The fast-food employees' usage intention of robots: a cross-cultural study

Robots are adopted in numerous tourism and hospitality segments, including restaurants. This study aims to empirically investigate the service robots' (SRs) acceptance among fast-food employees across two cultures – Egypt and Malaysia - and examines the moderating role of culture on usage intention. Extending the UTAUT model, Hofstede's culture dimensions, and relevant literature, a survey was developed for data collection from a convenient sample of employees in two international fast-food chains. Structural equation modelling was used for hypotheses-testing purposes. The results revealed that four UTAUT main constructs explain 62% and 44% of fast-food employees' behavioural intention to adopt robots in Egypt and Malaysia, respectively. The findings revealed that easiness-of-use, recommendations of trusted people to use robots, and knowledge and skills required to use robots affect the intention of usage by fast-food employees. This study extends the research of robotics' adoption in tourism and hospitality and consequently supports the planning for the post-Covid-19 resume. It provides several theoretical and operational implications for future research.