Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1945.

This study examines the relationship that people have with the modern day food environment. This study used a qualitative approach using interviews, videotapes, and questionnaires with seventeen participants. This varied approach was used to understand the decision-making process at dinnertime when deciding whether to cook at home or eat out at a restaurant. This was examined primarily through semi-structured interviews as well as the observation and videotaping of individuals preparing meals at dinnertime. The research resulted in three different categories of importance: why people choose to eat out, how people utilize restaurants, and the current roles restaurants have in modern American society. The results show the importance of restaurants in modern society beyond the nourishment that a meal can provide. Many of the themes that arose in this research have been seen in other research in this field, but a few new areas came up. For example, using a restaurant as a resource for new recipes to prepare at home was an area that emerged that had not been mentioned in the previous research. This shows that the relationship that American’s have with the food environment outside the home is continuously transforming. Understanding all of the reasons people eat outside the home is important, as there is a general decrease in cooking practices inside the home. Gaining knowledge in how people make food choices on a daily basis is a good first step in being able to address public health issues that relate to food. This study explores the current food environment in order to have a deeper understanding of why people make the choice to eat outside the home, the ways people utilize restaurants, and the roles of restaurants in society.

Ong Wai Shan Joanna. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-69). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction --- p.1 / Customer Loyalty: A Review --- p.3 / Conceptual Development --- p.3 / Empirical Studies: Customer Loyalty in Terms of Behavior and Attitude --- p.5 / Commitment: A Composite of Cognition and Affect --- p.6 / Cognitive Commitment --- p.8 / Affective Commitment Towards the Restaurant as an Entity --- p.9 / Affective Commitment Towards Service Staff --- p.9 / Attitudes Towards the Restaurant: Perceived Service Quality --- p.10 / The Disconfirmation Gap Model of Service Quality --- p.10 / The Service Quality Indicators for the Restaurant Industry --- p.11 / Linking Service Quality and Commitment with Behavioral Intention --- p.13 / Service Quality and Behavioral Intention --- p.13 / The Effect of Commitment --- p.14 / The Behavioral Aspect of Loyalty: Behavioral Loyalty/Past Patronage Behavior --- p.17 / Customer Loyalty: Commitment (Cognitive and Affective) and Past Patronage Behavior --- p.18 / Variety-Seeking Behavior --- p.18 / Need for Variety --- p.19 / "Relating Past Patronage Behavior, Behavioral Intention and Repatronage Behavior" --- p.21 / Overview --- p.22 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Method --- p.25 / Participants and Procedure --- p.25 / Instruments --- p.28 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Results --- p.32 / Descriptive Analysis --- p.32 / Confirmatory Factor Analysis --- p.36 / Evaluation of the Structural Model --- p.37 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- Discussion --- p.43 / Commitment in Restaurant: Affective and Cognitive --- p.43 / The Service Quality Indicators in Restaurants --- p.44 / Service Quality's Direct Effect on Behavioral Intention --- p.45 / Service Quality's Indirect Effect on Behavioral Intention through Commitment --- p.46 / Variety-Seeking Behavior: Need for Variety --- p.49 / "Past Patronage, Behavioral Intention and Repatronage Behavior" --- p.51 / From Behavioral Intention to Repatronage Behavior --- p.51 / From Past Patronage Behavior to Future Repatronage Behavior --- p.52 / From Past Patronage Behavior to Behavioral Intention --- p.54 / Conclusion: Two Routes to Repatronage --- p.56 / Limitations --- p.56 / Implication --- p.58 / Managerial Implication --- p.58 / References --- p.60 / Appendix A: Theories Explaining The Cognitive Mechanisms Behind Variety Seeking Behavior --- p.70

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2009. / Principal faculty advisor: Cihan Cobanoglu, Dept. of Hotel, Restaurant, & Institutional Management. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 43 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 27).

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2000. / Field project. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2003. / Field problem. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this research study was to identify menu entree descriptors perceived by consumers to be both appealing and healthy and to describe factors that influence food selection and frequency of eating out at restaurants, including consumers' preference for healthier food selection choices in ethnic restaurants.Four hundred adults completed this survey. Six food descriptors were found to be both "appealing" and "healthy." "Value/cost", "hunger/cravings", and "taste" were found to influence subjects' food selection when eating out. The three factors influencing subjects' frequency of eating out were "value/cost", "hunger/cravings", and "taste." Individuals who ate at ethnic restaurants at least once per week were significantly more likely to want more healthy options and nutrition information available on ethnic restaurant menus. Educational level did not influence frequency of eating out at a sit-down restaurant. Individuals with "some college", however, ate out less frequency at ethnic restaurants than one would expect statistically. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Indiana's roadside diners are an important and understudied part of the state's history. These stainless steel beacons have impacted their customers and the communities around them. In visiting the five surviving Indiana roadside diners, this researcher has laid the foundation for future research on diners in Indiana. This researcher conducted interviews and collected public records concerning the five diners.The diners studied were manufactured by a variety of companies and have been located in a variety of places. Indiana diner owners have come from different backgrounds, and each of the diners has had multiple owners. The way food is prepared and served has also changed in each of the diners. Additionally, each diner owner has developed strategies to survive in the foodservice industry. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1992. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-67).