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.

Keywords

• Theme restaurants
• tourist experience
• Turkish tourist
• restaurant experience
• Ukraine

Türk Turistlerin Temalı Restoran Deneyimleri: Lviv (Ukrayna) Örneği

Abstract

Turizm endüstrisinin ayrılmaz bir parçası olan yiyecek ve içecek işletmeleri, turizm destinasyonlarında kritik roller oynamaktadır. Özellikle son yıllarda turistik mekanlarda deneyimsel ürün sunumlarının öneminin artması, turistlerin beklentilerini karşılamaya yönelik farklı yiyecek ve içecek konseptleri üreten işletmelerin ortaya çıkmasını teşvik etmiştir. Bu iş türlerinden biri de temalı restoranlardır. Bu çalışma, Ukrayna'nın Lviv şehrinde faaliyet gösteren temalı restoranlarda hizmet veren Türk turistlerin deneyimlerini belirlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaçla veri kaynağı olarak e-derlemeler ve katılımcı gözlem notları kullanılmıştır. Araştırma bulguları, temalı restoranları ziyaret eden turistlerin unutulmaz deneyimlerini şekillendiren beş temayı ortaya çıkarmıştır. Bunlar atmosfer, eğlence, personel, duygular ve duyulardır. Araştırma bulgularına göre temalı restoranlarda turistlerin tekrar ziyaret etme, tavsiye etme ve daha fazla ödeme yapma gibi olumlu davranışsal niyetlere sahip oldukları gözlemlenirken, bu restoranlarda deneyimlerini olumsuz yönde etkileyen bazı olumsuz faktörler tespit edilmiştir. Araştırmanın sonuç bölümünde teori ve uygulamaya yönelik öneriler geliştirilmiştir.

Keywords

• Temalı restoranlar
• Turist deneyimi
• Türk turistler
• Restoran deneyimi
• Ukrayna

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