na u e o dining in TCM-based nu aceu ical
es au an s—se ings whe e senso y, symbolic, and cul u al
elemen s play a cen al ole (Kim e al., 2025a). Unlike
al e na i e heo ies such as he Theo y o Planned Beha io
(Ajzen, 1991) o Expec a ion-Con i ma ion Theo y (Oli e ,
1980), which emphasize a ional decision-making o
sa is ac ion judgmen s, he S-O-R model enables a mo e
nuanced explo a ion o how mul isenso y s imuli con ibu e o
emo ional bonding and beha io . No ably, his s udy
con ibu es o he li e a u e by employing place a achmen as
he o ganism—a heo e ically app op ia e bu unde u ilized
cons uc in hospi ali y esea ch. Place a achmen e lec s he
emo ional bond be ween cus ome s and a speci ic dining
en i onmen (Kim & Lee, 2022), which is especially ele an
in he con ex o TCM es au an s ha o en in ol e epea ed,
meaning ul isi s ied o heal h and cul u al iden i y. The
esul s showed signi ican indi ec e ec s o all i e es au an
a ibu es on e isi in en ion h ough place a achmen ,
alida ing bo h he p oposed model and he u ili y o he S-O-
R amewo k in his unique dining con ex .
5.2. P ac ical Implica ions
This s udy also has se e al impo an p ac ical implica ions.
This mul i-dimensional scale p o ides key es au an
a ibu es, which equi e in e en ions and imp o emen o
inc ease cus ome loyal y a TCM es au an s. Fi s , he ood
o e ed a TCM es au an s is he mos c i ical ac o
s imula ing e isi in en ion. Thus, he menu and dishes should
be ca e ully designed and p epa ed based on TCM heo ies
(e.g., en i onmen al ha mony and yin-yang balance). Fo
example, TCM heo y sugges s consuming swee ood (e.g.,
Chinese yam and swee po a o) in sp ing o nou ish g ow h;
gou d and lo us seeds in summe o in igo a e and ea hea ;
sou ood (e.g., ginge and scallion) in au umn, and mu on and
chicken in win e o deal wi h he cold wea he (Wu & Liang,
2018). I is impo an o che s a TCM es au an s o possess
no only culina y skills bu also a p o essional unde s anding
o TCM heo ies o ully in eg a e ood balance and heal h
bene i s in o hei menus.
Second, TCM es au an pa ons pe cei e he quali y o se ice
p o ided by es au an s a as an impo an a ibu e.
The e o e, TCM ope a o s should in es in comp ehensi e
aining p og ams o hei employees o ensu e hey deli e
cus ome se ice ha is bo h p o essional and congenial. By
doing so, hey can inc ease dine s’ le el o a achmen o he
es au an , inally leading o cus ome loyal y.
Thi d, i is sugges ed ha TCM es au a eu s pay ull a en ion
o physical deco a e i ems, in e io design, and ablewa e o
e lec TCM cul u e. Fo example, medicinal he bs and
equipmen o b ew medicinal he bs can be deco a i e i ems in
he es au an s. The use o medicine packe s as a deco a i e
i em can be also help ul. U ilizing na u al ma e ials like wood
and s one, along wi h selec ing ablewa e such as ce amics o
adi ional Chinese i ems, can help cus ome s app ecia e he
es au an ’s e o o es ablish i s iden i y as a TCM es au an .
Fou h, a TCM es au an s, he s a ’s knowledge o he heal h
e ec s o a ious ing edien s and hei abili y o ecommend
speci ic dishes based on cus ome s’ heal h condi ions a e
essen ial o deli e ing heal h bene i s o cus ome s.
The e o e, TCM es au an ope a o s should p o ide egula
aining o hei employees on medicinal he bs and hei
heal h bene i s. Res au an ope a o s can also hi e TCM
p o essionals o diagnose cus ome s’ heal h condi ion and
make ecommenda ions on ood dishes.
Fi h, a mosphe e was ound o be signi ican ac o ha a ec s
place a achmen . I is ecommended o TCM es au a eu s o
make a playlis o adi ional Chinese music ha i s he
es au an ’s heme and can assis cus ome s in enjoying hei
dining expe ience in a pleasan way. We also sugges ha TCM
es au an s use he bal in use s o adi ional po s o gen ly wa
spices, enhancing cus ome engagemen . Howe e , in e ms o
p io i y, a mosphe e can be add essed la e in he p ocess. We
sugges alloca ing es au an esou ces p ima ily o “ ood” and
“se ice quali y,” i s . Then, “design/ u ni u e/ ablewa e,”
“ ood ecommenda ions,” and inally, “a mosphe e” can be
enhanced.
The scale ins umen in his s udy can be used o e alua e TCM
es au an s’ abili y o deli e pleasan dining expe iences. Fo
example, a cus ome sa is ac ion su ey using he es au an
a ibu e scale can help es au a eu s o unde s and hei
pe o mance in each o i e dimensions. Res au a eu s can
hen decide wha aspec s should be imp o ed o gain
compe i i e ad an age in he ma ke . Finally, he scale can be
used o de elop e ec i e ma ke ing p omo ions by ansla ing
he es au an a ibu es in o ma ke ing s a egies. Fo example,
ood p epa ed based on TCM heo ies, es au an s a ’s
p o essional knowledge abou medicinal he bs and ood
ing edien s, and a se ice en i onmen cong uen wi h TCM
cul u e should be emphasized in p omo ional ma e ials.
5.3. Limi a ions and Fu u e Resea ch
This s udy has se e al limi a ions. Fi s , i was conduc ed in
China wi h Chinese TCM es au an pa ons. To assess he
scale’s gene alizabili y, u u e esea ch should su ey o he
Asian o Wes e n coun ies, whe e TCM ood consump ion is
p e alen . The scale could also be es ed in o he heal h ood
es au an s (e.g., egan and o ganic es au an s). Second, many
o he pa icipan s in his s udy (45.1%) had dined a TCM
es au an s h ee o mo e imes in he pas six mon hs. Thus,
hey may ha e al eady de eloped posi i e a i udes owa d
TCM ood. Follow-up esea ch is necessa y o examine
whe he he same dimensions o es au an a ibu es a e
impo an o i s - ime isi o s (Giousmpasoglou 2022).
Addi ionally, u u e esea ch could explo e he mode a ing
oles o demog aphic a iables (e.g., age, gende ) and p ice
sensi i i y in shaping cus ome s’ pe cep ions o TCM
es au an a ibu es (Manosso e al., 2021). Fo example, p io
s udies sugges ha younge consume s may be mo e
esponsi e o a mosphe ic cues and expe ien ial no el y,
whe eas olde dine s may emphasize heal h- ela ed bene i s
and se ice quali y (Kim e al., 2021). Tha is, di e en age
g oups may ha e di e en le els o heal h in e es s,
in luencing he ela ionship be ween dine s’ cogni i ely
pe cei ed s imuli o TCM es au an s and hei a ec i e and
beha io al esponses. Gende may also in luence ood
p e e ences and sensi i i y o wellness- ela ed messaging
(Choe & Kim, 2018). Simila ly, pe cei ed p ice ai ness and
alue o money can a ec cus ome s’ a i udes owa d heal h-