Application of constrained association method for determination of the development factors of the quick service restaurant industry

Despite the extended economic decline and understanding of the fact that fast food is destructive to people’s health, the quick service restaurant industry is rapidly expanding. Research suggests that, in developed countries, quick service restaurants are more common for deprived (poor) districts. As a result, in such countries, people with low income consume more fast food. In Russia, the situation is slightly different. The majority of popular quick service restaurants are located in the central districts of large cities. In some regions of Russia, there are no fast food chains at all. Taking into account the studies suggesting that living in places with a high density of quick service restaurants leads to higher consumption of fast food, we can assume that, in Russia, people with average or above average income consume more fast food. The standard HoReCa research techniques did not provide sufficient results that could fully disclose the reasons for the quick service restaurant industry development in Russia. Therefore, the author decided to apply the constrained association method. The method made it possible to comprehensively study all the issues that consciously and unconsciously could concern the respondents, detect the emerging trends of the studied market, and clarify the limits to acceptance or rejection of fast food by the respondents. This method also allows forming attributes affecting customer satisfaction, comparing competing brands by their attributes, specifying brands with large customer equity, detecting merits and flaws of various brands, the attitude of respondents to the stimulus word and explaining the reasons for negative, neutral and positive reactions, identifying feelings and emotions experienced by the respondent to the stimulus word, and explaining the causes of their occurrence.