Restaurant Practices Research Articles

Chinese Cooks and Mexican Tastes: The Encounter of Two Culinary Practices in Mexico's Chinese Restaurants

ONE OF THE PREOCCUPATIONS OF HISTORY AS A SOCIAL SCIENCE is bestowing the daily experiences of individuals with a new transcendence. Food preparation and foodways, together with their historical circumstances, thus provide historians with a vast field of research, an almost endless scope of “food for thought,” so to speak. Within the process of self-identification and communication identified by Mintz (2003: 35) as part of food preparation and consumption, the passing of time induces change not only in the foods themselves, but also affects associated artifacts, practices, and standards, subjecting them all to the ebb and tide of tradition and innovation. This is to say that the symbolic connotations of every culinary choice are to be understood as falling within the subtle but pervasive influences of their historical context. This report is part of a more general inquiry into the ways in which the production of food and foodways are reproduced within the space of the foreign cuisine restaurant. Mexican and Chinese cuisines are both steeped in history and characterized by their complexity, two circumstances that make the encounter between these two gastronomic traditions particularly interesting and revealing. Mexico’s Chinese restaurants provide a unique space where we can observe the confrontation, recognition, and negotiation between these two distinct culinary cultures, but where the similarities and contrasts, much to the skepticism of the social scientist, yield results that lure and satisfy the culinary exigencies of both parties involved.

Chinese Cooks and Mexican Tastes: The Encounter of Two Culinary Practices in Mexico's Chinese Restaurants

Chinese Cooks and Mexican Tastes: The Encounter of Two Culinary Practices in Mexico's Chinese Restaurants

Latino Naming Practices of Small-Town Businesses in Rural Southern Florida

This article examines naming practices of Latino grocery stores and restaurants in an eighteen-county area of southern Florida. Business names denote cultural affinity and personal whims, and, like other forms of Latino cultural expression, they are drawn from cultural roots of owners and clientele to connote flavor and pride of Latino identity. Unlike other art or literary forms, however, business names reflect a commercial accommodation to techniques and strategies of marketing more than a defiance of mainstream culture or statement of cultural resistance to Anglo society. Their choices are strongly influenced by places and experiences that reflect Latino culture outside local area rather than locales of current residence within southern Florida. (Transmigrant business, farm workers, naming practices and sociocultural identity, population expansion and settlement, southern Florida) ********** Discussing shifting ethnicities that accompany process of globalization, Hall (1991:42) calls identity the ground of action, suggesting that way one identifies is what will most influence one's behavior. Rouse (1992) provides additional discussion on what this might mean for Latino immigrants, for whom, he argues, an alternative framework is needed. He suggests that Latino immigrants maintain interests and commitment to family and town from which they came at same time that they develop another way of viewing world through their experience in a new environment. He calls views from these dual experiences bifocality. This article extends work of these two authors, first by considering expressions of identity in naming practices for grocery stores and restaurants, and then by expanding community of interest beyond migrant laborers to entrepreneurial class within Latino population. To do this assumes that individuals who engage in entrepreneurial activities (specifically establishment and management of a business) may include men and women with backgrounds similar to their clientele. By way of a statistical analysis, I examine formulation of immigrants as members of multiple communities (Chavez 1994) by testing influence of place and experience on naming practices for grocery stores and restaurants. The context for this inquiry is process of Latinoization in areas of southern Florida, chosen for rapid growth of Latino population within southeastern United States and that part of Florida. Increases in Latino and Latino-origin Caribbean people within southeastern United States are similar to processes of Latinoization in other areas of country, notably California, where persons of Mexican ancestry predominate in many towns and small cities (Allensworth and Rochin 1998). At one time, Chicago had largest concentration of persons of Mexican ancestry living outside southwest (de Lourdes Villar 1994), but this has changed. Latinos are increasingly found in metropolitan areas, such as Washington, D.C. (Pessar 1995), and New York City (Sontag 1998) in northeast, or small towns and cities in midwest, such as Garden City, Kansas (Stull, Broadway, and Erickson 1992). Another area of country that draws large numbers of Latinos is southern Florida. The term rural is to be used with caution. Three counties of interest in this article (Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, and Hillsborough) have sparsely populated portions that are devoted to highly productive agriculture, but also have metropolitan urban areas (West Palm Beach, Miami, and Tampa, respectively) for which counties are better known. Residents of Miami-Dade County, for example, distinguish South Dade as southern, agricultural portion of county from northern (Miami) portion (Bryan, pers. comm.; also Greiner et al. 1992:69n). Unlike phenomenon of past decades of concentrated numbers of a single national origin that settle in one region or area (Allensworth and Rochin 1998), several national origins comprise Latino population in counties of southern Florida. …

An assessment of burn prevention knowledge in a high burn-risk environment: restaurants.

Our facility has seen an increase in the number of cases of children burned in restaurants. Fieldwork has revealed many unsafe serving practices in restaurants in our tristate area. The current research targets what appears to be an underexamined burn-risk environment, restaurants, to examine server knowledge about burn prevention and burn care with customers. Participants included 71 local restaurant servers and 53 servers from various restaurants who were recruited from undergraduate courses. All participants completed a brief demographic form as well as a Burn Knowledge Questionnaire. It was found that server knowledge was low (ie, less than 50% accuracy). Yet, most servers reported that they felt customer burn safety was important enough to change the way that they serve. Additionally, it was found that length of time employed as a server was a significant predictor of servers' burn knowledge (ie, more years serving associated with higher knowledge). Finally, individual items were examined to identify potential targets for developing prevention programs.

Health promotion practices of restaurants and cafés in Australia: changes from 1997 to 2000 using an annual telemarketing intervention.

This study looked at whether rates of health promotion practices among restaurants and cafés in the Hunter Region of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, increased between 1997 and 2000. During the project period all restaurants and cafés in the region were offered an annual direct marketing telephone interview (1997, 1998 and 1999), during which resources were offered to assist in the adoption of health promotion practices. Owners or managers of restaurants and cafés completed phone interviews that assessed 18 health promotion practices relating to: environmental tobacco smoke (two practices); responsible service of alcohol (five practices); healthy food choices (one practice); food safety (four practices); occupational health and safety (three practices); and the prevention of infectious diseases (three practices). Changes in practices were examined by comparing data from cross-sectional samples in 1997 (before any offers of resources) and 2000 (after up to three annual telemarketing calls), and among a cohort interviewed in both 1997 and 2000. Ninety-one per cent of restaurants and cafés (321) participated in the 1997 survey and 239 (81%) participated in the 2000 survey. A cohort of 122 restaurants and cafés participated in both surveys. Significant increases were present for 14 of the 18 health promotion initiatives in the cross-sectional sample and for 10 of the 18 health promotion initiatives in the cohort. For both cross-sectional and cohort samples, a change in at least one practice in each area was evident, with the exception of nutrition. The proportion of restaurants and cafés in the project region that undertake health promotion initiatives is increasing. A telephone-based intervention may contribute to such an increase. The suggestion that the prevalence of health promotion initiatives in restaurants and cafés can be increased highlights the potential for health promotion to be more actively involved in this setting.

Recruitment and Retention Practices in Independent and Chain Restaurants

The management of employees in the restaurant industry is a major challenge that operators must address as companies work to find the best employees in a shrinking labor market. An exploratory study of twenty restaurants (ten independent and ten chain restaurants) investigated similarities and differences in employee recruitment and retention practices. Personal face-to-face interviews with managers disclosed a variety of interesting practices and ideas in the management areas of recruitment, interviewing and hiring, incentives, discipline, and retention. Environmental issues (relating to atmosphere and work environment) were most frequently cited by managers as reasons employees choose to work and remain in restaurants. Compensation and monetary awards were second in importance, followed by work schedule. This analysis provides an understanding from the manager's viewpoint of why employees work in restaurants and offers a perspective in current practices in employee recruitment and retention processes.

Restaurant Patronage and the Ethnic Groups in Singapore

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to assess the restaurant patronage practices (food habits) of three major ethnic groups (Chinese, Malays, and Indians) of Singapore. A total of 390 questionnaires were distributed. In spite of major cultural, socio-economic and religious differences, the three ethnic groups have common food habits while eating out. Eating at theme restaurants is not popular across the three ethnic groups. Among the ethnic groups under consideration, the food habits while eating out differed from the food habits of those groups while eating at home. The study indicated that all three ethnic groups eat out regularly. Chinese patronize quick service restaurants more frequently than the other ethnic groups. Chinese and Indians patronize “Hawker centers” more often than the Malays. Perception of nutrition and gender has very little affect on food habits while eating out. The obtained results partially supported the Barker's model.

Community prevention of alcohol problems

Local communities have begun using policy to affect the drinking environment itself as an approach to reducing alcohol involved trauma. That is, policy is used to produce structural changes in the drinking environment. In turn, changes in the environment effect changes in drinking behavior. This paper describes an effort in three communities in two states to reduce alcohol problems at the community level, "Preventing Alcohol Trauma: A Community Trial." This trial was a 5-year research project with a goal to reduce local alcohol-involved injuries and deaths in three experimental communities with populations of approximately 100,000 each (one in northern California, one in southern California, and one in South Carolina). The communities contained racial and ethnic diversity as well as a mix of urban, suburban, and rural settings. Each of these three communities had a control community that did not receive the prevention interventions. The project used an environmental policy approach to prevention and five mutually reinforcing components were implemented: (1) community mobilization to develop community organization and support, (2) responsible beverage service to establish standards for servers and owners/managers of on-premise alcohol outlets to reduce their risk of having intoxicated and/or underage customers in bars and restaurants. (3) a drinking and driving component to increase local drunk-driving enforcement efficiency and to increase the actual and perceived risk that drinking drivers would be detected, (4) an underage drinking component to reduce retail availability of alcohol to minors, and (5) an alcohol access component to use local zoning powers and other municipal controls of outlet numbers and density to reduce availability of alcohol. Results show that the project reduced alcohol-involved crashes, lowered sales to minors, increased the responsible alcohol serving practices of bars and restaurants, and increased community support and awareness of alcohol problems.

The pandemic of Salmonella enteritidis phage type 4 reaches Utah: a complex investigation confirms the need for continuing rigorous control measures.

In 1995, Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) cases in the state of Utah increased fivefold. Isolates were identified as phage type 4 (PT4). Risk factors and sources of infection were investigated in two case-control studies, a traceback of implicated foods, and environmental testing. Forty-three patients with sporadic infections and 86 controls were included in a case-control study of risk factors for infection. A follow-up case-control study of 25 case and 19 control restaurants patronized by case and control patients examined risks associated with restaurant practices. In the first case-control study, restaurant dining was associated with illness (P = 0.002). In the follow-up case-control study, case restaurants were likelier to use > 2000 eggs per week (P < 0.02), to pool eggs (P < 0.05), and to use eggs from cooperative 'A' (P < 0.009). Eggs implicated in separately investigated SE PT4 outbreaks were traced to cooperative 'A', and SE PT4 was cultured from one of the cooperative's five local farms. We conclude that SE PT4 transmitted by infected eggs from a single farm caused a fivefold increase in human infections in Utah.

Application of local policy to prevent alcohol problems: experiences from a community trial

Alcohol policy conventionally has been established at the national or regional, state and provincial levels. Alcohol policy at any level is not actually limited to the regulation and control of alcohol production, wholesale distribution, and retail sales. There are a number of alternatives for setting alcohol policies within a local community. Building upon existing national and state/provincial laws, policy makers at the community level can set priorities for allocating resources and enforcing laws related to drinking and driving, underage alcohol sales, alcohol serving practices of bars and restaurants and geographical density of alcohol outlets in the community. This paper concludes from the Community Trials Project that policies established at the local level can reduce alcohol problems.

Application of local policy to prevent alcohol problems: experiences from a community trial

Alcohol policy conventionally has been established at the national or regional, state and provincial levels. Alcohol policy at any level is not actually limited to the regulation and control of alcohol production, wholesale distribution, and retail sales. There are a number of alternatives for setting alcohol policies within a local community. Building upon existing national and state/provincial laws, policy makers at the community level can set priorities for allocating resources and enforcing laws related to drinking and driving, underage alcohol sales, alcohol serving practices of bars and restaurants and geographical density of alcohol outlets in the community. This paper concludes from the Community Trials Project that policies established at the local level can reduce alcohol problems.

Health Relevance of the Presence of Fecal Coliforms in Iced Tea and Leaf Tea

In late 1995, fecal coliforms were detected in iced tea obtained from several restaurants in the U.S. On the basis of fecal coliform results, the news media inaccurately and sensationally accused the tea industry of marketing tea containing feces. We analyzed 11 iced-tea samples obtained from fast-food restaurants and 25 dry leaf-tea samples purchased from retail grocers for the presence of coliforms and fecal coliforms. All samples of iced tea contained coliforms and fecal coliforms; most probable numbers of coliforms in iced tea ranged from 210 to > 1,100/ml, whereas those of fecal coliforms were 15 to >1,100/ml. Twenty-three of twenty-five leaf-tea samples contained coliforms and fecal coliforms; ranges for positive samples were 3 to 1,100/g and 3 to 460/g, respectively. Two Klebsiella species and three Enterobacter species were isolated from iced tea. Only Klebsiella pneumoniae (93.8% of isolates) and Enterobacter cloacae (6.2%) were isolated from leaf tea. Escherichia coli was not isolated from any of the iced-tea or leaf-tea samples analyzed. The D55°c values of two isolates of K. pneumoniae and three isolates of E. cloacae from leaf tea, when heated in steeped tea, ranged from 3.75 to 5.08 min. Initial populations of up to 5.70 log CFU/ml were reduced to <10 CFU/ml within 5 min at 65°C. While 23 of 25 (92%) of the leaf-tea samples analyzed contained fecal coliforms, as defined by standard methodology, there is no evidence that leaf tea represents a health hazard. The expected presence in leaf tea of Klebsiella and Enterobacter species, which test positive for the fecal coliform group, should not automatically be construed as indicators of fecal contamination nor as an imminent threat to human health. The presence of coliforms and fecal coliforms in iced tea indicates post-steeping contamination caused by poor sanitation practices in restaurants at which the iced tea was purchased.

ATTITUDES AND KNOWLEDGE OF FOOD SAFETY AMONG SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT OPERATORS

The idea for a food safety study within the restaurant population was brought to light by Joan Giampaoli, M.S., R.D. The study's query began with the intent to bridge the gap between those restaurant operators who know about food safety yet do not practice it and those who not only know food safety principles, but actually put them to use. It was brought to our attention that eliciting truthful responses to actual restaurant practices would be extremely difficult. Consequently, the query became “what differences occur between restaurants with excellent environmental health code records and those having difficulty with food safety.” Due to good timing and luck, the Department of Environmental Health, Consumer Protection Division of Santa Clara County, California, was in the process of examining their own inspection procedures and welcomed us as partners. The data collected from the study was useful to them in assessing the effectiveness of their current foodservice education program, identifying additional educational methods for restaurant operators, and in revising their inspection process. A follow-up study is planned after implementing these changes. Food safety and foodborne illness prevention are both a high priority with the Department of Environmental Health, Consumer Protection Division (DEH, CPD) in Santa Clara County, California. With the rising incidence of foodborne illness outbreaks across the United States it is imperative that restaurant foodservice operators become not only concerned with the dangers of foodborne illness, but also knowledgeable about how to prevent outbreaks. To measure attitude and knowledge regarding food safety, three hundred surveys were mailed to two separate restaurant operator populations in Santa Clara County, California. The two populations were separated by distinguishing favorable and unfavorable health code violation records dating between January 1994 and January 1995. Those restaurants with favorable health code records were hypothesized to be highly concerned and knowledgeable regarding food safety in comparison to restaurants with unfavorable health code records. Total response rate for the survey was 20.6%. Results of the survey indicated that restaurants with favorable health code records reflected a significantly higher level of concern and knowledge regarding food safety with a p<0.05. It was concluded that restaurant operators possessing the necessary knowledge and an appropriate attitude and concern towards food safety are practicing these principles on a more frequent basis as evidenced by favorable health code records.

The Limitations of the Law in Influencing Employment Practices in UK Hotels and Restaurants

Individual employment law has the dual aim of stimulating good personnel practice and of providing minimum protection for vulnerable employees, such as those found in the hotel and catering industry. Findings from a survey of “high quality” hotels and restaurants show that large establishments have developed a veneer of formality in some areas of personnel management, but that the detail within policies and procedures rarely conforms to all the requirements set down in legislation and codes of practice. Finds that, in small establishments, practices are informal and often fail to meet basic legal requirements. As for individual protection, the large majority of part‐timers qualify for the equivalent of full‐time rights, but casual workers, who supply a substantial proportion of labour needs in the industry, have no protection at all. Makes a strong case for extending employment rights to casuals and indicates that such a development would not reduce their employment opportunities, nor would it cause particular concern for employers.

Marketing nutrition in restaurants: A survey of current practices and attitudes

This study sought to determine attitudes toward nutrition, nutrition marketing practices, the relationship between attitudes toward nutrition and nutrition marketing practices, and nutrition training practices in restaurants. A written questionnaire was mailed to 200 research and development (R & D) directors in restaurant companies included in Restaurants & Institutions' list of top 400 foodservice organizations ranked by sales. Seventy (35%) responded. Most R & D directors did not think they were responsible for improving the health of their consumers. A positive relationship existed between attitudes toward nutrition and nutrition marketing practices (P = .013). Forty-four reported that they marketed nutrition and planned to add nutritious menu items in the future. Forty-six reported that nutritious meal options represented 0 to 10% of total sales. Nutrition information was provided to consumers by 27 restaurant companies but such information often had to be requested. The American Heart Association was a popular source of nutrition and menu-planning information. Twelve companies employed a registered dietitian, and 14 used registered dietitians as consultants. Nutrition-related training for restaurant employees was limited. These findings indicate that dietitians have opportunities to market their skills in developing nutritious menu items and providing staff training. Also, dietitians should encourage consumers (especially those with special dietary needs) to let restaurant managers know their menu and nutrition information needs.

Recruitment Policies and Practices of Restaurants, Hotels and Clubs: a Study of the Personnel Procedures of Hospitality Firms

The authors analyzed thousands of newspaper "help wanted" ads overtime and found a disturbing problem in the use of sex and age-biased phrases, terms, and words in classified ads. They offer warning and counsel to hospitality firms on phrases and the like to watch and strategy to improve legality of ads and image of the industry

The Use of Survey Methods in A Citizens Campaign Against Discrimination

In 1950 a group of citizens of New York City, working with limited and unpaid professional assistance, organized and carried out a campaign to reduce discrimination in restaurants in an area around the United Nations building. The event is of interest to social science because the group evaluated its success by a systematic comparison of restaurant practices before and after the campaign. While a number of communities have undertaken "self-surveys" of discriminatory practices, this is the only case known to the writer in which the results of the undertaking have been objectively measured.