A situational model development in hospitality retailing : the case of Irish pubs

Although importance of situational influences on consumer behaviour has been recognised for some time, little research has been conducted into their effects on hospitality retailing. Over the past decade the Irish theme pub sector has enjoyed extensive growth, which recent studies attribute to the situational components inherent within the environment. This study identities and evaluates the situational components that influence consumers within Irish theme pubs and gauges impact of each of the dimensions of an established situational model on customer behaviour using gender and age cohorts. A three phase, mixed method research design was used and respondents were selected from six Irish theme pubs in Melbourne. The study found that both physical and social situational components have a significant influence in attracting, serving and satisfying the needs of consumers.