2.1. COVID-19 and Resilience Innovations in the Restaurant Industry
The concept of resilience has different interpretations and definitions in the literature [
13,
16,
17,
18,
19,
20,
21]. In the generally accepted sense, resilience is an attribute that expresses both the ability to overcome inconveniences and uncertainties and the ability to recover from an unpleasant experience [
16]. Resilience is based on three key dimensions, namely: (a) the ability to prevent negative consequences, (b) the ability to prevent the worsening of negative consequences, and (c) the ability to recover from the negative consequences [
18]. The concept of resilience emanated from different disciplines, which explains the various topics addressed: psychology, health, ecology, organization management, engineering, public policy, regional policy, etc. [
17,
19,
20,
21,
22]. Also, previously published studies analyze other conceptual categories of resilience, namely those of economic resilience [
20,
23,
24], social resilience [
18,
25,
26], organizational resilience [
18,
20,
22].
Economic resilience is manifested both at the macro level, by instant resilience (the ability to limit the number of immediate production losses for certain amounts of impaired assets) and dynamic resilience (the ability to rebuild and recover), and at the micro level by ensuring the efficient distribution of losses, the ability to mitigate shocks on household incomes over time through savings, loans and insurance, fiscal relaxation measures, strengthening the social protection system or developing risk-sharing mechanisms among the population [
24]. Social resilience is a concept with extended applicability, reflecting the ability of a social unit, a group or a community to respond to stress or disturbances from the external environment [
25]. Social resilience can be analyzed considering crises at the individual level, at the level of the family, the tribe/clan, a locality or community, at the level of an organization (including private companies) or at the level of systems such as the environmental or economic ones [
26]. Organizational resilience focuses on identifying positive strategies to substantiate the changes that are required in times of crisis [
18]. Organizational resilience is different from the concepts of adaptation, flexibility, improvisation, recovery, redundancy or robustness, as it represents the response to a destructive situation and therefore highlights the ability to recover under conditions of uncertainty and urgency [
20]. The attribute of resilience is an essential coordinate line of companies, both for overcoming unfavorable moments and for maintaining the interest of stakeholders [
21]. Equally, it is appreciated that knowledge management is the most important factor, with a positive and significant influence on organizational resilience which, in turn, is the foundation of organizational performance [
27].
The resilience of small and medium-sized businesses in the hospitality industry has been the subject of extensive international research [
28,
29,
30,
31,
32,
33,
34]. Most companies in the hospitality industry fall into the category of small and medium-sized enterprises, being more vulnerable in times of crisis, mainly due to limited organizational resources and capabilities [
35]. Previous studies have focused on the organizational resilience manifested following the occurrence of crises and natural disasters [
28,
29], due to health crises (SARS, Ebola etc.) [
31,
32] or political instability/terrorism [
33,
34]. The COVID-19 pandemic has widened the scope of analyses on the organizational resilience of small and medium-sized businesses in the hospitality industry [
13,
36,
37,
38,
39,
40,
41,
42,
43]. Emphasizing the value and importance of the resilience of tourism firms, Jiang, Ritchie and Verreynne (2019) analyze the need to use the capabilities and resources available to transform current operational routines into resilient actions [
28]. Elements of capability refer to the possibility of innovation, the dynamic ability to withstand the shocks caused by the crisis (material, financial and human losses) for a long time, the ability to quickly and efficiently use new technologies, but also behavior (agile leadership) and knowledge (stock of financial, legislative, technological, environmental knowledge etc.) [
44]. On the other hand, Neise, Verfürth and Franz (2021) highlight the dependence of restaurants’ resilient behavior on their positive economic and financial situation before the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasize the importance of managerial experience and knowledge in overcoming crisis situations [
40]. At the same time, Li et al. (2021) note that the resilient behavior of restaurants is based on innovative processes that will contribute to achieving a new balance in this sector of activity [
38].
So far, little systematic information has been identified as available on these entrepreneurial institutional responses and creative actions. A number of innovations could have significant importance and a major impact on the restaurant industry, in particular contributing to its support in the future. Several mutually sustaining types of resilience innovations have been identified:
1. Social Innovations (SI) refers to the set of actions for the design and implementation of new solutions that involve extensive conceptual, procedural or organizational changes, which are intended on the one hand to improve the well-being of individuals and the community, and on the other hand, to lead to the reorganization of work, to reduce the deficiencies of access to work and to increase the safety of workers. The practice of social innovation in restaurants has the role of uniting employees from different backgrounds, cultures and thinking, to align them around common business-specific objectives, to educate and improve them continuously through trainings, but also, in order to redesign and reconsider the working conditions, work safety [
45]. Previous research has focused on understanding the characteristics of work in the virtual environment where individual tasks are combined with group tasks and time spent working on one’s own. The forced transition to virtual work, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has fundamentally transformed activities that require teamwork, facilitated or sabotaged team performance, and led restaurant staff to adapt and reflect on the use of digital technology in order to do business [
46,
47]. Along with the transition to virtual work, some studies show that the work process may involve other new tasks such as: taking orders over the phone, transporting and/or delivering the products to customers’ homes [
48,
49]. To create value, restaurant operators can integrate and use digital learning ecosystems [
50], providing employees with new platforms meant to access the different types of content, data, and learning and development (L&D) applications that are needed in order to improve knowledge in the workplace and to ensure better connections, interactions and teamwork [
51]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurant hygiene and cleanliness and food and staff safety measures became important points in the resilience plan. A recent study explored the role of technology in ensuring hygiene and cleanliness as well as its contribution to improving operational efficiency in the context of hospitality [
52]. In the restaurant sector, resilience efforts are meant to protect the health of those who consume food, but also of those who produce and deliver it [
13]. Through the creative initiatives of employees, restaurants seek to build resilience during the pandemic by respecting the principles and general requirements of food laws and by establishing and applying procedures and practices in the field of food safety, maintaining productivity and efficiency in the market [
53]. Prioritizing employees’ well-being in restaurants is another major coordinate of social innovations implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the specific procedures identified in the profile literature focus on: flexibility in organizing work exchanges and establishing days off [
49,
54], employee training on the use of digital tools designed to facilitate the relationship with customers and collaboration in work teams [
47,
48,
52] initiating open discussions with managers and co-workers to help reduce psychological stress among employees [
47,
49,
54], encourage leisure activities, increase employees’ attention to healthy eating, and possibly even reducing the weekly working time in order to reduce the overload during this period [
54].
2. Business strategy innovations (BI). Recent developments have changed the traditional balance and mode of communication between restaurant operators and customers [
55]. The integration of new communication and computer technologies has prompted restaurant operators to focus more on customers and create value by providing new products and services that meet current needs. Business innovation strategies represent the commitment of the staff to a common innovation mission and to a set of activities meant to compete in the development of the organization in the future. Restaurants need clearly defined plans to achieve their growth and sustainable goals by identifying new consumer segments, by improving products, by identifying and adopting new strategies for presenting, promoting and delivering food [
56]. Only by adopting well-developed business models will restaurants succeed in producing, delivering and capturing value from their innovations. Within hospitality companies, the application of the Business Continuity Management concept has gained momentum, especially in times of crisis, and innovative practices, among which the most relevant are the application of new technologies, especially in communication strategies, strengthening collaborations with external stakeholders or continuous training of employees, which are the prerogatives of survival [
42,
57,
58]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, managers understood that innovation remains essential in order to ensure the continuity and success of their own restaurants. Therefore, they have adopted new innovative strategies regarding the acquisition of quality food ingredients, the expansion of recipes or services offered, the use of platforms necessary for delivering food to customers, so as to maintain a competitive advantage over the competition but also to generate additional revenue from the sale of independent ingredients or services [
59]. Rethinking the product offering, mainly by simplifying the menu list, focusing on preparations that can be sold in the delivery system, reducing portions, purchasing smaller quantities of raw materials and reconsidering stock management [
38,
48,
60], sale at reduced prices or donation of unsold preparations to various institutions, companies or employees [
60], introduction into production of semi-finished products that can be marketed through the catering system [
38], identification simple ways to support the identity of a restaurant through personalized take-away packaging and ensure the proper preservation of the temperature of the dishes [
48] are measures that highlight the involvement of restaurants in finding innovative operating solutions during this period.
Coupling innovation strategies to the design of the business model involves making major changes such as identifying new market segments, creating value propositions for each segment, configuring the entire business in such a way to produce and deliver that value and identifying various issues which could affect the business model and strategy through the imitation of the competitors or through the disinterest shown by customers [
61,
62]. However, few managers use social networks strategically or creatively, in order to improve restaurant management or to monitor or use the information thus collected so as to develop future operations [
63].
3. Technological innovations (TI). Technological innovation refers to the introduction of additional actions for the development of new products and/or processes as well as significant improvements in the characteristics of current technologies in a different way from the one practiced so far [
64]. The implementation of product innovations involves radical innovation that aims to create new products with a different design, components and manufacturing methods and incremental innovation aims to improve the characteristics of existing products. On the other hand, process innovations involve the implementation of new or significantly improved production and delivery methods. In the case of restaurants, production methods involve techniques, equipment, software used to produce food, while delivery methods refer to supply systems, inventory management and the means of delivery of prepared food [
65]. The restaurant industry needs to accelerate the integration of technological innovations in order to reinvent itself and to make progress. Most of these technological innovations have changed the way restaurants offer and promote their menus, the system of reservation of tables by the consumers, the ordering and payment procedures but also the way of managing food, beverages and the flow of payments [
42,
66].
Published studies examine the importance of product or service innovations for the restaurants’ success [
67,
68]. Online and Mobile Ordering have provided convenient solutions for most customers: the ability to view and navigate the online menu at will, ordering additional items, eliminating incorrect orders or the wasting of food, viewing the invoice value and framing in a predetermined budget. Thus, online or mobile orders are an element of differentiation, while also ensuring the certainty of orders placed [
69]. The implementation of mobile applications in restaurants has contributed to increasing potential revenues and customer numbers, offering restaurant management multiple possibilities such as: location-based deals—transmission, through a small device of push notifications, of personalized offers to customers, from the physical proximity of the location, attracting customers for lunch or dinner; loyalty & referral programs—downloading the restaurant application in exchange for exclusive offers and agreements and/or loyalty promotions for friends, family, by allocating points or credits, depending on the number of people or the value of the invoice, increased sales amongst millennials—accessing menus and placing orders on people’s smartphone or tablet or online payment [
70]. As the Voice user interface (VUI) grows in popularity, some studies have focused on investigating how voice-activated devices and state-of-the-art AI and ML technology help simplify ordering and provide fast, non-contact services from the restaurants to the customers [
71,
72]. In order to reduce human contact and strengthen food safety, restaurants have quickly integrated the Curbside pickup service. In this context, consumers’ risk perceptions of COVID-19 regarding the quality and packaging of food by the restaurant were explored [
73]. Some restaurants, in order to withstand market conditions, have chosen the solution of “Virtual” restaurants and menus, giving up their own space and offering only menus online, from different platforms, and solely for home delivery [
74].
Restrictions on the availability of food and alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a shift from local consumption (in pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes) to off-premises consumption (take-away and home delivery). Some studies have looked at comparing food and beverage consumption before and after the restrictions imposed during the three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in different countries [
75]. A series of studies have explored the perceptions and behaviors of customers who have used orders over the phone, online and through chatbots, highlighting the advantages of the takeout solution especially for fast-service restaurants with simple menus [
76]. Using digital programming, restaurant managers can ensure better staff scheduling through multiple actions such as keeping track of shifts, setting filters to ensure the optimal number of staff based on sales values, accessing time-off requests, shift-swaps and reduction of labor costs [
77]. Technological innovations also include the use of food temperature monitoring equipment, maintaining food safety for longer periods, monitoring the working time for kitchen teams, and the positive effects of implementing these technologies consist in avoiding waste and foodborne illness [
78]. Food and beverage-specific online inventory technologies allow restaurant managers to keep track of inventory in a safe, fast and reliable way, on mobile devices or by integrating platforms into the POS systems, streamlining their processes to better track any real-time stock fluctuation, as well as streamlining the raw materials procurement process and reducing shopping time [
79,
80]. These solutions contribute to the improvement of the daily production planning and prove to be useful in the direction of sensitizing customers and employees on the need to mitigate food waste [
60,
79].
Technologies along with staff, processes and data are part of an information system that restaurants use both to increase performance and to assess how employees interact with technologies in order to support the business process. At the level of each restaurant there is an information system that ensures the connection between the decisional and the operational system. Thus, the use of technologies has an overwhelming importance in the functioning of the information system, contributing to the development of numerous activities, among which we mention: the introduction in the operational system of the data regarding the acquisitions of raw materials and their processing regarding the assurance of food safety and security; taking orders and making deliveries respecting sanitary standards and maintaining food quality; obtaining information related to staff shortages, safety and the time needed to prepare food in order to adopt the best decisions that will be transmitted later to the operational system, performing control and monitoring compliance with all decisions taken by restaurant managers. However, the activities carried out by restaurants also involve computer systems consisting of electronic procedures and equipment that contribute to data processing and obtaining information, such as: stock management and sales price recording programs; food classification programs, recipe configuration and raw material requirements; programs for recording orders, invoices, payments and the situation of customers. [
76,
77,
78,
79,
80].
4. Financial innovations (FI). The modern economy cannot exist without financial innovation, which is the act of creating new financial instruments, of designing distinct financial technologies, of preparing institutions and markets that did not exist before. Financial innovation is a complex process that involves the creation and development of new services and financial or investment processes, concomitant with the changing needs of people and organizations. It may include updating technological systems, ensuring adequate risk management, transferring risk, generating credit and expanding equity, and attracting new innovations [
81]. The restaurant industry, like many other sectors of the economy, has evaluated the recovery strategies since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis and with the intensification of home orders has adopted financial innovations designed to help it recover, discover new ways to bounce back or to accelerate existing trends [
82]. The financial revival of restaurants is assessed in terms of liquidity, value of stocks or cash available [
83]. For example, the Unilever Food Solutions network has focused its efforts on finding the best product solutions, collaborating with various e-commerce platforms so as to ensure more efficient online distribution of food and beverages, and has credited small restaurants in order to support their resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic [
84]. The implementation of financial strategies so as to ensure the increase of restaurant revenues was the natural response during the COVID-19 pandemic, the measures taken in this regard consisting mainly in emphasizing the role of liquidity management, designing simplified menus and encouraging off-premises consumption, reducing significant increase in promotion expenditure during travel restrictions [
85]. In this context, government regulations aimed at reducing financial pressure on restaurants during the crisis, such as lowering interest rates, suspending VAT or issuing coupons to increase consumption, are examples of beneficial measures that influence financial resilience [
42].
2.2. The Food Ordering and Delivery Platform and an Extended TAM
Nowadays, online food ordering and delivery platforms offer the restaurant managers benefits such as increasing restaurant sales, increasing efficiency, attracting potential customers, especially among millennials and the Z generation, as well as gaining a competitive advantage over the competition [
86]. Restaurant customers have the advantages of easily choosing the desired menu, selecting the restaurant from a wide range and launching the online order with a single touch of the mobile phone [
87]. The COVID-19 pandemic made the use of Food Ordering and Delivery Platforms a necessity for the restaurants, making a substantial contribution to increasing sales and reducing financial pressures. A study by Brewer and Sebby (2021) demonstrated the existence of a positive relationship between the visual information provided by the platforms (menus and photos with the dishes, menu description) and the intention to order of the customers [
88].
The Technology Acceptance Model is the result of an adaptation based on the Theory of Reasoned Action [
89] and the Theory of Planned Behavior [
90,
91]. Devis (1989) created this model in order to explain the use of information technologies by developing causal relationships between users’ beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, intentions and their behavior [
92]. Perceived utility, perceived ease of usage, attitude towards use and behavioral intention to use are the four major constructs of the model [
93].
The previous studies that support but also develop the model by connecting some new variables are numerous. Preetha & Iswarya (2019) showed that factors such as system quality, information quality, service quality and food quality have a positive effect on the platform quality and customer satisfaction [
94]. Troise et al. (2020) demonstrated that consumer readiness to adopt online food delivery is influenced by new variables such as: food choices, convenience, confidence and the effect of perceived risks associated with the SARS-COV-2 virus [
95].
Perceived ease of use (PE). According to the TAM, Perceived ease of use (PE) is a factor that indicates the degree to which a person believes that the use of certain solutions or technologies would be effortless” [
92]. According to Tan and Netessine (2019) the ease of learning and becoming skilled in the use of restaurant-specific technologies, especially websites and food delivery platforms, is a key factor that will help increase average sales, reduce the duration of the meal, improve staff performance and, finally, digitize this service industry [
96]. Goods et al. (2019) argue that in order to have staff capable of working with restaurant-specific technologies, managers should conduct an in-depth analysis of the work process in order to identify the distinctive features needed for the human capital involved in the segment of food preparation and delivery through online platforms, but also to assess the workforce as a response to them [
97]. Some studies have investigated customers’ intentions to use Online Food Delivery (OFD) services by assessing satisfaction, food quality, and the quality of the OFD services, while others have focused on knowing their intent to use smartphone applications as tools to promote healthy eating habits [
98,
99]. This is consistent with Kang et al. (2015) who argue that in the future, restaurants should consider creating websites, collaborating with various food delivery platforms, but also using social media applications in order to identify and educate active customers, for the development of marketing strategies that can generate the interest of new customer segments as well as increase the number of orders [
100].
Perceived usefulness (PU). Another determining factor of the attitude to using technologies within the TAM model is represented by “Perceived usefulness”. It indicates the extent to which the user is convinced that the implementation of the technology will contribute to the business development and increase its performance [
101]. Pigatto et al. (2017) suggest that collaborating with suppliers and using food ordering and delivery platforms have given restaurants multiple benefits such as: a greater presence on social networks, developing advertising campaigns, expanding customer interaction, increasing visibility and attracting new perspectives [
102]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers developed favorable attitudes towards the food ordering and delivery platforms, positively reflected by the desire to eat, the visual and informative attractiveness of the menu, by the convenience offered through launching the online order but also by the perception of hygiene-related risks and food safety [
88]. Berezina (2019) argued that small restaurant managers began to follow the example of large chains that, benefiting from massive investments, managed to develop interconnected and interoperable smart service networks, in order to carry out personalized promotional actions, to increase customer interaction, to provide online culinary assistance and even to deliver some food through automated robotic technologies [
103].
Attitude towards using the order & delivery platforms (AT). Davis (1989) sees the attitude towards the use of technologies as a physical tendency expressed by evaluating a certain entity based on a certain degree of favor or disfavor, and also as a factor that has a direct effect on the intention to use [
101,
104]. The attitudes of restaurant managers towards the diversity of food delivery platforms have changed with the advent of the online to offline (O2O) era, giving operators both quick access to more potential consumers and increased additional revenue [
105]. Al Amin et al. (2021) argue that restaurant managers should focus on online sales through order & delivery platforms during the pandemic, taking into account both the social distancing as a key strategy for managing COVID-19 and the safety measures taken during the food delivery itself for customer protection [
106]. This measure generates other opportunities such as: maintaining the taste, freshness and credibility of the brand, just like in the dining experiences, increasing the quality of delivery, packaging and hygiene due to the integration of the platforms, but also risks such as: decreased quality of the interaction between the restaurant staff and the customers or the loss of adult customers, who do not master the technology very well [
95]. In addition, the items used to assess managers’ attitudes towards order & delivery were grouped by the criteria of experience and training in using the platforms [
52,
107,
108,
109].
Behavioral intention (BU). According to the theory of planned behavior (TPB), intention is the desire of the individual to take action that could change his/her behavior at some point. Behavioral intent is the key component of the model, being influenced by the attitude with regard to behavioral change based on the outcome of circumstances, assessment of risks and/or perceived benefits [
91]. If, in the beginning, restaurant managers were convinced that they were going through a health crisis, as time went by, it turned into an economic crisis. This unfavorable situation, for the restaurant operators and not only for them, culminated with the modification of the demand in equal measure with the offer from the specific industry, generating various intentions and behavioral actions among the restaurant managers [
110]. In the context of new situations created by the COVID-19 pandemic, some restaurant managers have become aware of the degree of limitation in taking telephone orders and in customer relations. Depending on their personal beliefs and professional experience and after evaluating the financial results, some of them have implemented delivery systems, extending the services of their own restaurants in the online environment, in a very short time, so that they can be able to remain on the market. Others opted for temporary suspension or permanent closure of the activity. According to Liao and Landry (2000), individuals’ attitudes towards accepting innovations affect the intention to adopt new inventions in the future [
111]. Some studies have shown that intention influences use behavior and its effect is often positive and significant [
112,
113]. In accordance with Elvandari et al. (2018), many restaurants have manifested their intention to collaborate with platform providers so as to adapt their business strategy to the new requirements of the market, their managers being prone to a behavior generated by this positive intention [
114]. Consequently, the intention to adopt resilience innovations is the result of the aggregate action of individual, social and organizational factors [
115]. Romanian state institutions and professional organizations have encouraged managers to adopt and use resilience innovations, arguing that this favorable intention can have a long-term positive impact on both the restaurant industry and the business field [
110].
2.3. Proposed Structural Model and Research Hypotheses
Integrating the innovations in the theoretical background of the TAM model, we propose an extended structural model that can identify new variables as predictors of the attitude of the users related to the food ordering and delivery platforms. The relationships between these constructs are integrated into the structural model described in
Figure 1. In order to achieve economic modeling based on the proposed conceptual model and so as to meet the research objectives, the following hypotheses were formulated:
Hypothesis 1 (H1). Social innovations (SI) has a positive and significant effect on Attitude towards using the order & delivery platforms (AT).
Hypothesis 2 (H2). Business strategy innovation (BI) has a positive and significant effect on Attitude towards using the order & delivery platforms (AT).
Hypothesis 3 (H3). Technological innovations (TI) have a positive and significant effect on Attitude towards using the order & delivery platforms (AT).
Hypothesis 4 (H4). Financial innovations (FI) have a positive and significant effect on Attitude towards using the order & delivery platforms (AT).
Hypothesis 5 (H5). Social innovations (SI) has a positive and significant effect on Behavioral intention (BU).
Hypothesis 6 (H6). Business strategy innovation (BI) has a positive and significant effect on Behavioral intention (BU).
Hypothesis 7 (H7). Technological innovations (TI) have a positive and significant effect on Behavioral intention (BU).
Hypothesis 8 (H8). Financial innovations (FI) have a positive and significant effect on Behavioral intention (BU).
Hypothesis 9 (H9). Perceived ease of use (PE) has a positive and significant effect on Attitude towards using the order & delivery platforms (AT).
Hypothesis 10 (H10). Perceived ease of use (PE) has a positive and significant effect on Perceived usefulness (PU).
Hypothesis 11 (H11). Perceived usefulness (PU) has a positive and significant effect on Behavioral intention (BU).
Hypothesis 12 (H12). Perceived usefulness (PU) has a positive and significant effect on Attitude towards using the order & delivery platforms (AT).
Hypothesis 13 (H13). Attitude towards using the order & delivery platforms (AT) has a positive and significant effect on Behavioral intention (BU).
In order to perform the PLS-MGA analysis, five other statistical hypotheses were issued:
Hypothesis 14 (H14). There are no significant differences between the groups “Male” and “Female”, specific to the criterion of “Gender”.
Hypothesis 15 (H15). There are no significant differences between the groups “Less than 30 years”, “Between 31–40 years”, “Between 41–50 years” and “More than 51 years”, specific to the criterion of “Age”.
Hypothesis 16 (H16). There are no significant differences between the groups “High school and lower”, “Bachelor’s or college”, “Master’s and PhD and above” and “Other”, specific to the criterion of “education”.
Hypothesis 17 (H17). There are no significant differences between the groups “General Manager”, “Kitchen Manager”, “Front of the House Manager” and “Assistant Manager”, specific to the criterion of “Types of Restaurant Managers”.
Hypothesis 18 (H18). There are no significant differences between the groups “At least 10 orders a day”, “Between 11 and 30 orders a day”, “Between 31 and 50 orders a day”, “Over 51 orders a day” and “Never used during the pandemic Covid 19”, specific to the criterion of “Frequency of orders received per day”.
In compliance with the previously presented literature and with the proposed hypotheses, the research model integrates a multitude of new variables, along with those established by the TAM model, presenting the ways of the hypotheses and the links between the latent variables in
Figure 1.
The acronyms used to describe the items and the latent variables pertaining to the structural model can be found in
Table A1,
Appendix A.