Service Encounters and Perceive Value on Post-Consumption Evaluation in U.S. Sports Bars

The objective of the current study was to explore the impacts of 1) goal-oriented and experiential-oriented motivations within the service encounter and 2) perceptions of value on satisfaction and affective commitment in the sports bar industry in the U.S. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to and collected from sports bar patrons. A total of 507 questionnaires were used to perform structural equation modeling to test the study hypotheses. Results confirmed support for experiential and goal orientations, as two aspects of the service encounter found to have significant effects on the three dimensions of perceived value: emotional value, social value, and functional value. Further, among the three dimensions, functional value and emotional value have the greatest impact on patron satisfaction and commitment to the sports bar establishment. Sport bar managers should have a thorough understanding of the varying dimensions of the service encounter and patrons perceived value as they strive to satisfy, as well as increase, their patron’s commitment to the establishment. An important contribution of the present study is the exploration of both antecedent and consequent constructs impacting patron commitment in the unique sports bar context.