Hajar Moayery Fard
_{Faculty Member, George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology, Webster University, Tbilisi, Georgia}

A B S T R A C T

The fast-food restaurant sector has been growing quickly on a global scale in recent years. Restaurants constantly encounter challenges, including shifting consumer preferences, in addition to the ongoing fierce competition and high turbulence in the external environment, such as eating practices, establishing dynamic and faithful connections with clients, and boosting their allegiance. The success of fast-food restaurant chains is thus greatly contingent upon the brand’s understanding of its brand image and awareness, as well as the factors that influence these aspects in the case of repeat purchase. This study aims to examine how brand awareness and brand image influence repeat purchasing behavior in Georgia’s fast-food industry, with a particular focus on the mediating effect of customer satisfaction. Methodologically speaking, the quantitative research employed an internet-based survey research approach. The sample comprised Georgian consumers aged 15 to 60 who use fast-food restaurant chains. According to the analysis of the results, consumers prefer international fast-food brands as opposed to national alternatives.
Moreover, the analysis using structural equation modeling demonstrates that brand awareness, trust, brand image, and perceived credibility significantly contribute to customer loyalty and repeated purchasing behavior in globally recognized quick-service restaurant chains.
Knowledge of fast-food and uniqueness-seeking characteristics was relevant both directly and through mediation when predicting fast-food purchasing intentions. The recommendations proposed based on the analysis and discussion of the results can assist both international and
national fast-food brans in Georgia to improve their product and service offerings, brand image, and awareness, and increase repeat purchases among consumers.