Culinary tourism without dining table: investigating tourists’ willingness to pay more for local food in alternative restaurant formats at coastal tourism destinations

Purpose The main purpose of this study is to explore factors that can influence visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) more for local food in alternative restaurant formats at coastal tourism destinations through proposing a distinguished research model. Design/methodology/approach Based on the literature review, a focused group discussion (FGDs) has been administered and initial 34 measurement items are generated. The subsequent 34 measurement items are used into the questionnaire of the study-1 for collecting 384 useable responses that are used for conducting exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Based on EFA results, 14 items are retained and prepared a separate questionnaire for the study-2. Subsequently, 388 useable responses are collected and analyzed by employing partial least squares structural equation modeling, using Smart PLS 3.3.3. Findings The results of this study reveal that food authenticity, food identity, food innovation, and food branding have significant direct positive influence on visitors’ WTP more for local food at coastal tourism destinations. Moreover, the study findings show that food branding moderates on the strength of relationships between food identity, food innovation, and WTP more for local food; while, food branding does not moderate on the strength of relationships between food authenticity and WTP more for local food. Practical implications This study can be a guide for the policymakers to implement actions that ensure food freshness and maintaining local cooking procedures to attract visitors at local food restaurants in alternative restaurant formats in coastal tourism destinations. Besides, this study can be also a guide for industry operators who can focus on separate categories of local food that are not available at traditional restaurants, dining arrangement in alternative formats, and cooking with locally famous ingredients such as Arum lobe curry coconut milk. Originality/value This is one of the first studies, which integrates food authenticity, food identity, food innovation, and food branding and generate new knowledge of how these integrated factors can influence visitors’ WTP more for local food in the alternative restaurant formats at coastal tourism destinations.