Purpose The focus of the research is on patrons’ motivation for healthy dining, and influences on dining experience. Healthy dining in this study is operationalized as the perception of restaurant ambience and cognitive responses. The relationship between cognitive responses and restaurant ambience in Switzerland and Indonesia was tested. The relationship between healthy dining experience and patrons' satisfaction, and subsequently, its influence on repeated patronizing (repeat business) was also explored. Design/methodology/approach The research uses mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis, as the inquiries are exploratory in nature and rely on deductive logic.