Analysis of the Cultural Dimensions of Indonesian People on Purchase Decisions: A Case Study
of Karen's Diner Restaurant in Indonesia
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, Vol. 5, No. 6, June 2024 2753
also includes those who eat at restaurants, buy with a service without getting off (drive-
thru), or order and deliver home (Senja, 10AD). This research is very important for a
company, including companies in the food and beverages industry, to know what
consumers need and want for a product through consumer response and formulate a
market strategy so that the company benefits through customer satisfaction that exceeds
its expectations (Jufra, 2020).
According to (Kotler & Keller, 2016), consumer purchasing behavior is influenced
by several factors, including cultural, social, personal, and psychological factors.
Consumers will learn and try to accept product and service innovations if they are by the
factors in their guidelines. The process of product acceptance by consumers will be
implemented in the form of a buyer's decision. In this study, the author will review one
of the important factors, namely cultural factors (Pratesi, Hu, Rialti, Zollo, & Faraoni,
2021).
In the food and beverage industry, service innovation has developed in the last five
years. As this business trend develops, potential consumers raise several questions,
including "What are the new food and beverage innovations that will be consumed in the
future?" and "How will people be served in the food and beverage industry in the future?"
Consumers will invest in memorable food tastes and a satisfying service experience.
Cultural factors, such as age and gender, are factors that consumers consider when
purchasing food and beverages, visiting a new restaurant, and even making repeat
purchases (Hafidz, 2018).
(Kotler & Keller, 2016) emphasized that consumers make a purchase decision when
purchasing a product. In making these decisions, consumers consider various perceptions,
such as process, people, physical evidence, promotion, location, price, product, culture,
technology, politics, and finance.
Karen's Diner is a themed restaurant that was first established in Australia. The
restaurant advertises an unpleasant dining experience, and staff are ordered to insult
customers during meals. The restaurant's name comes from the internet slang term Karen,
which roughly describes an old white woman. Karen's Diner has opened branches in the
United Kingdom, the United States, Indonesia, and New Zealand.
The restaurant's initial viral campaign started with a video upload about their rude
service to customers. The video received a positive response from people worldwide,
including Indonesia, where the service concept presented by Karen's Diner included a
unique innovation. As a result, many Indonesian netizens requested Karen's Diner to open
a branch. Finally, the request was realized when Karen's Diner opened its first branch in
Indonesia, precisely at the Burger Workshop, South Jakarta.
The problem began on the first day of the launch of Karen's Diner in Indonesia,
which was expected to get consumer praise but turned out to be the opposite. Consumers
heavily criticized the restaurant. One of the most widely expressed criticisms is about the
concept of service that deviates from cultural norms in Indonesia. This is what underlies
the researcher's research related to the cultural factors in question and the cultural points