IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jecomi/v11y2023i11p283-d1281144.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of Digitalization of Sales on the Profitability of the Restaurant Industry during COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Mónica González Morales

    (Department of Economics and Financial Studies, Miguel Hernandez University, 03202 Elche, Spain)

  • José Antonio Cavero Rubio

    (Department of Economics and Financial Studies, Miguel Hernandez University, 03202 Elche, Spain)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on the restaurant industry. Temporary shutdowns and seating capacity restrictions led to a sharp drop in sales. In this scenario, digitalization emerged as a crucial strategy for business survival, offering opportunities to increase restaurants’ competitiveness and revenues. This study examines the financial profitability of restaurants during 2020, comparing establishments with digital sales tools to those without. Multiple linear regression results indicate that liquidity, sales growth, restaurant size, and having a website directly influenced profitability. In addition, restaurants with their own online ordering and home delivery services or associated with delivery platforms experienced lower profitability losses. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of digitalization in the restaurant sector during the pandemic, providing valuable practical and theoretical implications for the industry in similar contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Mónica González Morales & José Antonio Cavero Rubio, 2023. "Impact of Digitalization of Sales on the Profitability of the Restaurant Industry during COVID-19," Economies, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-16, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:11:y:2023:i:11:p:283-:d:1281144
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/11/11/283/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/11/11/283/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Manlu Chen & Ming Hu & Jianfu Wang, 2022. "Food Delivery Service and Restaurant: Friend or Foe?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(9), pages 6539-6551, September.
    2. Fareed Zeeshan & Ali Zahid & Shahzad Farrukh & Nazir Muhammad Imran & Ullah Assad, 2016. "Determinants of Profitability: Evidence from Power and Energy Sector," Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Oeconomica, Sciendo, vol. 61(3), pages 59-78, December.
    3. Lee, Sanghoon, 2014. "The relationship between growth and profit: evidence from firm-level panel data," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 1-11.
    4. Margaritis, Dimitris & Psillaki, Maria, 2010. "Capital structure, equity ownership and firm performance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 621-632, March.
    5. Leiv Opstad & Johannes Idsø & Robin Valenta, 2022. "The Dynamics of the Profitability and Growth of Restaurants; The Case of Norway," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-12, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Khémiri, Wafa & Noubbigh, Hédi, 2020. "Size-threshold effect in debt-firm performance nexus in the sub-Saharan region: A Panel Smooth Transition Regression approach," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 335-344.
    2. Bae, John & Kim, Sang-Joon & Oh, Hannah, 2017. "Taming polysemous signals: The role of marketing intensity on the relationship between financial leverage and firm performance," Review of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 29-40.
    3. George Georgakopoulos & Kanellos Toudas & Evangelos I. Poutos & Theodoros Kounadeas & Stefanos Tsavalias, 2022. "Capital Structure, Corporate Governance, Equity Ownership and Their Impact on Firms’ Profitability and Effectiveness in the Energy Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-10, May.
    4. Meng, Rujing & Ning, Xiangdong & Zhou, Xianming & Zhu, Hongquan, 2011. "Do ESOPs enhance firm performance? Evidence from China's reform experiment," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 1541-1551, June.
    5. Stefani, Gianluca & Gadanakis, Yiorgos & Lombardi, Ginevra Virginia & Tiberti, Marco, 2017. "The impact of financial leverage on farms capacity to react in market shocks," 2017 International Congress, August 28-September 1, 2017, Parma, Italy 261156, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    6. ElBannan, Mona A., 2017. "Stock market liquidity, family ownership, and capital structure choices in an emerging country," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 201-231.
    7. V. Nazarova V. & S. Glebov P. & В. Назарова В. & С. Глебов П., 2017. "Оценка Влияния Финансовой Архитектуры На Эффективность Компаний Европейского Ритейла // The Impact Of Financial Architecture On The European Retail Company Performance," Финансы: теория и практика/Finance: Theory and Practice // Finance: Theory and Practice, ФГОБУВО Финансовый университет при Правительстве Российской Федерации // Financial University under The Government of Russian Federation, vol. 21(4), pages 100-115.
    8. Gabriela Brendea & Fanuta Pop & Loredana Mihalca, 2022. "Capital Structure and Firm Performance: The Case of Central and Eastern European Economies," Journal of Economics / Ekonomicky casopis, Institute of Economic Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, vol. 70(5), pages 430-449, May.
    9. Le, Thi Phuong Vy & Phan, Thi Bich Nguyet, 2017. "Capital structure and firm performance: Empirical evidence from a small transition country," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 710-726.
    10. Zaheda Daruwala, 2023. "Influence of Financial Leverage on Corporate Profitability: Does it Really Matter?," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 13(4), pages 37-46, July.
    11. Zarina Abdul Salam & Roghayeh Shourkashti, 2019. "Capital Structure and Firm Performance in Emerging Market: An Empirical Analysis of Malaysian Companies," International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, vol. 9(3), pages 70-82, July.
    12. Lo, Huai-Chun & Ting, Irene Wei Kiong & Kweh, Qian Long & Yang, Ming Jing, 2016. "Nonlinear association between ownership concentration and leverage: The role of family control," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 113-123.
    13. Jung-Fa Tsai & Phi-Hung Nguyen & Ming-Hua Lin & Duy-Van Nguyen & Hsu-Hao Lin & Anh-Tuan Ngo, 2021. "Impacts of Environmental Certificate and Pollution Abatement Equipment on SMEs’ Performance: An Empirical Case in Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-17, August.
    14. Abdulkadir Ali Tifow & Ozlem Sayilir, 2015. "Capital Structure and Firm Performance: An Analysis of Manufacturing Firms in Turkey," Eurasian Journal of Business and Management, Eurasian Publications, vol. 3(4), pages 13-22.
    15. Xianchun Liao & Jie Wang & Ting Wang & Meicun Li, 2023. "Green Credit Guideline Influencing Enterprises’ Green Transformation in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-22, August.
    16. Datta, Sudip & Doan, Trang & Toscano, Francesca, 2023. "Top executive gender, corporate culture, and the value of corporate cash holdings," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    17. Ahmed Imran Hunjra & Peter Verhoeven & Qasim Zureigat, 2020. "Capital Structure as a Mediating Factor in the Relationship between Uncertainty, CSR, Stakeholder Interest and Financial Performance," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-18, June.
    18. Muhammad Iqbal & Faisal Javed, 2017. "The Moderating Role of Corporate Governance on the Relationship between Capital Structure and Financial Performance: Evidence from Manufacturing Sector of Pakistan," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 6(1), pages 89-105, January.
    19. Juan Federico & Joan-Lluis Capelleras, 2015. "The heterogeneous dynamics between growth and profits: the case of young firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 231-253, February.
    20. Sung C. Bae & Hyeon Sook Kim & Taek Ho Kwon, 2020. "Foreign currency borrowing surrounding the global financial crisis: Evidence from Korea," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(5-6), pages 786-817, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:11:y:2023:i:11:p:283-:d:1281144. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.