QR Code Restaurant Menus: Sequential (Qual-Quan) Mixed-Method Research: Examination of Contactless Technology Adoption and Acceptance in Hospitality Through Lenses of Service Paradigm on the ‘Touch-Tech’ Spectrum

This study is multiple paper dissertation work, which consists of six chapters. Each of these four chapters is comprised of a manuscript. The dissertation document also includes two additional chapters: 'Introduction’ and ‘Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations.’ Each study examines the various aspects of the same phenomenon. At the conceptual level, this research project examines contactless technology adoption and acceptance in the hospitality industry through the lenses of the service paradigm on the ‘touch-tech’ spectrum. Sequential qualitative and quantitative mixed-method research is employed. At the empirical level, the adoption of QR code technology, a type of information technology, as restaurant menus are inquired. Additionally, the COVID-19 era has been an extraordinary period of technology adoption in hospitality services. The impacts of the pandemic are also examined as one of the pillars of the research project to identify contextual constructs (e.g., hygiene perceptions). Perceptions of restaurant patrons on technology adoption are revealed and reported. Insights and recommendations regarding contactless technology adoption in hospitality in general and QR code technology and digital restaurant menus in specific are provided for the post-pandemic era within the possibility of ‘high touch high tech’ conceptualization.