Fostering restaurant’s brand loyalty through local food brands: the role of sustainability and perceived value generated by the Mountain Product label

The promotion of traditional Mountain Products (MPs) can be boosted by restaurants introducing these local and well-regarded products in their recipes. Our study aims to examine the loyalty of restaurant owners to the products branded with the MPs label. This study, explorative, was conducted on a sample of restaurant owners to understand how two main aspects – the perceived value of offering dishes using MPs and the perceived sustainability of MPs – can increase their loyalty to using mountain products in their restaurants. A survey, based on a structured questionnaire, was conducted face to face with a preliminary sample of 65 restaurant owners in Emilia Romagna, the region with the highest number of EU quality labels. The results of the PLS-SEM show that both the perceived value of using mountain products in their recipes and the sustainability of MPs are significant factors in driving restaurateurs’ loyalty toward MPs. Our findings offer implications for policymakers seeking to enhance knowledge about and use of mountain products, but also for mountains’ farmers and producers, in order to let them exploit the value of their products.