Enhancing the Atmosphere in Hybrid Restaurants: A Dining Experience Assessment with Mixed Reality

Dining is increasingly defined by an interplay of sensory, social, psychological, and environmental factors, with restaurants striving to create unique atmospheres that go beyond mere food consumption. Emerging digital technologies, such as eXtended Reality (XR), can significantly enrich these experiences. However, they are still understudied and a research gap remains in understanding how to leverage XR to integrate physical dining elements with digital augmentation. The present study reports on the development and preliminary evaluation of a Mixed Reality (MR) application aimed at enriching the dining experience within an Hybrid Restaurant. Deployed on the Meta Quest 3, the MR system integrates physical elements with digitally augmented settings, thereby providing an ecological platform for controlled dining research within hybrid environment. To assess the system, 12 participants were involved in a feasibility task within a Hybrid Restaurant. Both objective behavioural data (i.e., food and beverage consumption modalities) and self-report measures (i.e., perceived comfort, user experience, emotional response, cybersickness, and sense of presence) were collected. The findings suggest that the MR environment supports intuitive eating and drinking without disruption. Participants reported feeling comfortable eating with both cutlery and their hands, and a preference for drinking with a straw, which minimized interference with the head-mounted display. Furthermore, the immersive setup elicited a sense of presence with negligible adverse effects and positive overall user experience. The approach offers significant insights for researchers exploring multisensory interactions in dining while providing restaurateurs with innovative strategies for prototyping and enhancing customer engagement through digital augmentation.