Restaurant beef steak consumption behavior measured by an expanded rational expectations model

Date

1997-05

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

The Theory of Reasoned Action served as the theoretical framework for this study. The theoretical concepts are schematically represented by the rational expectations model. An expanded version of the model developed by Fishbein and Ajzen was employed in this study to investigate beef steak consumption in the casual dining restaurant environment. The constructs of this model include behavior predicted by intention; intention predicted by attitude, subjective norm, and social acceptability; attitude predicted by behavioral beliefs; and subjective norm predicted by referent others.

A homogenous sample of beef eating, married consumers aged 25-35 who attend church in the southwestern metropolitan area was used. Researchers distributed self-administered questionnaires to participants (n=254) at church meetings duhng a two-week period in the spring of 1997. LISREL VIII was used to simultaneously analyze the measurement and structural model.

Results indicated that all paths in the expanded rational expectations model were significant except for subjective norm to behavioral intention. Attitude to behavioral intention was the strongest path for males and females. Attitude was predicted by the beliefs construct which had significant indicators of taste, filling, safety/health, and price. These indicators are important to the beef and restaurant industry in that they ultimately predicted behavior for this particular sample. If the same results were found in a study with a representative sample of the population the beef industry could justify continued research in improving the sensory attributes of steak. The beef industry also could conduct additional research on increasing the safety and healthiness of steak. The restaurant industry could use these results to investigate price points to keep steak affordable and also could monitor portion size to ensure steak is filling.

Additionally, results suggested the importance of the added social acceptability construct to females. Thus implying that female steak consumption decisions were susceptible to the generalized opinions of the larger society. If this sample was representative of the population, this result could be used by the beef and restaurant industry in marketing steak in casual dining restaurants. Marketers could focus on the socially acceptability of steak with females and the belief indicators for males.

Description

Keywords

Health attitudes, Food preferences, Beef industry, Health behavior, Cookery (Beef)

Citation