From Reach to Trust: A Multi-Criteria Analysis of Strategic Factors in Restaurant Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing has become an important strategy for restaurant businesses seeking to enhance market visibility and consumer engagement. This study develops a multi-criteria framework for identifying and prioritizing strategic factors in restaurant influencer selection from a “reach-to-trust†perspective. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was applied to integrate the judgments of 10 experts with extensive hospitality industry and management experience. The framework comprises four dimensions—Influence Quality, Content Expertise, Trust and Relationship, and Professional Background—and 16 evaluation criteria. The results identify Influence Quality as the highest-priority dimension, followed by Trust and Relationship and Content Expertise. At the criterion level, Follower Scale ranks first, followed by Reputation Risk, Reachability, Message Delivery, Follower Trust, and Parasocial Interaction. These findings indicate that market reach remains a fundamental consideration in influencer selection, while relational trust, content communication, and reputational risk provide additional strategic considerations. Thus, the “reach-to-trust†perspective does not imply that trust replaces reach; rather, it represents an expanded decision framework that moves beyond reach-only evaluation toward a more comprehensive assessment of influencer collaboration. JEL classification numbers: M31, M37, L83.