<b>SENSORY ELEMENTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON RESTAURANT CONSUMERS’ HEALTHY EATING BEHAVIOR</b>

<p dir="ltr">With the growing reliance on food-away-from-home, promoting healthy eating in restaurants has become a public health priority. This dissertation explores how multisensory environmental cues in full-service restaurants influence healthy eating behaviors, focusing on the mediating role of experienced well-being. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research addresses two gaps: how consumers define healthy eating when dining out and how sensory cues guide healthier food choices. The qualitative study revealed that consumers define healthy eating as selecting fresh, balanced meals, favoring minimally processed preparation, and practicing mindful eating. This consumer-driven perspective expands on institutional dietary guidelines by emphasizing experiential and contextual factors. Quantitative studies showed that visual cues (e.g., bright lighting with natural elements) and auditory cues (e.g., soft classical music) significantly enhanced healthy eating and revisit intentions. Olfactory cues influenced only revisit intentions. Experimental findings further confirmed that natural visual environments and soft classical music in music-dominant settings positively impacted consumer intentions. Experienced well-being mediated the effects of auditory cues but not visual cues, highlighting context-specific emotional pathways. Grounded in selective attention theory, these findings underscore the value of designing salient sensory cues. Theoretically, this work advances sensory marketing research; practically, it offers actionable strategies for restaurant operators and public health advocates.</p>