Purpose: Using cue utilization theory, this study aims to investigate the impact of celebrity chefs’ job and person-related competencies on customers’ trust and loyalty in restaurant settings and explores gender as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 330 questionnaires were distributed to customers at 6 celebrity-chef-run restaurants in South Korea, with 297 completed responses used for final analysis. The survey underwent two pre-testing stages, including interviews with chefs and a pre-survey with 20 customers, to refine its clarity and eliminate biases. Findings: Job-related competencies positively influenced trust and loyalty in males, while person-related competencies had a stronger impact on trust in both genders. Trust significantly predicted loyalty, with stronger effects observed in females. Research limitations/implications: Although this study makes a unique contribution by considering two competencies that are most relevant to celebrity chefs, future studies may want to expand the scope by considering some other competencies. Practical implications: This study reveals that females perceived celebrity chefs’ job-related competencies differently than males, which suggests that marketers should focus on core competencies more when targeting females. Originality/value: This study, based on the cue utilization theory, contributes to the literature by offering an integrated model considering celebrity chefs’ competencies and their effect on customers’ responses. In addition, the study highlights the role of gender in customers’ responses to celebrity chefs’ competencies.

The purpose of this study is to examine value elements related to hybrid electric vehicles and their impact on consumers’ brand-related (brand identification) and corporate-related (corporate image) responses, which are expected to influence buying intention. Data was collected from 294 owners of hybrid electric vehicles in South Korea and analyzed using PLS-SEM and NCA (necessary condition analysis). The study finds that all four elements of value have a significant impact on either brand identification or corporate image. The study shows that brand identification and corporate image predict buying intention. Brand identification is found to play a mediating role in the relationship between aesthetic value and corporate image and between eco-friendliness and corporate image. The study finds that corporate image mediates the relationship between brand identification and buying intention. The study contributes to the understanding of the psychological process that explains buying intention of the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) users.