ABSTRACT
Background: The Food Commerce industry has flourished massively during the past decade in South Kolkata in West Bengal, with new outlets opening every now and then, so much so that this region is known as 'Food Street'. Regardless of their scale of operations, each of these outlets had well established themselves, catering to their respective target markets and earning decent amount of revenue over the years. However, this growth suffered a setback owing to the origin of novel Coronavirus SARS-n-CoV-2. The growth rate declined to a great extent over the span of two years, with recent studies showing an overall stunted growth rate. Even though online marketing of these outlets and selling the food through delivery apps have aided the entrepreneurs, the cost to revenue ratio is not at par with that of the times before the pandemic hit. Overall, the pandemic has impacted the eateries in more way than initially imagined. Objectives: (a) To reveal the various problems and scenarios of managing food business during the Covid-19 pandemic in South Kolkata region;(b) To compare the present scenario of the food industry with how things were before prior to the pandemic to understand the nature of change during this time frame;and, (c) To describe the challenges and methods implemented by the food retail business entrepreneurs and managers of the randomly selected establishments to hold a steady business flow during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methodology: The study follows a descriptive research design. Therefore, the research will describe the characteristics of the sample under study. The food outlets of South Kolkata have been chosen as the study location. 100 respondents were selected. The respondents are those who consume food from these outlets such that they represent the wider target market of the 'Food Street'. Both Primary Data and Secondary Data were used. Primary Data was collected through sample survey. Random Sampling technique was used to choose the respondents. The study used quantitative data, therefore, only Quantitative analysis was performed. Results: The Research was able to depict the comparison between the present scenario and the situation prior to the pandemic. The study was able to reveal the challenges and problems that the food outlets had to suffer from. Also, the methods or strategies taken up by the entrepreneurs of these outlets to overcome the pandemic were discovered. 46% of the respondents opted for "Mobile Food Delivery" as their strategy to revive from losses. Conclusion: With COVID-19 having altered - and still in the process of altering - the definition of "normal" across the world, most industries are still scrambling to adjust. The effect on the restaurant industry has been particularly dramatic. With restaurants and pubs closed for sit-down service, many establishments are struggling to keep their heads above water. The food outlets located in South Kolkata shares the same fate and the research is able to highlight this effectively.
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Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effects of memorable dining experiences (MDEs) in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 530 valid survey responses were collected in the USA. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to estimate inner and outer models. A two-stage approach was applied to test the moderating effects of restaurant safety measures. Additional analyses were conducted to compare electronic word of mouth (eWOM) intention and actual eWOM behavior. Findings: All five dimensions contributed to the overall memorability of a dining experience, with affect being the primary factor. Overall memorability was positively related to subjective well-being and actual eWOM behavior. Restaurant safety measures were positively related to the overall experience but did not moderate the relationship between any dimension and overall memorability. Research limitations/implications: Findings provide empirical support for the conceptualization of MDEs during a pandemic and underscore the importance of actual eWOM behavior in restaurant research. Practical implications: Results offer guidance for restaurant managers in designing MDEs. Originality/value: The restaurant industry is evolving from simply providing products and services to creating experiences. Yet the impacts of crafting MDEs are not well understood, especially during a pandemic. This study filled this gap by investigating MDEs and their effects on subjective well-being and eWOM behavior.
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Drop in nutrition value during food logistics impacts the health of consumers. Vegetables, fruits, fish, milk lose nutrients during logistics if it is not properly monitored. Real-time tracking and monitoring, large data handling and secure business transactions are key to the effective operation of supply chains. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us the need for handling unforeseen situations in various sectors. Limitations to logistic operations, inaccessible warehouses, shutdown of consumer outlets for an unexpected duration, have affected the supply chain drastically. This has laid emphasis on the need for technology-based solutions that can monitor, control and make quick decisions, that can reduce losses. With this scenario as a background, a system architecture has been proposed to detect the nutrient value of food by periodically monitoring temperature and humidity in real-time and alerting the cold chain entities in cold chain environments. This architecture is proposed as an integration of Internet of Things (IoT) with cloud-based storage, to provide real-time data collection at the end-user, seamless storage and computation in the cloud and secure transactions at the business layer. An experimental setup of the system architecture has been configured and the implementation has been tested at a preliminary level. The performance of the application is analyzed and the proposed web application is efficient for large scale supply chain applications, provided scaling of hardware resources.
ABSTRACT
Malaysia's online food delivery (OFD) has developed into a vibrant scene. Urban dwellers are slowly getting used to the idea of OFD services as the new normal for eating out at the times of COVID-19. During the movement control order (MCO), government initiatives and movement restrictions propelled OFD services into the limelight, allowing locals the opportunity to support their favorite local businesses. Using model goal-directed behavior (MGB), this study investigated the effect of consumers' perceived risk (e.g., performance risk, privacy risk, financial risk, physical risk, and COVID-19 risk) on their use of OFD services. The results of the partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis of 339 responses indicates that perceived risk negatively affects consumers' desire to use OFD services, while perceived physical risk and COVID-19 risk negatively affect their intention to use OFD services. Further, the study uncovers the moderating role of perceived risk in the relationship between desire and intention. This study offers insights to OFD service providers in formulating new business strategies and propositions for business growth and consumer retention in the post-pandemic world.
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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the latest phenomenon emerging from rural towns and villages, where a surge in traditional cafes and restaurants has spurred a new trend in sustainable tourism development. This phenomenon is linked to local efforts to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the series of lockdowns that accompanied it. This paper focuses on two critical lines of inquiry: (1) Where did the idea stem from? and (2) How has it developed to the extent that it now constitutes one of the few primary sources of income for underdeveloped communities? Design/methodology/approach: Exploratory research was conducted in rural and urban areas where tourism is still developing. In depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample consisting of ten owners of rural and traditional cafes who consented to their participation in the study. Findings: Emerging trends such as rural and traditional cafes and restaurants can be a stable source of income for underserved communities in uncertain times. Local entrepreneurs often play a critical role in the development of sustainable rural tourism efforts as they have a better understanding of the needs of their own local community. Furthermore, their projects typically carry higher levels of authenticity and innovation with a greater ability to attract both local and international travelers. Research limitations/implications: Taking into consideration the exploratory nature of this study, a small convenience sample was used. Originality/value: This study highlights the importance of innovation in the tourism industry during precarious times, the most recent example of which was the global COVID-19 pandemic. This paper suggests that the industry can rely on new emerging trends to mitigate the loss of revenue from previous sources of tourism. Furthermore, the study showcases the importance of domestic tourism trends and how it can lead to an expansion in international tourism resources.
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Many governments closed their borders in spring 2020 to prevent the spread of Covid, but they also made exceptions to allow farm employers to recruit temporary foreign workers to fill seasonal farm jobs. The pandemic changed many parameters of food systems. Closed restaurants led to widespread layoffs in leisure and hospitality, rates of Covid were high among nonfarm food processing and meatpacking workers, and there was less Covid than expected among the foreign workers who increased their share of employment in production agriculture. The pandemic accelerated three major changes that were already underway, viz., more labor-saving mechanization, more foreign workers, and increased imports of labor-intensive commodities. Mechanization increases the resilience of production agriculture to labor supply shocks.
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Since early 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted various supply chains including the on-demand food delivery sector. As a result, this service industry has witnessed a tremendous spike in demand that is affecting its delivery operations at the downstream level. Previous research studies have explored one-to-one and many-to-one solutions to the virtual food court delivery problem (VFCDP) to optimize on-demand food delivery services in different cities. However, research efforts have been limited to multiple restaurant orders from only one customer which does not apply to traditional systems where multiple customers request on-demand food delivery from multiple restaurants. This study rigorously analyses multiple restaurants to multiple customers (Many-to-many) food delivery simulation models in ideal weather conditions that are constrained with multiple key performance indicators (KPIs) such as delivery fleet utilization (the number of couriers utilized over the fleet size), average order delivery time, and fuel costs. This research also benchmarks the on-demand food delivery queueing methodologies using system dynamics and agent-based simulation modeling where three on-demand food delivery routing methodologies are simulated including First-in-First-Out (FIFO), Nearest, and Simulated Annealing using AnyLogic. The results suggest that the Many-to-many (Nearest) method outperforms other delivery routing methods which would have positive implications on optimizing existing food delivery systems and managerial decisions.
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In Bangladesh, app-based online food delivery services are gaining popularity. The increased use of mobile phones and the affordability of the internet aided businesses in meeting new customer demands such as food delivery to the customers' homes. Thus, the primary goal of this research is to identify the factors influencing customer intention to use food delivery apps (FDAs) during COVID-19. Data are collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed quantitatively using partial least square structured equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Results show that price value and convenience are the most influential factors affecting the intention to use FDAs during COVID-19. There is, however, insufficient evidence to demonstrate the influence of the other three factors (e.g., service quality, delivery experience, ease of use) on FDA use intention. A better understanding of emerging student consumers will assist management in leveraging the factors that must be considered when providing services to this market.
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Food e-commerce has seen significant growth over the past decade that accelerated after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last-mile transportation and logistics are widely considered the most expensive and least efficient portion of the supply chain and have multiple important energy trade-offs such as cargo capacity and consumer density. Last-mile transportation energy use in rural areas is underrepresented in the literature. This study proposes a hybrid agent-based and discrete event model framework for evaluating the last-mile transportation energy use of van- and car-based food delivery services in a rural community, based on meal-kit and grocery delivery operations, respectively. This framework quantifies last-mile energy use in rural areas, and is demonstrated here using a neighborhood outside of Austin, TX as an analytical testbed. The study focuses on the effects of consumer density, cargo limitations, and vehicle speed. For the conditions examined with this framework, diesel delivery vans use more total energy than passenger cars for the same trip, though a van delivering four orders uses less energy per-order than a car delivering one order. However, there are trade-offs between vehicle type and mileage, cargo capacity, route density, and speed that are particularly important for delivery services operating in rural areas. This framework can be used by service providers to assess route-specific trade-offs for each vehicle and gauge which is preferable for given operating conditions or to evaluate the energy, and thus also cost, impact of expanding their services to rural areas.
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The demand for online food delivery has increased considerably throughout the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers' habits in searching for information on and making decisions about ready-to-eat food have changed remarkably during this time. The purpose of this research is to explore consumers' use of online food delivery services (OFDS) during the pandemic via applications (apps) and the moderating role played by the consumers' perceived trust in the information. Data were collected from 246 users through e-mail and structural equation modeling using PLS-3 was used to analyze the data. We have shown 12 recent insights into OFDAs behavioral intention. We found that information and food service attributes influence the perceived usefulness of OFDS and ultimately shape the respondents' intention to use it. Behavioral intention toward OFDS and perceived trust have a considerable influence on the use of OFDA. This research offers insights into the effects of the pandemic on the food delivery market and shows the dynamics of the interrelationships among various information- and restaurant-related attributes that lead to actual use.
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Good Practices in Food Manipulation are procedures applied in food services to guarantee the consumer the quality and safety of food following current health legislation. Good practices are essential to reduce the risk of contamination from Foodborne Diseases (FDAs) and, therefore, the training of food handlers must be an ongoing process. Considering the current context resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, alternatives in the offer model for training these professionals should be proposed so that the process is not interrupted. The "Good Manufacturing Practices in Food Handling" course, offered annually by the IFPR - Campus Colombo since 2015, was remodeled to remotely guide food handlers about good hygiene practices and procedures in the workplace. The training was carried out through a free platform and made available on a Youtube channel. The meetings took place weekly for five weeks, totaling a workload of twenty hours. Each meeting lasted three hours, plus one hour for asynchronous activities. Forty students completed the course and thirty-two answered the satisfaction questionnaire. All responded that they would use the knowledge obtained from the course in their professional routine, indicating that, with training, it is possible to improve to ensure the production of food with more quality, safety and with less risk of contamination for consumers.
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Neighbourhood gastronomy, the agglomeration of restaurants and smaller eateries in residential urban areas, contributes to the lives of residents and visitors economically, culturally, and socially. Since winter 2020, neighbourhood gastronomy in Asian cities has been severely disrupted by COVID, compounded by many other long-term stressors. In urban Japan these stresses include gentrification, the aging of proprietors, urban renewal, and corporatisation of gastronomy. Empirically, this paper discusses how independent restaurants in Tokyo contribute to community life by supporting grassroots creative industries, small business opportunities, meaningful artisanal work, convivial social spaces, local cultural heritage, and a human-scale built environment. The study uses intensive single-site urban ethnography to discuss how restaurateurs face immediate and long-term crises at the community level. By using the "neighbourhood as method", a concept of sustainable neighbourhood gastronomy is developed that should be applicable in other urban contexts.
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Environment and entrepreneurial orientation affect company performance. Innovation as a mediator of environmental condition and entrepreneurial approach on coffee shop performance. This quantitative research is explanatory. This study uses PLS for analysis. This finding company's performance after the COVID 19 epidemic based on environmental factors and entrepreneurial orientation. From November 2021 to April 2022, it was held at Malang Regency (Malang Districts, Malang City, and Batu City). This study includes the coffee business owner and investor making strategic decisions. This study analyzed 224 coffee shops in Malang that fulfilled the criteria. In other words the higher uncertainty on environmental condition (external factor) and entrepreneurial orientation (internal factors) it trigger the high value of innovation in coffee shop. Innovation increased coffee shop performance. This means environmental conditions and entrepreneurial orientation influence innovation and coffee shop performance. Entrepreneurial orientation through innovation (mediator) affects coffee shop performance. The more environmental and entrepreneurial orientation affect innovation, the better the coffee shop's performance, especially post covid-19. Environmental factors and entrepreneurial orientation influence innovation, according to this study. Environmental conditions, entrepreneurial orientation, and innovation influence coffee shop performance both directly and indirectly. This study is one of the few example studies that examine environmental condition, entrepreneurial orientation, innovation impact on company performance also the phenomena post COVID 19 effect on coffee shop which is this phenomena include in this studies.
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The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted shortfalls in the U.S. food system, exposing how regulatory processes shape access to the market. This paper builds on ongoing research following the impact of shut-down orders on alcohol retail via small restaurants and breweries in Arizona and examines the impacts of regulatory shifts on the ability of these food enterprises to pivot. We highlight how the concept of the pivot creates expectations of individual businesses ability to be resilient to shocks. Responses within Arizona to COVID-19 induced systemic failures, demonstrate that bottom-up pivots from small businesses can creatively and quickly meet local community needs. However, those efforts were stymied by state government and top-down approaches that proved incapable of pivoting to meet local needs. Through this case study, we highlight the need and opportunity for further examination of the interplay between regulatory agencies and small businesses in times of crisis. We invite others into the work of creating guidelines for pivoting that facilitate bottom-up and top-down collaboration while ensuring the voice and agency of different players.
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The study evaluated the perceptions and readiness of food business operators about COVID-19 through an online survey with respondents from Metro Manila and Region IV-A. Generally, they are knowledgeable about COVID-19 and its transmission, as reflected in their scores. The same is true about their attitude towards "new normal" practices. Years of operation, asset size, and continued operations and delivery services showed significant positive correlation with attitude scores. The resilience of some food business operators may be attributed to having more resources that enabled them to carry the added costs of what the new normal foodservice practices entailed. New normal practices include the implementation of health and safety protocols, shifting business models to online systems, food delivery services, dine-in by reservation, and menu innovations. Food business operators amenable to change and to innovate are more likely to keep afloat during a pandemic.
ABSTRACT
To systematically investigate factors affecting consumers' restaurant patronage decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study drew on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to (1) evaluate how threat and coping appraisal (i.e., PMT factors) may vary based on socio-demographics and COVID-19 situational characteristics, and (2) determine if PMT factors influence actual restaurant patronage behaviors. Furthermore, the current study examined consumers' perceptions of health-protective actions that restaurateurs could take to minimize consumer risk of contracting COVID-19. Data were collected from U.S. adults (N = 627) using an online crowdsourcing platform in early May 2020. Findings showed significant relationships between socio-demograhic factors and perceived severity and/or vulnerability to COVID-19, along with concerns of coping with the virus for in-restaurant dining. For take-out/delivery patronage, coping concerns were greater for those with lower education levels and those with more health concerns than their counterparts. Furthermore, consumers' higher levels of coping appraisal predicted their higher take-out/delivery frequency. Results also suggested actions that restaurateurs could take that would influence consumers' restaurant patronage decisions. This study provides new insights related to PMT in the context of restaurants in a pandemic situation and practical information for restaurateurs to recover and prepare for future pandemics or similar crises.
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Purpose - the aim of this paper is to analyze the gastronomic tourism trends in the world and in Lithuania, to determine the opportunities and the potential of gastronomic tourism in Lithuania and to provide recommendations for its development. Design - the theoretical part gives the understanding of gastronomic tourism in the world and its potential in Lithuania. The research gives an understanding of gastronomic tourism situation in Lithuania. Methodology - the research was done using analysis of scientific literature, secondary data analysis method of analysis and synthesis, quantitative research. The quantitative method used in this paper is a survey conducted among the local travelers. The results of the research were statistically processed using the Excel. Approach - gastronomic tourism is becoming an increasingly popular area of tourism, generating billions in revenue for businesses worldwide. According to the Global Report on Food Tourism, 79 percent travelers travel itinerary consists of a pre-analyzed calendar of gastronomic events and local cuisine, one in three travelers consider national cuisine to be a motivating travel choice and spends about 30 percent on food of total travel expenses. Findings - in Lithuania, gastronomic travel is still a relatively new niche in tourism. In recent years, this area of tourism has attracted considerable interest from foreign tourists and local travelers, however, the Covid 19 pandemic halted travel. Due to the tense situation in Europe, Lithuania still does not receive a larger number of tourists from foreign countries. Hospitality businesses use variety of means to engage, attract, and encourage local people to travel. Gastronomic tourism is one of such measures, as Lithuania can offer travelers quality local food, interesting national dishes with deep traditions, various food festivals and events. Originality of the research - the article analyzes results of research, discusses ways of attracting local tourists introducing more variety in gastronomic tourism. Practical implications are based on research findings and could be used by local travel agencies creating new gastronomic tourism products.
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This study attempted to identify the overall impact of COVID-19 on the restaurant industry in Colombia through the interviews with ten restaurant owners or chefs (e.g., fine-dining, family-dining, casual dining, and quick-service restaurants). Adopting the three phase post-pandemic planning framework, this study examined how the restaurants responded, recovered, and renewed their businesses and what survival strategies they have been implementing to respond to the new normal after the COVID-19 outbreaks. Findings of the study indicated the restaurants in Colombia focused on and developed four operational survival strategies: operational transformation and challenges, government support, social responsibility, and precautionary measurement practices, focusing on their core value and assets such as employees and menus.
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This study aims to present and discuss the different COVID-19 policies and recommendations for food service reopening. We aimed to understand each plan's profile, showing the most prominent concerns and summarizing the strategies. This study was carried out using an integrative review strategy of documents written in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, and German. We found 17 guides, 15 from the countries' health departments and institutions. The findings suggested four main categories reflecting the main concerns about safety regarding the resumption of food services during the pandemic: 1. Physical distancing;2. environmental aspects and safety;3. personal hygiene and occupational health;and 4. educational and legal measures. Because COVID-19 is a new disease, the measures were designed and adapted to a scenario full of uncertainties and improved information for each discovery. All the categories are grounded on recent or late biomedical literature. Some minor recommendations are based on the precautionary principle. The practical and policy implications are discussed. Health agencies in countries that do not yet have their regulations or guidelines for operating food services can use the categories described here as a basis for suggestions.
ABSTRACT
This theme was chosen because tourism is an important branch of a country's economy. The HORECA industry generates 1.7% of GDP and between 3 and 4% of GDP together with related industries. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that broke out in Romania in February 2020, the Romanian Government was forced to apply certain restrictive measures that affected the economy, the worst hospital industry. This paper analyzed the revenues registered in the HORECA sector in Romania for the years 2019-2020-2021 (before the pandemic / during the emergency period / post-pandemic period). A comparative analysis was performed for the indicators: annual profit, turnover, number of tourists, number of overnight stays, types of services sought. The study was conducted on 8,357 touristic units and the results will be presented in the paper. The aim of the paper is to analyze the losses suffered by the tourism industry in 2020 and the recovery of tourism after the lifting of restrictions in Romania.