ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1658177
This article is part of the Research TopicPlant-Based Foods: Harmonizing Health Promotion and Sustainability Strategies from a High-Throughput PerspectiveView all 4 articles
Quantitative Analysis of the Impact of Vegetarian Restaurant Experiences on Pro-Environmental Eating Behaviors: A Perspective from Sustainable Tourism
Provisionally accepted
- Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao, SAR China
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Abstract The growing popularity of vegetarian tourism reflects the global expansion of the plant-based food market. However, little is known about how vegetarian restaurants influence pro-environmental behavior through sensory experiences and the dissemination of green knowledge. Guided by the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework, this study develops and empirically tests a model linking sensory perception, perceived green knowledge, green mindfulness, eco-reflection, and environmentally friendly dietary behavior. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative exploration with a quantitative survey conducted among 615 diners at vegetarian restaurants in Shanghai. Results from structural equation modeling show that sensory experience and green knowledge significantly enhance green mindfulness and eco-reflection, which in turn promote environmentally friendly dietary behavior. These findings advance the theoretical understanding of sustainable consumption mechanisms in vegetarian contexts and offer practical insights for improving restaurant design and promoting food waste reduction strategies.
Keywords: Vegetarian restaurant, pro-environmental behavior, sensory experience, Green knowledge, Green mindfulness, eco-reflection; sustainable consumption
Received: 02 Jul 2025; Accepted: 29 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, zhu and Shen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Beiyi Shen, 1658212874@qq.com
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