Abstract

Purpose: Recently, it is common to see cases where an amount similar to the cost of a meal is spent on dessert, or an amount greater than the cost of a meal is spent on dessert. The generation MZ is showing a tendency of 'value consumption' by consuming values and beliefs in consideration of the recent impact on society and the environment. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the effect of dessert cafe quality and eco-friendly behavior on customer trust and loyalty targeting the generation MZ who have visited desert cafés. This study examined the mediating role of customer trust in the relationships between desert café quality, eco-friendly behavior and customer loyalty, and also the moderating effect of and eco-friendly behavior on customer trust and customer loyalty. Research design, data, and methodology: To achieve purposes of this study, 229 data were collected from respondents who visited desert café and analyzed using measurement model (reliability test and correlation analysis), Fornell-Larcker Criterion and Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio (HTMT) assessment, and structural equation model (PLS-SEM) with SPSS 22.0 and SmartPLS 3.3.7. Results: The research results are as follows. First, desert cafes' quality positively influenced customer trust but did not customer loyalty. Second, desert cafes' eco-friendly behavior positively influenced customer trust and customer loyalty. Fourth, the interaction term of dessert cafe quality and eco-friendly behavior did not influence customer trust and customer loyalty. Conclusions: This study emphasized the necessity of service quality and eco-friendly behavior of dessert cafes by examining the relationship between the quality of dessert cafes and eco-friendly behaviors, customer trust and loyalty. It also found the importance of the role of trust in securing loyal customers. In order to secure and retain loyal customers, the owners of dessert cafes should make effortsto improve the quality of the cafes' products and services so that customers can feel a sense of trust, and actively publicize that they are practicing eco-friendly management. As a result of this study, it is intended to provide practical implications for the management of dessert cafes by understand ing the effects of product and service quality and eco-friendly behaviors of companies to bakery industry workers and start-ups.