Themed Restaurant Experiences of Turkish Tourists: The Case of Lviv (Ukraine)

Abstract

As an integral part of the tourism industry, food and beverage establishments play critical roles in tourism destinations. Especially in recent years, the increasing importance of experiential product presentations in touristic places has encouraged the emergence of businesses that produce different food and beverage concepts to meet tourists’ expectations. One of these business types is themed restaurants. This study aims to determine the experiences of Turkish tourists served in themed restaurants running in the city of Lviv, Ukraine. For this purpose, e-reviews and participant observation notes were used as data sources. The study findings have revealed five themes that shape the memorable experiences of tourists visiting themed restaurants: atmosphere, entertainment, staff, emotions, and senses. In themed restaurants, while tourists have been observed to have positive behavioral intentions, such as revisiting, recommending, and paying much more, some negative factors negatively affecting their experience have been identified in these restaurants. In the conclusion part of the research, suggestions for theory and practice have been developed.