Consumers' behaviour in fast-food restaurants: a food value perspective from Spain

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand consumers' behaviour in fast-food restaurants in Spain. To this end, the authors conducted a survey that combined a classification of food values, as proposed in the relevant literature, with a related model that links personal values to behaviour. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 400 consumers was gathered from two different, leading fast-food chains operating in Spain. With these data, respondents were grouped through hierarchical cluster analysis and K-measures, and in accordance with Lusk and Briggeman's (2009) food values and the food-related lifestyle model. The authors validated these clusters by means of ANOVA and discriminant analysis, which led to useful observations about inter-group differences in consumers' habits, as well as their satisfaction, trust and loyalty. Findings The results indicate that consumers can be clustered into three groups based their food values assessments: the mainly utilitarian group, the mainly hedonic group and the ethical values group. These groups not only demonstrate diverse habits, but also differ on key variables such as satisfaction, trust and loyalty. Practical implications The authors offer several managerial recommendations for designing and developing segmentation strategies in the fast-food industry. Any such strategies should acknowledge that all consumer groups appear to value restaurants' efforts to provide them with both hedonic and utilitarian benefits, although the extent varies across groups. Originality/value Among the relevant literature, this research is the only one that examines the existence of distinct consumer groups based on their food values assessments. In addition, this paper analyses inter-group differences in terms of both diverse consumptions habits (frequency of visits, expenditure, etc.) and key marketing variables (satisfaction, trust and loyalty).