The effect of experiential providers on restaurant patronage decisions

Customers enjoy engaging in pleasant dining experiences. Schmitt (1999) proposed in his theory of experiential marketing that these experiences were linked with experiential providers (EXPRO), which include communication, verbal identity and signage, product presence, cobranding, spatial environment, electronic media, and people. We designed this study on the basis of Ajzen’s (1991) theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore whether experiential providers influence customers’ intentions and decisions (see Figure 1).