Introduction
One of the most important prerequisites for an organization's survival in the cutthroat business world of today is an understanding of the needs of culinary tourists. Organizations may significantly improve the satisfaction of culinary tourists by identifying and meeting these needs. Because of this, organizations focused on culinary tourism place a high priority on knowing what influences visitors' pleasure as well as their wants and expectations. A crucial segment of the tourism sector, restaurants greatly enhance the allure of different travel locations. Additionally, food can promote several cultural elements by serving as a cultural ambassador. In today's marketing environment, branding and brand management are becoming increasingly significant. Top managers in the service industry can use brand equity evaluation to determine how strong their brands are in a competitive market, improve brand value over time, and guide marketing tactics. The Mizban Restaurant in Babolsar is the subject of this study, which looks at how customer-based brand equity affects culinary tourism satisfaction in the restaurant business.
 
Methodology
This research is applied in purpose and descriptive in data collection method. The statistical population comprises all culinary tourists visiting Mizban Restaurant. Data was collected using a non-random, convenience sampling method via a questionnaire distributed to the restaurant's visitors. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data using SMART PLS software.
Results
The results showed that customer-based brand equity and each of its dimensions have a positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction. It was also shown that the brand loyalty variable has the largest path coefficient value and its effect on customer satisfaction is greater than other variables. In order to examine all the hypotheses of this study, the path coefficient is first calculated, then the significance of this path coefficient is examined with the test statistic. If the calculated significance level is smaller than the test significance level (α=0.05), the relevant hypothesis is confirmed, and if its value is greater than (α=0.05), the relevant hypothesis is rejected.
Discussion and Conclusion
Two main points can be used to summarize the study's findings: With a path coefficient of 0.876, the variable of brand loyalty had the most effect on culinary tourism satisfaction out of all the customer-based brand equity dimensions. Consequently, brand loyalty should receive special consideration. Because they believe the service meets their requirements and expectations, culinary tourists who are more brand loyal are less sensitive to price rises. In order to draw in new customers, devoted tourists also spread the word about the restaurant to their friends, family, and coworkers. The study's conclusions indicate that customer-based brand equity and its components are essential to the restaurant industry's culinary tourism satisfaction.
Since no one likes to eat in an empty restaurant, staff members must build an affinity with culinary tourists. In order to make a good impression and keep tourists, managers and employees need cultivate a cheerful atmosphere. In order to improve overall brand equity, managers should concentrate on bolstering the many components of brand equity.
Funding
There is no funding support.
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.