Value and categories in socially constructed authenticity: Empirical tests from on-line restaurant reviews*

This study examines socially constructed authenticity. It first tests a fundamental yet rarely examined assumption underlying the contemporary appeal of authenticity, namely, that consumers assign higher value to organizations perceived as authentic. It also explores how consumers use language to express judgments about different meanings of authenticity. In addition, it examines how such judgments of authenticity vary across certain observers and organizations. The empirical tests use content analysis to scrutinize online restaurant reviews entered voluntarily by consumers in three major US metropolitan areas reviewers of 18,869 restaurants. The findings show that consumers do assign higher ratings to restaurants that are regarded as authentic, even after controlling for restaurant quality; dining enthusiasts also reward authenticity but with less weight. Moreover, consumers convey views about four distinct subtypes of authenticity and they assign value to each subtype. Finally, consumers perceive specialist (single-category) restaurants and family-owned restaurants as more authentic than they do generalist (multiple-category) and chain restaurants.