Leveraging Data Analytics to Understand the Relationship Between Restaurants' Safety Violations and COVID-19 Transmission

Keywords

Complaints; COVID-19; Neural networks; Restaurant; Safety violation; Spatial analysis

Abstract

This paper leverages natural language processing, spatial analysis, and statistical analysis to examine the relationship between restaurants' safety violations and COVID-19 cases. We used location-based consumers' complaints data during the early stage of business reopening in Florida, USA. First, statistical analysis was conducted to examine the correlation between restaurants' safety violations and COVID-19 transmission. Second, a neural network-based deep learning model was developed to perform topic modeling based on consumers' complaints. Third, spatial modeling of the complaints' geographic distributions was performed to identify the hotspots of consumers' complaints and COVID-19 cases. The results reveal a positive relationship between consumers' complaints about restaurants' safety violations and COVID-19 cases. In particular, consumers' complaints about personal protection measures had the highest correlation with COVID-19 cases, followed by environmental safety measures. Our analytical methods and findings shed light on customers' behavioral shifts and hospitality businesses' adaptive practices during a pandemic. • We leverage data analytical approaches to understand the relationship between restaurants' safety violations and COVID-19 cases. • A positive relationship between restaurants' safety violations and COVID-19 cases is confirmed. • Complaints about personal safety measures are most associated with the COVID-19 cases. • Consumers' complaints and COVID-19 cases are distributed unevenly across Florida.

Publication Date

7-2022

Original Citation

Huang, A., de la Mora Velasco, E., Farhangi, A., Bilgihan, A., & Jahromi, M. F. (2022). Leveraging data analytics to understand the relationship between restaurants’ safety violations and COVID-19 transmission. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 104, N.PAG. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103241

Document Type

Paper

Language

English

Source Title

International Journal of Hospitality Management

Volume

104

College

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Location

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

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