Informational cues in negative reviews: how valence intensity and linguistic expressions shape restaurant visit intentions

Purpose This study examines how negative valence intensity and linguistic expressions in negative online reviews influence restaurant visit intentions through perceived information diagnosticity and perceived risk. Design/methodology/approach An online experiment using a 2 (negative valence intensity: low vs. high) × 2 (linguistic expressions: emotion-based vs. fact-based) between-subjects design was conducted. Data were analyzed using a series of two-way ANOVAs and PROCESS macro analyses to test the hypothesized effects. Findings High negative valence intensity and fact-based expressions significantly increased perceived information diagnosticity, with linguistic expressions exerting the stronger effect. No interaction was found. Separate serial mediation analyses showed that high negative valence intensity and fact-based expressions increased perceived information diagnosticity, which subsequently increased perceived risk and reduced restaurant visit intentions. Practical implications Restaurant managers should tailor responses to review characteristics, using specific corrective actions for fact-based reviews and empathetic reassurance for emotion-based reviews. Restaurants and review platforms should also provide clear, trustworthy diagnostic cues to reduce consumer uncertainty and perceived risk. Originality/value This study integrates negative valence intensity and linguistic expressions within a cue-driven decision framework and demonstrates that these review characteristics operate as distinct, rather than interactive, informational cues.