A Foodservice Consumer Typology Based on Dietary Omnivorousness: An Integrated Behavioral and Attitudinal Approach

As foodservice consumption in Korea increasingly reflects polarized tastes, this study investigates dietary omnivorousness as a multidimensional structure of food consumption rather than a simple expansion of food choices. Drawing on cultural omnivorism theory, dietary omnivorousness is conceptualized through both behavioral practices and attitudinal orientations. Behavioral dimensions include experiential breadth and consumption intensity, while attitudinal dimensions comprise cultural democracy, cultural distinction, dietary openness, and authenticity-seeking orientation. Data were collected via an online survey of 393 adult consumers in Korea. Exploratory factor analysis validated the attitudinal structure, and k-means cluster analysis identified three consumer typologies: distinctive omnivores, gastronomic omnivores, and low-involvement univores. The identified clusters differ systematically not only in attitudinal orientations but also in behavioral patterns of experiential breadth and consumption intensity, demonstrating that omnivorous food consumption is not homogeneous but varies according to how food experiences are practiced and symbolically interpreted. These findings suggest that dietary omnivorousness should be understood as a structured mode of taste rather than mere diversity in consumption, offering a refined taste-based framework for segmenting foodservice consumers.