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Eun Kyong Choi

Interim Chair and Associate Professor of Nutrition and Hospitality Management

Eun Kyong Choi

Dr. Eun-Kyong (Cindy) Choi is the Interim Department Chair and an Associate Professor of Nutrition and Hospitality Management.

Research Interests

  • Consumer Technology Adoption and Utilization
  • Consumer Reactions to Promotions and Pricing
  • Consumer Satisfaction and Loyalty

Biography

Dr. Eun-Kyong (Cindy) Choi earned a Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration from Texas Tech University and an M.S. in Hospitality Management from Florida International University. She is a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) and holds the Certification in Hospitality Industry Analytics (CHIA). Recently, she was elected as the Director of Education for the SECSA Federation of ICHRIE.

Bringing a wealth of expertise to the field, she specializes in consumer behavior and psychology, marketing, and hospitality education. Her dynamic industry background includes contributions to renowned establishments such as the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami, Florida; the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea; the COEX InterContinental Hotel in Seoul, South Korea; and the Laforet Zao Resort & Spa in Sendai, Japan. Her research has been published in esteemed scholarly journals, including the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, the International Journal of Hospitality Management, and the Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management. A recipient of multiple accolades, her research team won the ICHRIE Research Reports Competition in 2023 and 2024, as well as the Johnson & Wales Case Study Competition in 2017 and 2019. Additionally, a research report co-authored by her, titled Robot Chef Adoption: The New Industry Strategy to Combat Labor Shortages, was recognized as the Best Paper Published in 2023 for ICHRIE Research Reports.

Publications

Dr. Choi has extensive list of co-authored publications in peer reviewed journals, including:
  • Ciftci, O., Choi, E.-K., & Berezina, K. (2021). Let’s face it: Are customers ready for facial recognition technology at quick-service restaurants? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 95, 102941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.102941 
  • Ahn, J., Choi, E.-K., & Joung, H.-W. (2022). Promoting hotel upselling: The effect of message appeal and delivery setting on consumer attitude and purchase intention. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 52, 295-303.
  • Fu, W., Choi, E.-K., & Kim, H. S. (2022). Text mining with network analysis of online reviews and consumers’ satisfaction: A case study in Busan wine bars. Information, 13(3), 127.
  • Choi, H., Joung, H.-W., Choi, E.-K., & Kim, H.-S. (2022). Understanding vegetarian customers: The effects of restaurant attributes on customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Journal of Food service Business Research, 25(3), 353-376.
  • Hong, C., Choi, H., Choi, E.-K., & Joung, H.-W. (2021). Factors affecting customer intention to use online food delivery services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 48, 509-518
  • Ciftci, O., Choi, E.-K., & Berezina, K. (2021). Let’s face it: Are customers ready for facial recognition technology at quick-service restaurants? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 95, 102941.
  • Fernando, A. L., Berezina, K., & Choi, E.-K. (2021). Food waste management: Does information technology matter in food waste? Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases, 9(1), 18-22.
  • Jo, J., Choi, E.-K., & Taylor, J. (2020). Challenges and benefits of implementing green practices at a restaurant. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases, 8(3), 34-39.
  • Choi, H., Choi, E.-K., Yoon, B., & Joung, H.-W. (2020). Understanding food truck customers: Selection attributes and customer segmentation. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 90, 102647.
  • Ahn, J., Choi, E.-K., & Joung, H.-W. (2020). Does gender moderate the relationship among festival attendees’ motivation, perceived value, visitor satisfaction, and electronic word-of-mouth? Information, 11(9), 412
  • Soifer, I., Choi, E. K., & Lee, E. (2020). Do hotel attributes and amenities affect online user ratings differently across hotel star ratings? Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 22(5), 539-560.
  • Ahn, J., Kim, K., Choi, H., & Choi, E.-K. (2020). Surviving the minimum wage increase: A case study of an independent restaurant. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases, 8(1), 59-67.
  • Ciftci, O., Choi, E.-K., & Berezina, K. (2020). Customer intention to use facial recognition technology at quick-service restaurants. E-Review of Tourism Research, 17(5), 753-763

Courses Taught

  • NHM 222 Hospitality Applied Experience
  • NHM 261 Principles of Hotel Operations
  • NHM 484 Internship in Hospitality
  • NHM 491 Hotel Management and Analytics
  • NHM 525 Research I - Principles of Research
  • NHM 662 Advanced Hotel Operations
  • NHM 740 Consumer Behavior in the Hospitality Industry

Education

Ph.D. Hospitality Administration, Texas Tech University (2013)