Abstract

The bakery cafe and dessert industry in Korea is expanding, but it requires continuous innovation to remain competitive and adaptable. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of five sense factors on customer satisfaction and relationship continuance intention in Korean dessert cafes. A survey was conducted among 200 consumers who had visited a Korean dessert cafe in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Regression analysis was conducted for hypothesis testing, and the research results are as follows. First, among the five sensory factors in Korean dessert cafes, gustatory, visual, and olfactory factors positively impacted customer satisfaction and relationship continuance intention. These results suggest that the taste and presentation of Korean desserts in cafes and the aroma of both the desserts and the café are essential. However, auditory and tactile factors did not impact customer satisfaction and intention to continue the relationship. Second, customer satisfaction improved the intention to continue the relationship. This finding suggests that improving customer satisfaction in Korean dessert cafes positively impacts maintaining customer loyalty. Therefore, operators of Korean dessert cafes should consider gustatory, visual, and olfactory aspects when developing dessert menus and planning the physical environment of their restaurants.