London Restaurant Research Articles

Awareness and perceptions of ethnic restaurant managers towards authenticity and sensory strategies – A case study of Persian ethnic restaurants in London

The present research aims to critically investigate the perceptions of Persian ethnic restauranteurs towards authenticity and to appraise their opinions and awareness towards the application of sensory strategies within their businesses. Semi-structured interviews were used to form rich data through an in-depth exploration of the research topic. The findings of the study highlight the vagueness of authenticity for service providers and their limited awareness towards its significance in their ethnic restaurants. Additionally, the paper unfolds the active influence of cultural beliefs on the decision-making process of the service providers and the insignificance of designing and applying informed standards and strategies regarding authenticity and sensory elements. It also appears that there is a disconnect between what is reported in the literature regarding customers' perceptions and expectations and what is believed and executed by the service providers.

Exploring user-generated content related to vegetarian customers in restaurants: An analysis of online reviews.

This study aimed to explore and evaluate factors that impact the dining experience of vegetarian consumers within a range of vegetarian-friendly restaurants. To explore the factors and understand consumer experience, this study analyzed a vast number of user-generated contents of vegetarian consumers, which have become vital sources of consumer experience information. This study utilized machine-learning techniques and traditional methods to examine 54,299 TripAdvisor reviews of approximately 1,008 vegetarian-friendly restaurants in London. The study identified 21 topics that represent a holistic opinion influencing the dining experience of vegetarian customers. The results suggested that "value" is the most popular topic and had the highest topic percentage. The results of regression analyses revealed that five topics had a significant impact on restaurant ratings, while 12 topics had negative impacts. Restaurant managers who pay close attention to vegetarian aspects may utilize the findings of this study to satisfy vegetarian consumer requirements better and enhance service operations.

Exploring waiters’ occupational identity and turnover intention: A qualitative study focusing on Michelin-starred restaurants in London

Occupational identity is under-researched in the waiting sector, but understanding the occupational framework that relates to employee turnover intention in restaurants is important for enhancing employee retention. The aim of this study is to build better comprehension of waiters’ occupational identities in relation to turnover, concentrating on identifying the factors that influence occupational identity construction, and its consequences, in terms of employee turnover intention. This research applied a qualitative methodology, using 11 detailed interviews with a range of relevant professionals, as well as 3 focus groups of waiters, each with 18 respondents. The majority of the respondents were invited from Michelin-starred restaurants in London, UK. When the qualitative data was analysed, the themes of self-concept, employer branding, reactance stereotype and work interaction emerged, all of which were seen to influence the construction of occupational identity, and impact employee turnover intention. Findings of this study are expected to make theoretical and managerial contributions.

The London Restaurant, 1840-1914, by Brenda Assael

Reviewed by: The London Restaurant, 1840–1914 by Brenda Assael Rebecca Earle (bio) The London Restaurant, 1840–1914, by Brenda Assael; pp. viii + 239. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2018, $85.00. "Strip the United Kingdom of its foreigners, and our kitchens and bakers' shops would be next to empty," stated the British Journal of Catering (qtd. in Assael 158). This was not a warning prompted by the impending threat of Brexit, though many restauranteurs predict that it will have a disastrous effect on recruiting waiters, cooks, and other staff. The quote instead dates from 1889, when the large number of Italian and German restaurant staff working in London provoked complaints that these Europeans were depriving native-born Britons of employment. Victorian and Edwardian Londoners worried about restaurant dining rooms and kitchens that lacked adequate ventilation and so imperiled the health of workers and diners forced to breathe germ-laden and noxious air. At the same time, they relished other aspects of London's cosmopolitan food scene, which for instance allowed them to arrange for "a complete Indian dinner" to be delivered to their house from a restaurant in Hammersmith (166). It is impossible to read Brenda Assael's excellent study of the London restaurant in the Victorian and Edwardian eras without drawing comparisons to today's battles between mobile labor forces and xenophobic backlashes, anxieties about airborne viruses in enclosed restaurant spaces, and Uber Eats. At the same time, to read this study [End Page 121] solely as an exercise in historical continuity would do it a disservice. Instead, Assael inserts the London restaurant into our histories of labor and commerce in the Victorian and Edwardian periods. As she notes, studies of the British restaurant have tended to focus on the cultural and symbolic dimensions of dining out, to the neglect of these establishments as sites of labor or as economic ventures. Assael reminds us that restaurants were not simply loci for the display of social anxieties about unaccompanied women, or opportunities for conspicuous consumption. They were also the workplaces of tens of thousands of workers, created, as the proprietor of one vegetarian restaurant indignantly reminded patrons, "with a view to gain" (qtd. in Assael 149). Assael's focus on the commercial innovations of proprietors and the working conditions of waiters makes The London Restaurant, 1840–1914 not only fascinating but also pathbreaking. The study opens with a review of the restaurant scene, including the extraordinary success of restaurant chains such as John Pearce's British Tea Table refreshment rooms, which reportedly served fifteen thousand meals a day in 1896. The London Restaurant also features a remarkable glimpse into the small local eateries that constituted the majority of London restaurants and which provided sustenance for the growing number of city clerks and white-collar workers who staffed the offices of metropolitan London. One chapter focuses on the financial realities of running a restaurant, with attention to the challenges of managing supplies, the importance of technological innovations such as refrigerators or telephones (the latter facilitating advance reservations), the rise of employment agencies to assist with recruiting staff, and advertising. There follows an account of the varied experiences of waitstaff, with a particular focus on wages. As remains the case today, remuneration for waiters was precarious. Some waiters depended entirely on tips and might be asked to cover the costs of breakages or nonpayment by customers. In response, waiters formed mutual aid societies and, eventually, unions. In 1894 the Waiters and Waitresses and Licensed Victuallers' Employment Union stood several candidates for the London County Council in an unsuccessful attempt to ensure a minimum wage for waiters. Waiters also went on strike. In 1895, waitresses at the Lyons tea shops in Piccadilly and the Strand walked out in a (successful) attempt to reverse decreases in pay. Other chapters consider municipal regulation, which, Assael argues, demonstrates that scholarship on liberal governance in the Victorian era should pay more attention to "the power of commercial forces" (123) and the "gastro-cosmopolitanism" that prevailed in London restaurants (155). The latter phenomenon manifested not simply in the menus served but also in the clientele, restaurant staff, and ingredients. Contrary to the claims of some...

“How was your meal?” Examining customer experience using Google maps reviews

Abstract The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of restaurant attributes and the underlying factors impacting overall customer experience within a range of different restaurant types. To understand their experiences, this study analyses online reviews of restaurants which have become important sources of customer experience data. This current research utilises a combination of quantitative analyses to examine 935,386 Google Maps reviews of 5010 restaurants in London, Birmingham, and Manchester. The authors used the VADER sentiment analysis algorithm to measure the sentiment of four key restaurant attributes: food, service, atmosphere, and value. Logistic regression was conducted to test the relationships between these attributes and a 5-star rating. Furthermore, logistic regression was used to compare the changes of odds at different star rating levels. To understand the factors that drive positive and negative reviews, the top 30 food items of 8 types of restaurants were analysed.

The consequence of waiters’ professional identity on passion for work and its effects on employee turnover: a qualitative approach

PurposePurpose- This study aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between waiters’ professional identity and its antecedents such as work interaction, identity interferences, stigma, standardisation brand, authenticity, extroversion and education. “Salience” will be used as a moderator of this relationship to explain the prominence of the stimuli. The consequences of professional identity on passion and turnover intention will be analysed.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a qualitative methodology, which encompassed 3 focus group discussions (18 participants) and 11 in-depth interviews. Participants will be based on Michelin-starred restaurants in London. Founded on analysis of the qualitative data, the antecedents and consequences of professional identity were formulated.FindingsFindings demonstrate that the main factors of the formation of waiters’ professional identity are work interaction, identity interferences, stigma, standardisation brand, authenticity, extroversion and education, its consequences (passion and turnover intention) and salience as a moderator of this relationship to clarify the relevance of the stimuli. These factors have been demonstrated to have an effect on the formation of professional identity.Originality/valueThis study is relevant because the repercussion of perceptions, such as identity and identification for emerging exclusive job roles, is still under-examined in certain conditions. Restaurateurs need to work with and comprehend the quality individual framework of waiters in job roles because these have a stimulus on the fundamental interests, such as passion for work and turnover of the waiting workforce. Moreover, within the hospitality industry, there has been a predisposition to prominence more on chefs than waiting staff.

Pinter's World: Relationships, Obsessions, and Artistic Endeavours

Pinter's World: Relationships, Obsessions, and Artistic Endeavours

The London Restaurant, 1840–1914, by Brenda Assael

The London Restaurant, 1840–1914, by Brenda Assael

Celebrity Chefs and New Meat Consumption Norms: Seeking Questions, Not Answers

Celebrity Chefs and New Meat Consumption Norms: Seeking Questions, Not Answers

La cuisine ghanéenne devient cosmopolite – le rôle des femmes et l’adaptation des menus dans la configuration des restaurants ghanéens à Londres

The establishment of food and catering businesses is a natural development in the migration process and an important step in regenerating the migrant community. It also enriches the culinary landscape and palates of the host population. African restaurants have remained a curiosity in the United Kingdom despite the large number of (West) African immigrants. The reasons are complex and examined here through the example of Ghanaians in London, answering the following questions: 1) Why did Ghanaian cuisine and restaurants in London remain out of the limelight in the first period of migration (1950s-80s); 2) why have they gradually become more successful on the London cosmopolitan stage? The crux of the article is twofold: an exploration of the social organisation of food and cooking followed by a discussion of meal formats. Ghanaian women have been key actors in the food/restaurant scene and traditional meal formats have hampered wider appreciation of the cuisine. However, new Ghanaian/African fusion cuisine seems more successful.

Eclipse in the dark years: pick-up flights, routes of resistance and the Free French

This article charts the importance of clandestine flights from Britain into Occupied France during the Second World War as a route of resistance. These pick-up flights were coordinated from London and were an example of the inter-Allied cooperation and Franco-British negotiation that took place between the Bureau central de renseignement et d’action (BCRA), the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, or MI6) and Special Operations Executive (SOE). The flights allowed General Charles de Gaulle to hold court with the leaders of resistance networks, smoothing problems on the route to a unified resistance council. Likewise, they allowed him to build bridges between vying factions in France and in London, drawing together the movements under his command and personalizing the narrative of resistance. From busy London restaurants and family homes via secret flights to darkened fields in Occupied France, the route of these transfers shaped the character of resistance. This article draws out the personal interactions and connections that underpinned these networks and describes the enduring connections of this route of resistance, starting with the commemoration of Jean Moulin’s crash landing at RAF Tangmere, the forward station for many of these flights.

Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations

Algerian writers. This reviewer also recommends the recently published collection of Daoud’s journalistic work: Mes indépendances: Chroniques 2010–2016 (Actes Sud, 2017). Edward Ousselin Western Washington University Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations Ed. Sarah Cleave. Manchester, UK. Comma Press. 2018. 70 pages. In 2017 President Trump made the contentious decision to institute a travel ban that effectively barred individuals from seven different countries from entering the United States. As a response, Comma Press decided to publish Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations, which features seven different stories, each by an author from a “banned” nation. The stories, while cohesive, are not so similar that reading them feels monotonous . Rather, utilizing uniquely different styles, each author manages to capture and fully develop a different perspective on the same overarching themes of immigration and xenophobia. Rania Mamoun, in “Birds of Paradise,” tells of a woman waiting in an airport, longing to fly like a bird, but instead finding herself stuck on the ground, unable to leave. Zaher Omareen chronicles a young man’s hectic journey across Europe as a refugee. “Phantom Limb,” by Fereshteh Molavi, illustrates the life of an undocumented worker living in the US while his family waits in his home country. Works by Wajdi al-Ahdal, Najwa Binshatwan , and Anoud are the anthology’s strongest works. They each tell a unique story with captivating energy. Al-Ahdal’s “The Slow Man” reads like a fable, full of warning and wisdom. Incorporating the story of Yusuf, he effectively illustrates how a small action can have ramifications thousands of years into the future. Anoud’s “Storyteller” centers on a woman telling her story in a London restaurant, chronicling her life as a child in Iraq during the sanctions and her experience as an immigrant in London. “Return Ticket,” by Binshatwan, is an energetic tale of a woman’s journey to and from her peculiar home village of Schrödinger. It takes the form of a letter written by a grandmother to a grandson she may never know. As a whole, the anthology is a short but effective act of resistance to the 2017 ban, with ideas transcending customs and borders . Reading it was like stepping into seven different lives in seven different places. For those who want to ban entire countries, this anthology sends the clear message that ideas can never be shut out by borders and invites readers to see that individuals from these nations are not enemies but neighbors. Claire Riggs University of Oklahoma Nota Bene Liu Zhenyun Someone to Talk To Trans. Howard Goldblatt & Sylvia Li-chun Lin Duke University Press Originally published in 2009, this novel won the prestigious Mao Dun Literary Prize. Translated into English for the first time, it tells the story of tofu peddler Yang Baishun, his kidnapped stepdaughter Qiaoling, and a man named Niu Aiguo, all connected through a mysterious bond. Liu meditates on loneliness and the importance of family through a third-person close narrator, allowing readers to walk a mile in another man’s shoes. Luljeta Lleshanaku Negative Space Trans. Ani Gjika New Directions The peculiar magic of the almost unseen and the inner “negative spaces” in which both “rest” and “ruin” are born are just a few of the themes Albanian-born poet Luljeta Lleshanaku approaches in this scene-rich collection. Kicking off her poems with bold, declarative lines, Lleshanaku discloses autobiographical cut-scenes in cohesive stanzas that allow her to dip into raw political and historical content without losing a moment of personal vividness. WORLDLIT.ORG 75 ...

VR around the... world

VR will play an important part in future travel by previewing, facilitating and enriching traveller experiences in useful and exciting ways, yet not entirely substituting real-life adventures with VR experiences, no matter how convincing and realistic. In fact, that future is in many ways here already. With numerous VR applications already available, a would-be traveller can have a thorough VR and 3D preview of an intended hotel or restaurant at their destination. At the Hotelympia exhibition, held at Excel London between 29 February and 3 March 2016, a registered visitor was able to enjoy a walk-in immersive VR experience by exploring the newly-built Hilton Bankside hotel in London and appraise the ambience, if not yet the food, of two brand-new London restaurants: German Gymnasium in the King's Cross area and M Restaurant in Victoria.

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY CALLS LITVINENKO CASE DECISION A FARCE

(By Tatyana Baidakova. Izvestia, Jan. 22, 2016, p. 3. Condensed text:) Great Britain wants to tarnish and its leadership. That is what Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during her weekly briefing on Jan. 21 regarding the death of former FSB [Federal Security Service] officer Aleksandr Litvinenko [see Current Digest, Vol. 58, No. 48, pp. 1 - 3]. ... It is obvious that there are some behind-the-scenes machinations going on. was the logical conclusion to the quasi-judicial process instigated by the British court and the executive branch, which is in and of itself controversial, to put it mildly. ‘Criminal' would be a better word for it. There was just one goal here, and it was obvious from the beginning: to tarnish Russia, its official representatives and leadership, Maria Zakharova said. Russia has stated several times that it is interested in an objective and unbiased investigation regarding the death of not just Litvinenko, but Russian citizens overall who often have died in Great Britain under various circumstances, including suspicious ones. ... [Zakharova] also stated that Moscow intends to share its views the British side. ... Earlier, Aleksandr Yakovenko, the Russian ambassador in London, was summoned to the British Foreign Office in order to discuss additional information that came to light in the [Litvinenko] case. ... I am sure that Aleksandr Yakovenko will find the right words to let our colleagues know exactly what we think of this farce. We also intend to share our views British diplomats in the near future - Moscow will also hold the necessary meetings, Maria Zakharova said. ... Russian side has every reason to state that it will not accept any reached by such an ‘investigation.' Moreover, according to media leaks, the ruling in the ‘public inquiry' was based on prima facie evidence - that is, evidence that seems credible and sufficient to a criminal case, as well as ‘sufficient in the absence of any evidence to the contrary.' In other words, the principle of the presumption of innocence has been violated - and at the level of international relations, no less, a [Russian] Foreign Ministry source told Izvestia. ... On Jan. 21, British investigative agencies released the results of a into the death of Russian citizen [Aleksandr Litvinenko]. According to the document, London found that Litvinenko's former colleagues Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi were complicit in his death. At the same time, the investigation states that they were acting on behalf of others. The document maintains that the Russian leadership approved Litvinenko's killing. ... At the same time, Moscow is certain that the British public is based on the hysterical rhetoric of hand-picked witnesses, including anonymous professional Russophobes and defectors. ... The Russian Foreign Ministry also pointed out that two key witnesses died under suspicious circumstances by the time a decision to conduct the public inquiry was made. The first [witness] is David West, owner of a London restaurant called Abracadabra [sic; Hey Jo - Trans.], which was often frequented by Aleksandr Litvinenko and Boris Berezovsky, and where traces of polonium were discovered two days before Litvinenko met Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun. The second is Berezovsky himself. The investigation [into his death; see Current Digest, Vol. 65, No. 13, pp. 3 - 7 - Trans.] was limited to an open verdict at the insistence of his relatives, who refused to consider any other explanations besides suicide or accidental causes. ... Moscow is certain that the investigation into Berezovsky's death was also accompanied by a biased hand selection of witnesses and a refusal to examine any evidence to the contrary, including information on Berezovsky's letters to the Russian leadership asking to allow him to return to Russia. ... According to Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, the conclusions of the British investigation regarding [Litvinenko's] death are a provocation prepared by the British authorities together the late Berezovsky: ... This is a well thought-out provocation in a series of nasty surprises that Berezovsky had once planned against Russia. But I met him two months before his death, and he told me that if he could get Russian citizenship and be allowed to return to Moscow, he was prepared to call off [the Litvinenko case] and would even convince Litvinenko's wife to finally tell the truth. ... According to an informed Izvestia source in the Russian Foreign Ministry, we are seeing a pattern emerge: Russian citizens who worked with British special services are dying in England under suspicious circumstances. ... We can only guess what the purpose of such ‘work' is. It is possible that it has something to do a general deterioration in relations after we disagreed the US and Great Britain on the issue of the Iraq war in spring 2003, the source said.

Asymmetric effects of online consumer reviews

Consumers tend to seek heuristic information cues to simplify the amount of information involved in tourist decisions. Accordingly, star ratings in online reviews are a critical heuristic element of the perceived evaluation of online consumer information. The objective of this article is to assess the effect of review ratings on usefulness and enjoyment. The empirical application is carried out on a sample of 5,090 reviews of 45 restaurants in London and New York. The results show that people perceive extreme ratings (positive or negative) as more useful and enjoyable than moderate ratings, giving rise to a U-shaped line, with asymmetric effects: the size of the effect of online reviews depends on whether they are positive or negative.

GASTRO-COSMOPOLITANISM AND THE RESTAURANT IN LATE VICTORIAN AND EDWARDIAN LONDON

ABSTRACTThis article argues that the restaurant offers a useful site for mapping patterns of transnational and global exchange within late Victorian and Edwardian London. The dramatic expansion of public eating in this period was met in part by foreign-born entrepreneurs, and wait and kitchen staff drawn from a genuinely international labour market. Londoners and visitors to the metropolis were exposed to a variety of new, often hybrid, culinary cultures, which call into question simplistic binaries between Britain and the world beyond. The simultaneous presence in London's restaurant scene of French menus, Indian dishes, Italian cooks, German waiters, and Chinese and American diners reveals the complexity of the relationship between populations and places. London's ‘gastro-cosmopolitan’ culture reveals not merely the extent to which Britain's imperial metropolis was exposed to transnational forces, but that these influences were genuinely global and not confined to Britain's formal empire. London's cosmopolitan dining culture suggests that historians might be advised to move beyond the tropes of danger and anxiety when discussing late nineteenth-century London, and do more to acknowledge a range of responses – attraction and pleasure included – which more accurately reflected the metropolitan experience.

Globalised Cuisine, Non-National Identities and the Individual: Staging Turkishness in Turkish-Speaking Restaurants in London

This study looks at the means through which the image of Turkish cuisine in London is constructed in Turkish-speaking restaurants aiming to appeal to the greatest number of customers as possible. It intends to understand the ways that restaurateurs stage a particular type of Turkishness while trying to manage their businesses. This research entails an analysis of 25 restaurant spaces, their exterior and interior decor, menu and food, and 16 semi-structured in-depth interviews with restaurateurs, managers and chefs. In this article, I argue that Turkish cuisine is defined not necessarily by turning difference into a marketable commodity, but by turning it into a familiar global product. Therefore, an emphasis on ethnicity can be a drawback to business. Turkish-speaking restaurateurs claim business success through a uniform, standard and modern world cuisine. Moreover, restaurateurs' primary identity is mostly constructed through their relations to business as ‘global entrepreneurs’

Public dining in Dublin

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the changing food culture of Ireland focusing particularly on the evolution of commercial public dining in Dublin 1700‐1900, from taverns, coffeehouses and clubs to the proliferation of hotels and restaurants particularly during the latter half of the nineteenth century.Design/methodology/approachUsing a historical research approach, the paper draws principally on documentary and archival sources, but also uses material culture. Data are analysed using a combination of hermeneutics (Denzin and Lincoln, O'Gorman) and textual analysis (Howell and Prevenier).FindingsThe paper traces the various locations of public dining in Dublin 1700‐1900 and reveals that Dublin gentlemen's clubs preceded their London counterparts in owning their own premises, but that the popularity of clubs in both cities resulted in a slower growth of restaurants than in Paris. Competition for clubs appeared in the form of good hotels. The Refreshment Houses and Wine Licences (Ireland) Act 1860 created a more congenial environment for the opening of restaurants, with separate ladies coffee or dining rooms appearing from around 1870 onwards.Originality/valueThere is a dearth of research on the history of Irish food and commercial food provision in particular. This paper provides the most comprehensive discussion to date on the development of commercial dining in Dublin 1700‐1900 and suggests that the 1860 legislation might be further explored as a catalyst for the growth of restaurants in London and other British cities.

Nutrition Labeling and Portion Size Information on Children's Menus in Fast-Food and Table-Service Chain Restaurants in London, UK

Objective To investigate meals, price, nutritional content, and nutrition and portion size information available on children's menus in fast-food and table-service chain restaurants in London, since the United Kingdom does not currently require such information but may be initiating a voluntary guideline. Methods Children's menus were assessed in 22 chain restaurants for portion size information, nutrition information, and price. The most healthful available meal was purchased and analyzed for nutritional content and portion size. Results Nutrition and portion size information was not provided in 67% of the restaurants. Fast-food restaurants were significantly cheaper, had smaller portion sizes than table-service restaurants, and provided fewer portions of fruit, vegetables, iron, and vitamin C. Conclusions and Implications Not all restaurants provided nutrition or portion size information. Differences in portion size and nutritional content between fast-food and table-service restaurants were established, and both were below recommendations. In the future, nutrition labeling in restaurants in the United Kingdom may provide consumers with the nutrition and portion size information necessary to help make appropriate choices.

“Porky Times”: A Brief Gastrobiography of New York’s The Spotted Pig

“Porky Times”: A Brief Gastrobiography of New York’s The Spotted Pig