The influence of crowdedness on brand image and its impact on word of mouth

Abstract

The popularity of a restaurant led to unavoidable crowdedness, as seen in the case of Mie Gacoan restaurant in Malang City, where the establishment attracted a large number of visitors daily. This situation resulted in various negative impacts, such as long lines, extended waiting times for service, and issues with crowdedness, both in terms of human crowdedness and spatial crowdedness. Human crowdedness refers to the congestion caused by a large number of people in a space, while spatial crowdedness refers to non-human objects occupying a space such as table, chair, and other decorations. These conditions influenced the brand image of the restaurant which ultimately affecting word-of-mouth communication initiated by consumers. This study used Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis with a sample size of 150 respondents. The findings of this research showed a positive relationship between human crowdedness and brand image, as well as between spatial crowdedness and brand image. Similarly, there was a positive correlation between brand image and word-of-mouth, indicating a significant influence.