Trusting the Robot Waiter: What Drives Consumers' Acceptance of Restaurant Service Robots?

ABSTRACT As artificial intelligence and automation rapidly reshape the hospitality landscape, understanding the drivers of consumer adoption of robotic service is no longer merely an academic inquiry but a critical business imperative. Grounded in an extended technology acceptance framework, this study investigates the core determinants of individuals' intentions to utilize service robots in restaurant environments. Beyond traditional drivers such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and hedonic motivation, this research uniquely examines the mediating mechanisms of trust and familiarity, alongside the moderating influences of gender and age. Utilizing data from 455 participants and analyzed via SEM, the findings reveal that acceptance is primarily driven by hedonic motivation and performance expectancy, followed by effort expectancy and social influence. Intriguingly, facilitating conditions do not directly stimulate usage intentions; instead, perceived trust emerges as a critical mediator, translating supportive resources into actual acceptance. Conversely, robot familiarity plays no significant mediating role. Furthermore, gender significantly alters the pathways of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and hedonic motivation, while age exclusively dictates the power of social influence. By decoding the intricate interplay of trust, emotional fulfillment, and demographic diversity, this study offers pioneering insights that challenge conventional assumptions and provide a strategic roadmap for the future of robotic services in hospitality.