The Role of Experiential Quality in a Vegetarian Restaurant from an Eco-Friendly Perspective
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsAbstract
Line 9
The research objectives can be added before mentioning the research methodology. I believe that the research background would be of interest to many because vegetarian diet is gaining increasing popularity these years.
Line 10 to 11
The background of the methodology can be added. For instance, what was the sampling strategy used for attracting potential research subjects, how many valid response was obtained, and the time and location of the data collection.
Line 8 to 19
Overall, the Abstract section has been written in a very concise manner. I would like to express my appreciation for the ability of the authors to wrap up their research findings efficiently. If the authors find it suitable, more findings could be added to enrich the content of the Abstract. But if the Abstract section is revised, it would attract audience.
Introduction
Line 30 to 31
A highly important rationale driving the reduction in demand for meat-based diet could be the carbon impacts and carbon footprint of the production of meat for daily consumption. The authors can look up lifecycle assessment research on this aspect.
Line 38 to 44
This short paragraph has a similar meaning to the preceding paragraph. I suggest combining it with the previous paragraph for a better coherence.
Line 60 to 78
In this paragraph, studies which are related to eWOM and WOM were cited and discussed. The relationship between WOM and EQ is thus important. The authors may need to establish some form of linkages between them. Are there any past research on this topic?
Literature review and hypothesis
Line 259
There is a strong theoretical background supporting this research. Still, an overarching research obejctive should be explicitly expressed.
Methodology
Line 275 to 287
The fact that the questionnaire was carried out in Korean is relevant to how well the questions adhere to their original meaning in English. Were there any work done to ensure the translation did not interefere with the data quality?
Line 313
Some of the key information about the respondent profile can be mentioned in the Abstract.
Data analysis and results
Line 342
In Table 2, the leftmost column is hard to read. The authors may use a hanging indent for the text in the cells.
Line 345
Could the significant correlation pairs be highlighted using asterisks?
Discussion
Line 399 to 401
When the results were found to be convergent with those in the past research, the potential causes could be discussed. Also, a quantitative comparison would be useful too. There are other similar instances. The authors could revise them.
References
Line 491
In the references section, many papers were cited. However, have sufficient studies on the catering industry within the Korean cultural context been reviewed?
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageMinor editing of the language is needed.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 1 Comments
* The revised contents of the manuscript are presented in red.
Point 1: Abstract Line 9
The research objectives can be added before mentioning the research methodology. I believe that the research background would be of interest to many because vegetarian diet is gaining increasing popularity these years.
Response 1: Thank you very much for your comment. We have added the research objectives as suggested (Lines 8–13).
Point 2: Line 10 to 11
The background of the methodology can be added. For instance, what was the sampling strategy used for attracting potential research subjects, how many valid response was obtained, and the time and location of the data collection.
Response 2: We have added a methodology background as suggested (Lines 13–17).
Point 3: Line 8 to 19
Overall, the Abstract section has been written in a very concise manner. I would like to express my appreciation for the ability of the authors to wrap up their research findings efficiently. If the authors find it suitable, more findings could be added to enrich the content of the Abstract. But if the Abstract section is revised, it would attract audience.
Response 3: We have added the research purpose and methodology, as suggested. We attempted to add more results, but we could not do so because of the Abstract word limit. We hope you understand (Lines 8–27).
Point 4: Introduction Line 30 to 31
A highly important rationale driving the reduction in demand for meat-based diet could be the carbon impacts and carbon footprint of the production of meat for daily consumption. The authors can look up lifecycle assessment research on this aspect.
Response 4: As suggested, we searched for life-cycle assessment studies, strengthened the content, and added content related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock (Lines 38–41, 47–49).
Fieschi, M. & Pretato, U. (2018). Role of compostable tableware in food service and waste management. A life cycle assessment study. Waste Management, 73(March), 14-25.
Point 5: Introduction Line 38 to 44
This short paragraph has a similar meaning to the preceding paragraph. I suggest combining it with the previous paragraph for a better coherence.
Response 5: We have combined the two paragraphs, as suggested (Lines 49–55).
Point 6: Introduction Line 60 to 78
In this paragraph, studies which are related to eWOM and WOM were cited and discussed. The relationship between WOM and EQ is thus important. The authors may need to establish some form of linkages between them. Are there any past research on this topic?
Response 6: We have added content indicating the relationship between EQ and WOM, as suggested (Lines 79–81).
Point 7: Literature review and hypothesis Line 259
There is a strong theoretical background supporting this research. Still, an overarching research objctive should be explicitly expressed.
Response 7: We have added an overarching research objective as per your suggestion (Lines 273–277).
Point 8: Methodology Line 275 to 287
The fact that the questionnaire was carried out in Korean is relevant to how well the questions adhere to their original meaning in English. Were there any work done to ensure the translation did not interfere with the data quality?
Response 8: Since all the questions in the survey were developed in English in previous studies, we redeveloped the questionnaire using a double translation protocol. The questionnaire was developed in English first and then translated into Korean by two bilingual (Korean-English) Korean professors who had sufficient understanding of this study in Korea. Prior to the survey, a pilot test was conducted to determine whether participants could fully comprehend the survey questions. After the pilot test, based on an exploratory factor analysis, questions that were difficult to measure accurately were removed. After the survey was completed, the Korean version was translated back into English by two bilingual (English-Korean) American professors from related fields in order to be of use in this study. There was little difference between the two English versions of the survey (Lines 292-303).
Point 9: Methodology Line 313
Some of the key information about the respondent profile can be mentioned in the Abstract.
Response 9: We have mentioned part of the respondent profile in the abstract, as suggested (Lines 17–19).
Point 10: Data analysis and results Line 342
In Table 2, the leftmost column is hard to read. The authors may use a hanging indent for the text in the cells.
Response 10: We modified the factor names in the center alignment to distinguish them from the items (Table 2).
Point 11: Data analysis and results Line 345
Could the significant correlation pairs be highlighted using asterisks?
Response 11: We added asterisks to the correlation coefficients, as suggested (Table 3).
Point 12: Discussion Line 399 to 401
When the results were found to be convergent with those in the past research, the potential causes could be discussed. Also, a quantitative comparison would be useful too. There are other similar instances. The authors could revise them.
Response 12: We have discussed the potential causes, as suggested (Lines 414–418).
Point 13: References Line 491
In the references section, many papers were cited. However, have sufficient studies on the catering industry within the Korean cultural context been reviewed?
Response 13: We conducted a survey of Koreans regarding vegetarian restaurants in Korea, analyzed the collected data, and presented the results and implications. Therefore, I believe that the cultural and affective attitudes of Koreans toward vegetarian restaurants are sufficiently reflected.
We hope that our revised paper adequately meets your requirements and is worthy of being published in your esteemed journal.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear Authors,
I very much enjoyed reading and reviewing your paper.
The manuscript entitled " The Role of Experiential Quality in a Vegetarian Restaurant from an Eco-Friendly Perspective" is well crafted by the authors.
The research methodology and application of appropriate statistical techniques are all adequate for the analysis.
The paper presented deals with an exciting and important topic from the vegetarian restaurants' point of view. It needs to be treated as a critical voice in the discussion, the proposed holistic approach is precious to the raised issue.
This article surely makes a theoretical contribution to HORECA literature.
The main data collection technique was the questionnaire which was designed in four primary dimensions of EQ (interaction quality, physical environment quality, outcome quality, and affective quality) and eight factors: EQ, satisfaction, storytelling, and subjective well-being. This is an interesting study and the authors have collected a unique dataset.
However, there are a few issues that should be addressed before the paper is accepted for publication.
1. In section 4.3, I recommend repeating the titles of hypotheses so that you do not have to look for them.
2. There is no Conclusions section, I suggest authors create it.
The manuscript requires minimal corrections
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 2 Comments
* The revised contents of the manuscript are presented in red.
Point 1: In section 4.3, I recommend repeating the titles of hypotheses so that you do not have to look for them.
Response 1: Thank you very much for your comment. We have added the title of the hypothesis, as suggested (Lines 375–389).
Point 2: There is no Conclusions section, I suggest authors create it.
Response 2: We have added a Conclusion section, as suggested (Lines 489–499).
We hope that our revised paper adequately meets your requirements and is worthy of being published in your esteemed journal.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsIt is a work that, with the number of data obtained, can be considered useful for the objective you were looking for. The results can be of great information both for those responsible for the restaurants and for the potential customers who go to them.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 3 Comments
* The revised contents of the manuscript are presented in red.
Point 1: It is a work that, with the number of data obtained, can be considered useful for the objective you were looking for. The results can be of great information both for those responsible for the restaurants and for the potential customers who go to them.
Response 1: Thank you very much for your comment.
We hope that our revised paper adequately meets your requirements and is worthy of being published in your esteemed journal.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
