‘Bin it and forget it!’: The challenges of food waste management in restaurants of a mid-sized Hungarian city

Although research on food waste and its management in foodservices is gradually evolving in developed countries, it remains limited in transitional economies. This holds true for many EU-28 member states located in East-Central Europe, where no studies have assessed to date the magnitude of food waste occurring in foodservices, identified its key drivers and established the scope for minimisation. By interviewing 18 managers of foodservice businesses in a historical, mid-sized, city of Veszprem, this paper explores the phenomenon of food waste in the foodservice sector of Hungary, an EU-28 economy in transition. It provides a first benchmark of food waste generation in Hungarian foodservices. It also identifies institutional, contextual, locational, organisational and cultural factors that impede food waste prevention and mitigation. Drawing on international experience and best practices in food waste management, recommendations are made on how these factors should be addressed.     

Restaurant food waste and the determinants of its effective management in Bulgaria: An exploratory case study of restaurants in Plovdiv

Restaurant food waste represents a significant societal challenge in transitional economies where frequency of dining out is rising. The problem of restaurant food waste in this context is however under-researched which hampers understanding of its causes and effects. This paper contributes to knowledge with a case study of food waste management in restaurants of Plovdiv in Bulgaria, a transitional economy in South-Eastern Europe. Through the lens of qualitative research, it establishes the causes of restaurant food waste and explores managerial approaches to mitigation. The study highlights the crucial role of targeted governmental support in more effective management of restaurant food waste. The government should train restaurateurs on how to quantify and characterise major food waste streams. It should further provide reliable services of municipal waste collection to facilitate on-site food separation and recycling. Lastly, public awareness campaigns should be developed to better engage customers in restaurant food waste minimisation.     

Burnout and food safety: Understanding the role of job satisfaction and menu complexity in foodservice

This study measures job motivation, satisfaction, and burnout amongst foodservice employees, as well as the menu complexity in foodservice establishments. It verifies the relationship between these factors and food safety practices. We visited 20 foodservice establishments and interviewed 202 foodservice employees. Job motivation, satisfaction, and burnout were assessed using validated questionnaires. Menu complexity was evaluated by considering the number of meals prepared in different courses. Data relating to food safety violations were obtained using a food safety checklist. Our findings show that foodservice employees exhibit high levels of job motivation, job satisfaction, and personal burnout. In restaurants with more complex menus, instances of burnout as well as food safety violations are higher, and these have a negative impact on foodservice employees’ job motivation. Job satisfaction is positively affected by job motivation and negatively affected by burnout. Cognitive aspects of food safety, practical implications, and limitations of this study are discussed.     

Critical food safety violations in Florida: Relationship to location and chain vs. non-chain restaurants

This study explores the relationship between the number of critical food safety violations and the restaurant's status as either a chain or independent foodservice provider and location. The State of Florida categorized the restaurant operations according to the type of license obtained, chain or independent. Chain restaurants are defined as multi-unit restaurants owned or operated by the same company or individual that total seven locations or more. Data for the current study was retrieved from the public records for the fiscal years 2009–2010 and 2010–2011. The study found that both the aggregate number of critical violations and risk factors and the number of individual critical violations and risk factors were significantly different among chain and non-chain restaurants in the state of Florida. Results indicate that the number of critical violations received is impacted by both the location of the restaurant and whether the restaurant is independently operated or a chain. The current study assists in explaining underlying reasons for repeated food safety violations despite Florida's required food safety training certification of restaurant managers and training of their staff; providing implications for academics and foodservice practitioners alike.     

Food management in tourism: Reducing tourism’s carbon ‘foodprint’

Food production and consumption have a range of sustainability implications, including their contribution to global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). As some foodstuffs entail higher GHG emissions than others, managing their use in tourism-related contexts could make a significant contribution to climate change mitigation. This article reviews the carbon intensity of selected foods and discusses how foodservice providers could adapt their practices. It shows that even though food management could substantially reduce the GHG emissions of foodservice providers, its application is currently hampered by the complexity of food production chains and a lack of dependable data on the GHG intensity of foodstuffs. Nevertheless, it is possible to make a number of recommendations in respect of how foodservice providers can better purchase, prepare and present foods. Further research is now needed to refine and extend our understanding of the contribution that food management can make to reducing tourism’s carbon ‘foodprint’.     

Communication of food waste messages: The effects of communication modality,presentation order,and mindfulness on food waste reduction intention

This study investigates how businesses can persuade customers to participate in food waste reduction efforts by using communication strategies. Grounded in information processing and persuasion theories, we conducted two studies. In study 1, a focus group interview was performed to explore how customers process food waste communication from foodservice operations. In study 2, a 2 (communication modality: written vs. verbal) × 2 (presentation order: before meals vs. during meals) × 2 (mindfulness: low vs. high) between-subjects design quasi experiment was conducted to examine these interaction effects on customers’ intention to support the restaurants’ food waste reduction efforts. The findings are consistent across the two studies. The findings indicate that people with low mindfulness have lower intention to participate when the message is delivered verbally (vs. written) and the message is prompted before meals (vs. during meals). Conversely, people with high mindfulness tend to have higher intention to participate regardless of communication modality and presentation order.     

The Effects of Music on Room Attendants' Work Performance — An Exploratory Study

Abstract

In recent years, the hospitality industry has become increasingly concerned with environmental sustainability. This trend has been apparent mainly in traditional areas of the industry such as hotels and restaurants. In universities, there have been moves to develop environmental policies, which have impacted on those sectors of the hospitality industry involved with foodservice and student residences. This study investigated the implementation of waste management policies and practices within twenty-seven university residences in Ontario and Quebec. Despite the small size of the sample, this study found a significant variance between the location of the university residence and the existence of a written waste management policy and waste management practices. University residences in Ontario were more likely to have a written policy, although the differences in the number of practices implemented by universities in Ontario and Quebec were not significantly different.

In this paper it is argued that universities are in a strong position to influence consumers of the future through their procedures and practices. This is supported by the findings of the research, which indicate that response to the needs of students is one of the main reasons given for developing waste management policies.     

Dimensionality of ethnic food fine dining experience: An application of semantic network analysis

This study attempts to find the underlying dimensionality in online reviews of fine-dining ethnic food restaurant experiences in Hong Kong. This research adopted semantic network analysis with Clauset–Newman–Moore clustering. Consequently, diverse and specific dimensionality was explored in this research, including ambiance, service, food, drinks, desserts, view, location, occasions, reputation and price. The content of the reviews on five types of ethnic restaurants was different in some dimensions. Marketers of fine-dining ethnic restaurants can select a particular focus when they promote their restaurants, develop menu plan and train staff members. This study implies that the quality dimensions of traditional restaurants may not accurately represent the factual dimensions, thereby resulting in implications for developing a new index of restaurant quality.     

Authentic dining experiences in ethnic theme restaurants

The literature on ethnic theme restaurants has already shown that patrons of such restaurants often wish to experience authentic ethnic culture, and customer satisfaction correlates with authenticity. This study examines the relationship between importance and performance of perceptions of authentic dining experiences in ethnic theme restaurants, and attempts to verify the influence of authentic dining experiences on repurchase intention in ethnic theme restaurants. After designing questionnaire content and sampling, this study obtained 538 samples. The analytical results show that authentic dining experiences effectively indicate customer repurchase intention. This study thus concludes that to attract more customers, ethnic theme restaurants should improve their service, settings, and food to provide customers a more authentic dining experience.     

Comparing online reviews of hyper-local restaurants using deductive content analysis

This study explored consumer-generated online reviews of six hyper-local restaurants in UK and US. A deductive content analysis was carried out involving intrinsic and extrinsic cues of locally grown food. Overall quality, taste, price, region of origin, and menu information were found to be important variables of hyper-local restaurants’ online reviews. Although there were substantially more reviews about price in the UK-based hyper-local restaurants, consumers were found to be more critical of price in the US restaurants. In the UK hyper-local restaurants, a need to provide great selections and variety in the menu offerings was noticed, whereas the US counterparts showcased a need for more creativity in addition to offering a great selection of food and drinks. Region of origin (local) is more important and positive to consumers in the UK restaurants. Contrary to popular beliefs, health benefit and to some extent freshness were not found to be important variables.     

Effects of service quality and food quality: The moderating role of atmospherics in an ethnic restaurant segment

This study empirically examined not only the relationship between perceived quality and satisfaction/loyalty, but also the role of customer perceptions of atmospherics in an ethnic restaurant segment. Specifically, this study, using hierarchical regression analyses, investigated the direct effects of service quality and food quality on customer satisfaction and loyalty as well as the moderating effect of the perception of atmospherics, in Korean restaurants. As expected, this study showed that service and food quality have positive and significant effects on customer satisfaction and loyalty. This suggested that, similar to other restaurant segments, employee service and food are of great importance for ethnic restaurants as well. Verifying the moderating role of atmospherics, however, this study found that good employee service can be more effective for increasing the satisfaction and loyalty of customers with a low perception of the atmospherics compared to those with a higher perception. Further, providing quality food is particularly critical for creating customer satisfaction in ethnic restaurants where atmospherics are not satisfactory. More detailed findings and implications are also discussed.     

Developing green management standards for restaurants: An application of green supply chain management

Hospitality businesses influence the sustainability of their natural environment by consuming significant amounts of natural resources. However, research on applying green supply chain management (GrSCM) with process of food production to construct green management indicators for restaurants is lacking. This study thus establishes a green management standard with GrSCM that green restaurants can implement. This study combines GrSCM and food and beverage management to develop green restaurant standards, and primarily adopts the Delphi Technique to develop green standards of restaurant management. A total of 23 experts from government, industry, and academia were invited to participate. The results show that green restaurant management standards comprise three facets (green foods; green environment and equipment; and green management and social responsibility), nine sub-facets, and 81 indicators: besides five indicators for the new established restaurant, the remaining 76 were standards for existing restaurants in Taiwan. In addition to its practical implications, an important contribution of this study is its application of GrSCM to establish a green management standard for restaurants.     

Effects of ingredients,names and stories about food origins on perceived authenticity and purchase intentions

The current study examines the influence of unfamiliar food-related attributes (i.e., ingredients and food names) and stories about food origins on consumers’ perceptions of authenticity and their purchase intentions. The results show that unfamiliar ingredients, unique food names, and stories about food origins increase consumers’ perceptions of authenticity. In ethnic restaurants, authenticity has been emphasized as a critical factor for ensuring customer satisfaction and purchase intentions. The mediating role of customers’ perceptions of authenticity is confirmed in the current study. The findings of the current study suggest that the management of Chinese restaurants should develop unique food names and stories about a dish’s origin, as these are pivotal elements contributing to customers’ perceptions of authenticity and purchase intention.     

Consumer Confidence Regarding the Safety of the US Food Supply

ABSTRACT

This study assessed the perceptions of Kentucky consumers regarding the safety of the nation's food supply. Data were collected through a telephone survey of 728 respondents. Overall, most consumers were very or somewhat confident in the nation's food supply. Significant differences were noted among consumers based on age, gender and household income. The most likely locations for food safety problems were identified as food processing plants, followed by restaurants. Respondents that were most confident in the nation's food supply believed food poisoning occurred less frequently than those who were not confident in the food supply. Those consumers who were very confident and somewhat confident in the food supply had a significantly different perception of health risks in food from germs, pesticide residues and preservatives than those who had no confidence in the food supply. Respondents with someone in the household working in the foodservice industry were not significantly different in their confidence of the nation's food supply, or in their opinion of where food safety problems occur, than those who did not. Implications for the foodservice and hospitality industry are discussed.     

Tipping Behavior of Diners in Three Upscale Chinese Restaurants in Hong Kong

This study intends to fill a gap in the literature and explores customers' tipping behaviors in the Chinese foodservice industry. The main focus of this study is to test a model that examines the influences of “food quality”, “service quality”, “conformity”, “universalism”, “reputation”, “likelihood of return” and “overall meal satisfaction” on tip size. A survey was conducted with 611 restaurant patrons in three selected Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. The findings of this study reveal that five of these seven factors were found to be good predictors of overall satisfaction except “universalism”. However, the overall impact of these seven factors on tip amount was small. Implications of the findings were discussed and directions for future studies were included.     

Authenticity perceptions,brand equity and brand choice intention: The case of ethnic restaurants

This study examines the relationships between consumers’ authenticity perception and four brand equity dimensions (brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality, brand loyalty), as well as how these four dimensions are interrelated with one another. This study also examines the impact of brand equity on consumers’ brand choice intention for ethnic restaurants. Findings clearly indicate that consumers’ authenticity perception is a critical determinant of brand equity and brand equity has a significant impact on consumers’ brand choice intention. Findings of the present study would provide managers with a better understanding of the important role authenticity plays in ethnic restaurants’ brand equity. Managerial implications for better brand equity management are provided.     

Food safety inspections results: A comparison of ethnic-operated restaurants to non-ethnic-operated restaurants

This study examined the proposition that cultural differences between ethnic-operated restaurants in high tourism areas of the United States (US) compared to non-ethnic operated restaurants explains the differences in food safety and sanitation inspection scores in five US cities considered popular tourism destinations. It was hypothesized that ethnic-operated restaurants, composed of people from different cultural norms than that of the indigenous US population, would result in significantly higher rates of critical regulatory violations than non-ethnic-operated restaurants. Food safety inspection data was obtained from five cities in the west, mid-west, east and two from the south for the years 2009 and 2010. Results confirmed the hypotheses that ethnic-operated restaurants have significantly higher rates of inspection and critical violations. Implications for regulators, trainers, ethnic restaurants and organizations seeking to manage diversity are discussed.     

Rescuing imperfect produce: The effects of stigma disclosure strategies,controllability, and aesthetics

In the U.S., the foodservice industry has been responsible for significant portions of food waste. Recently, on-site foodservice industry leaders advocate for the potential use of imperfect produce. However, lack of research efforts on the use of imperfect produce limits its adoption by the industry. Thus, this study investigates ways to enhance guests’ perception of companies when they adopt imperfect produce in their operations. Grounded in stigma theory, this research conducted two studies to evaluate the application of stigma theory to imperfect produce in a foodservice setting: study one, 3 (disclosure strategies: simple vs. de-categorization vs. integration) × 2 (controllability: high vs. low) and study two, 3 (same disclosure strategies) × 2 (aesthetics: standard vs. aesthetic). Findings of this research indicate that simple disclosure strategies are not effective compared to the other two strategies. However, this depends on controllability of the stigma and environmental aesthetics of imperfect produce presentation.     

Customer Satisfaction with Korean Restaurants in Australia and Their Role as Ambassadors for Tourism Marketing

This is the first study to explore the connection between Australian residents’ satisfaction with Korean cuisine, the various characteristics of the restaurant experience, and Australians’ intention to visit Korea. Data was collected from customers of 16 Korean restaurants in the state of Queensland, Australia. While four factors (facility, menu, service, and food) were derived as selection attributes, menu factors had the most positive effect on customer satisfaction. The study found a positive correlation between satisfaction with local Korean food and the propensity of diners to think about visiting Korea. The results of this study can be used to enhance competitiveness and tourist marketing for Korea. The results reported here may have a broader application to provide effective managerial and marketing information to many other ethnic restaurants in Australia and beyond.