Consumer behaviour in the market of catering services in selected countries of Central-Eastern Europe

Purpose - New member countries of the European Union such as Lithuania, Latvia and Poland are an interesting subject of study due to the fact that processes of changes in consumption and consumer behaviour in these countries are characterized by large dynamics. The purpose of this paper is to present consumer behaviour in the market of catering services in all the above-mentioned countries as well as in Ukraine. Catering services are an important market on account of their functions and the needs they satisfy. Moreover, on the one hand, under favourable conditions the market of catering services develops dynamically, and, on the other, in time of economic crisis we can feel its consequences fast because of decreasing demand. The possibility of observing consumer behaviour and its sensitivity to factors influencing food purchase decisions is interesting to both researchers and business practice. Design/methodology/approach - This paper is of an empirical character. The presented consumer research findings, which refer to gastronomic services are a part of a study aimed at examining the situation of consumers and consumer behaviours in four countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine. Consumer research like Omnibus, which has been conducted by GfK Research Company for a research project: "The Position of a Consumer and Changes in Consumption in the Central-Eastern Europe following the EU Enlargement" (the author has been the manager of the project), is representative with regard to: age, sex and the size of location. The research method was a direct (face-to-face) interview, based on a standardized questionnaire, conducted in a respondent's house. Findings - Analysis of the obtained qualitative and quantitative data allows us to conclude that consumers react to factors creating demand in various ways; consumers-respondents are differentiated with regard to frequency of using catering outlets; social and demographic features also influence consumer behaviour; and the greatest number of respondents use the services of cafés. Originality/value - The paper examines consumer behaviour in the gastronomic services market. The findings may be interesting for entrepreneurs whose activity is connected with the gastronomic sector or who are interested in diversifying onto the markets analysed in the research. What is worth emphasizing is that the majority of respondents perceive a positive influence of Europeanisation on quality, competition, the level of service or observing consumer rights. These evaluations also concern the changes which occur in domestic markets of catering services.