Understanding the Role of Aesthetics and Price Fairness for Establishing Marketing Strategies in the Sports Bar Industry

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of aesthetics, price fairness, emotions, and behavioral intentions in the sports bar industry and to provide sports bar managers with practical strategies for maximizing the physical environment by employing aesthetics. Using data collected from 507 U.S. sports bar customers, structural equation model analysis was performed which supported the proposed effects of’ aesthetics on behavioral intentions via emotions. We also find that aesthetics and emotions play an important role in customers’ dining intentions in sports bars. Unlike existing studies arguing the significant effect of negative emotion on the perceived price-fairness, we found that the effect of negative emotion does not influence the perception of price-fairness of the consumers in the context of sports bar. Key theoretical and managerial implications for enhancing the patron’s positive valence emotions and aesthetic appeal are discussed.