Guilt on the plate, pride in the bag: How motives, norms, and saving face drive the fight against food waste

“Guilt on the Plate, Pride in the Bag” captures the emotional and cultural tug-of-war diners face when deciding whether to take leftovers home or leave them behind. This study dives into that tension by examining how five behavioral constructs—leftover-saving motives, attitude toward food waste, personal norms, subjective norms, and face-saving behavior—interact to shape diners’ intention to reduce food waste. By integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Value–Belief–Norm (VBN) framework, the research reveals a dynamic interplay between practical reasoning, moral obligation, social pressure, and cultural inhibition in sustainable dining behavior.
Survey data were collected from 524 respondents in the Greater Bay Area and analyzed using PLS-SEM. Results reveal that subjective norms significantly shape diners’ personal obligatory norms of food waste reduction, which in turn influence their intention to reduce food waste. Attitude toward food waste emerges as a strong predictor of intention to reduce food waste, while leftover-saving motives positively influence attitude formation. Face-saving behavior exerts a negative effect on intention and significantly moderates the relationship between both attitude and personal norms with intention to reduce food waste. These findings suggest that social image concerns can suppress or reshape sustainable actions, even among individuals with strong environmental values.
This study offers practical implications such as reframing leftover reuse as a socially acceptable and pride-enhancing act, promoting portion-transparent menus, and offering eco-friendly takeaway packaging. By unpacking the inhibitors and enablers of sustainable dining, the findings offer actionable strategies for hospitality managers and policymakers to foster long-term pro-environmental behavior.