Smartphone use and the Dining out Experience: A Survey of Restaurant Patrons in the Sekondi- Takoradi Metropolis

Abstract

This study explored the use of smartphone in dining out experience, from the perspectives of restaurant patrons in Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. The study conveniently sampled 400 diners across 26 restaurants in Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. Almost all the respondents were aged 18 years or over and had been using a smartphone for the last 12 months. The data was processed using SPSS version 21 for analysis and discussion. The results of the study revealed that guests rely on the smartphone to make dining decisions – from finding restaurants and browsing menus, to reading reviews as they make up their minds to dine out. When it comes to using phones for dining–related purposes during the meal, a good proportion say they use their smartphones for photo-taking and social media sharing. Finally, the most common post-dining smartphone usage reported by the respondents includes sharing the experience on social media and interacting with a restaurant’s loyalty program. At the restaurant, the smartphone was used to stay connected while dining, electronic payment and self-entertainment. For post dining purposes, smartphones were used to save and share dining memories. Based on the findings, it was concluded that restaurants can benefit uniquely from Social Networks (SNS) by using them as showcases for food, explaining the origins of menu items, and even showing videos of chefs in action. One technique recommended is that restaurants should endeavor to post beautiful pictures of the dishes because people enjoy looking at artful food.