REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

As businesses increasingly adopt eco-friendly initiatives, from sourcing local

ingredients to minimizing waste, understanding the cumulative influence of such practices on

consumer perceptions becomes imperative. By examining existing scholarly works, this review

aims to illuminate the nuanced connections between green service practices and the

establishment of a positive brand image within the context of restaurants, exploring how

sustainability becomes not just a commitment to the environment but a strategic driver for

customer loyalty and competitive advantage.

Demographic Characteristics of Restaurant Customers

Verma and Gupta's (2018) study focuses on understanding the factors

influencing dining out behavior among young consumers in casual restaurants, with a particular

emphasis on demographic characteristics. No significant differences were found between male

and female diners in terms of frequency and preferred reasons for dining out, suggesting similar

behavior in casual restaurants. Education was also found to have no relationship with casual

restaurant dining frequency.

The article from SevenRooms (2022) underscores the vital role of restaurant

customer demographics in running a successful business. It emphasizes that understanding

customer demographics, including age, gender, income, and dining habits, is crucial for tailoring

food options, service, and overall business strategy. It identifies key customer demographics
that restaurants should focus on, including income, family and relationship status, gender, age,

residential location, and average spending habits.

Moreover, it delves into generational customer demographics and their dining

habits. It provides insights into the preferences of different generations, such as Gen Z,

Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers. For instance, it notes that Gen Z expects an on-demand

experience and sees restaurants as part of their meal prep habits, while Millennials dine out

frequently and prioritize healthy foods. Gen X enjoys dining with family and prefers organic

foods, and Boomers dine out weekly and favor restaurants with a mix of familiar and innovative

food options (SevenRooms, 2022).

Sustainability and Green Practices

According to Eren (2023), by implementing environmentally friendly practices into

their operations, restaurants can cultivate a positive image of their green brand. In light of all of

this, it can be said that sustainable practices are crucial for the restaurant business since they

boost environmental and economic sustainability and give businesses a significant competitive

edge. Therefore, by differentiating their goods from those of their primary rivals, owners of

restaurants can use environmentally friendly practices to enhance the perception of their

companies and boost consumer demand.

Perran Akan (2020) defined "green restaurant" as one that uses sustainable

practices in all aspects of food production and sales, including menu design, ingredient

selection, preparation techniques, and the use of materials for things like table settings, clothing,

napkins, decoration, energy, cleaning supplies, and packaging materials. Being "green" also

means using water and energy more sensibly, managing waste, recycling, and reusing it, as
well as using more effective delivery systems and placing a high value on buying locally and

organically produced goods.

In line with Rachel Scafer's (2023) leadership tips, customers who value

sustainability and ecological consciousness in their buying habits are drawn to well-considered

sustainable brands. Even more justification to think about eco-friendly branding. A brand can

save money by implementing eco-friendly practices like using recycled materials or cutting back

on energy use.

As stated in Sarmiento and Hanandeh's (2018) study, people now feel compelled

to buy eco-friendly products because of green awareness; in response, the market has offered

sustainable goods and operations in a variety of industries, which include the food industry and

lodging sectors. The findings indicated that 78 percent of people would be willing to pay an

average of 5 percent more in a green restaurant, despite the fact that only 40 percent of people

are aware of the ecological impacts of restaurant operations.

Shikah Jain's (2021) study says that setting sustainability and environmental

friendliness as a top priority as a business owner can pay off, particularly as consumer demand

for sustainable goods rises. The study's author sums it up best when she predicts that

sustainability will eventually become the norm rather than the exception. According to Business

Wire, the Global Sustainability Study of 2021 revealed that 85 percent of consumers "have

shifted their purchase behavior towards being more sustainable in the past five years."

According to the study, 60 percent of respondents considered sustainability to be important

when making a purchase, and one-third of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable

products.
 According to Sorn and Nesrawi (2022) sustainability is a ubiquitous concept to

define as its character is pluridimensional. There is an exigency to address sustainability in the

three dimensions of environment, economy, and society within a resource-demanding sector

such as the restaurant industry. With the entrance of the emergent, cloud kitchen, there is a

demonstration of how technological innovation may present opportunities and challenges to a

more traditional, established restaurant industry. A gap in studies probing the sustainability

practices of cloud kitchens gives rise to this investigative inquiry.

Restaurants can control flows of energy, food and waste, support people and the

environment, as well as communicate and educate consumers. By collaborative efforts they can

lay the basis for local food economies. Restaurants connect consumers to their food and make

decisions about where the food comes from, how it will be prepared and disposed of and who

will engage in that preparation. The restaurant sector can contribute to sustainability in its use of

resources as well as its employment, community engagement and communication practices.

This in turn supports local economies and impacts on the broader sustainability of the city

(Welter 2022)

According to the study of Madanaguli et., al (2022) The adverse impact that

restaurants have on the environment has received widespread attention in the last decade from

both practice and academia. The current study aims to find, catalog, and synthesize the

research body addressing green issues in the restaurant industry. We utilize the systematic

literature review method to identify and analyze 68 research articles addressing environmental

unsustainability problems in the restaurant industry. The research profile identifies the time

trends of publication, key journals, countries studied, methods used, and restaurant types

discussed in these studies. The results indicate that green restaurant research has grown

exponentially recently and is now past its infancy. Through a detailed qualitative content

analysis, we uncover five key thematic foci: stakeholders and their roles, sources of
environmental unsustainability, green initiatives adopted by restaurants to address

environmental unsustainability, outcomes of adopting green practices, and various ways of

measuring greening practices.

Local Literature

Environmental problems such as climate change and pollutions have become global

issues and have made both individuals and organizations take measures for the preservation of

the environment. In the recent years, there is a growing interest among people all over the world

regarding protection of the environment. Worldwide evidence indicates that people are

concerned about the environment and are changing their behavior. Industries in particular have

begun to change their various operations to address to society’s current environmental issues.

As a result of this, green marketing has emerged which speaks for growing market for

sustainable and socially responsible products and services. Green marketing is the process of

developing products and services and promoting them to satisfy the customers who prefer

products of good quality, performance and convenience at affordable cost, which at the same

time do not have a detrimental impact on the environment. It includes a broad range of activities

like product modification, changing the production process, modified advertising, change in

packaging etc., aimed at reducing the detrimental impact of products and their consumption and

disposal on the environment ( San Juan 2017)

According to Buenaventura and Gutierrez 2023 environmentally conscious are further

penetrating the restaurant industry. This study attempted to find out the answer whether green

marketing practices have strong effects on the image of the company and customers’ behavioral

intentions in the restaurant industry, another factor to consider were the demand and purchase

of green products. Most of them projected it as an additional cost and same time customers

would not demand or pressure them to be an environmentally friendly company. This would
enable restaurants need to follow and implement existing practices and take the initiative to

develop and sustain green marketing practices.

According to Cuevas et.,al 2020 customers always demand for a safe environment,

quality product, and good service. As such, the excellent prestige of a business could be

achieved by implementing green practices in the company. More importantly, this trend also

helps protect the environment. Aside for maintaining reputation, green practices could also

serve as a guide for customers to apply and support said practice. The purpose of this study is

to understand the importance of green practices and identify the green practices applied by

selected restaurants in Nuvali. In a global perspective, hospitality and tourism industries in the

world with the important role of helping reduce negative impact because of environmental

awareness, companies and businesses implemented environmental responsibilities.

Climate changes have some effects on farming, flora and fauna, ecosystems, water

forms, fisheries, as well as human actions and structure. Society adapts to adjust the potential

effects of climate change. The social and economic status of the community and all living

organism are affected due to numerous significant factors of climate change and other

environmental degradation. The rapid growth of global economies that rising trend of consumers

worldwide has caused an impact of overutilization of natural resources that leads to severe

environmental deprivation. Going green initiatives are established in every organization to an

individual in response to global warming which also benefits to reduce expenses, carbon

footprint, and promote social responsibility. Going green is to help firms as well as creating a

good career. Becoming environmentally viable is useful for nature, for the eateries and

restaurants it acquires new customers, it saves money to reduced energy and water use, and

through recycling, it adds revenues. In the end, green restaurants offer foods with better tastes (

Montebon and Dorio 2023).

 The hospitality industry where food service businesses are included aims to be more

responsible and sensitive to environment these days. Various businesses are showing great

commitment to practices which minimizes energy and water consumption, the solid wastes

generated and the sources of pollution and adopt the 3R’s or the reuse, reduce, and recycle.

Over the past decade, businesses from across all sectors specifically in the food service have

realized the importance of implementing these practices in daily operations (Idian et., al 2022)

Synthesis

The literature reviewed underscores the impact of adopting green service

practices in shaping the success of Filipino restaurants in the eco-consious world.

Understanding and effectively leveraging green practices contribute to improved perceived

brand image, increased consumer trust, and enhanced overall brand image.

Understanding the demographic profile of customers is imperative for effective

green practices strategies. Research by Verma and Gupta (2018) explore factors influencing

dining out behavior among young consumers, emphasizing demographic characteristics.

SevenRooms (2022) underscores the importance of restaurant customer demographics,

advocating for tailored strategies based on age, gender, income, and dining habits.

Implementing eco-friendly practices in restaurants not only enhances their brand

image but also attracts environmentally conscious consumers seeking sustainable dining

options. Sarmiento and Hanandeh's (2018) study reveals that people are increasingly buying

eco-friendly products due to green awareness, leading to sustainable goods and operations in

sectors like food and lodging, with 78% willing to pay more. And Shikah Jain's 2021 study

suggests that prioritizing sustainability in business can lead to increased consumer demand for
sustainable goods. The Global Sustainability Study of 2021 shows that 85% of consumers have

shifted their purchase behavior towards sustainability, with 60% considering it important and

one-third willing to pay more.

Green restaurant, as defined by Akan (2020), is one that uses sustainable

practices in food production, sales, and materials, manages waste, recycles, and repurposes

resources, and prioritizes locally and organically produced goods. Eren et al (2023) highlight the

importance of incorporating environmentally friendly practices into restaurants to create a

positive green brand image, boost sustainability, and gain a competitive edge, thereby

enhancing their company's perception and consumer demand. While Rachel Scafer's (2023)

leadership tips suggest that customers value sustainability and ecological consciousness,

leading to the importance of eco-friendly branding, which can save money.

REFERENCES

An Investigative Study of Factors Influencing Dining out in Casual Restaurants Among Young

Consumers:: Science Publishing Group. (n.d.). Www.sciencepublishinggroup.com.

Retrieved January 12, 2024, from

https://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/article/10.11648.j.ebm.20180401.16

Author, G. (2023, March 3). Leadership Tips: Being Eco-Friendly to Boost Brand Image.

Cleanfax. https://cleanfax.com/leadership-tips-eco-friendly-brand-image/#:~:text=Adopting

%20eco%2Dfriendly%20practices%2C%20such
Buenaventura and Gutierrez 2023 Green Marketing Practices of Selected Japanese

Restaurants in Manila https://journal.formosapublisher.org/index.php/eajmr/article/view/

3956

Cuevas et.,al 2020 green practices of selected restaurants in solenad, nuvali in sta.rosa laguna

https://issuu.com/internationalresearch8/docs/green_practices_of_selected_restaurants_in

_solenad

Green Restaurants and Perceived Service Quality. (n.d.). Encyclopedia.pub. Retrieved January

12, 2024, from https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/51818

Idian et., al 2022 The Environmental Responsibilities of Food Service Establishments in ...

https://journal.iistr.org/index.php/JMSD/article/download/95/97

Important Restaurant Customer Demographics. (n.d.). SevenRooms.

https://sevenrooms.com/en/blog/why-you-should-care-about-restaurant-customer-

demographics/

Madanaguli et.,al (2022) Environmental sustainability in restaurants. A systematic review and ...

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365602740_Environmental_sustainability_in_rest

aurants_A_systematic_review_and_future_research_agenda_on_restaurant_adoption_of_

green_practices

Montebon and Dorio 2023 Green Initiatives of Restaurants in the Cities of Cebu, Philippines -

UIJRT https://uijrt.com/articles/v4/i5/UIJRTV4I50016.pdf

San Juan (2017) Green Marketing Strategies of Restaurants in Zamboanga City ...

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326818726_Green_Marketing_Strategies_of_Res

taurants_in_Zamboanga_City_Philippines
Sarmiento, C. V., & El Hanandeh, A. (2018). Customers’ perceptions and expectations of

environmentally sustainable restaurant and the development of green index: The case of

the Gold Coast, Australia. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 15, 16–24.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2018.04.001

Simon-Kucher & Partners. (2021). Global Sustainability Study 2021. https://www.simon-

kucher.com/sites/default/files/studies/Simon-Kucher_Global_Sustainability_Study_2021.pdf

Sorn & Nesrawi (2022) What is Green Restaurant | IGI Global. (n.d.). Www.igi-Global.com.

https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/the-restaurant-industry-in-the-new-era/

84946#:~:text=A%20green%20restaurant%20is%20one.

Welter (2022) Sustainability in the Restaurant Industry: A Cape Town Study by Karen Welter

https://www.sustainabilityinstitute.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/3999_si.pdf