Navigating the virtual restaurant frontier: motivations and challenges for restaurateurs in post-pandemic era

This study explores the motivations and challenges steering restaurateurs toward the operation of virtual restaurants in post-pandemic Malaysia. With a dual objective of furnishing actionable guidance for current and prospective virtual restaurant entrepreneurs and proposing recommendations for stakeholders like SME Trade Associations, financial institutions, and government agencies, the research extracts qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews with 31 restaurant operators. Distinct motivations, including financial considerations, capitalization on pandemic-induced market shifts, procedural simplification, reliance on supportive networks, and learning from past physical restaurant setbacks, are identified. Correspondingly, challenges such as high overhead costs, limited visibility, unpredictable circumstances, and operational inefficiencies are unveiled. The study harmonizes both motivations and challenges to offer a practical framework, facilitating the evaluation of virtual restaurant feasibility and sustainability. These findings hold significant implications for fostering the adoption of virtual restaurants in post-pandemic Malaysia, presenting a comprehensive guide for restaurateurs navigating the evolving landscape.