Attitudes and orientation toward vegetarian food in the restaurant industry An operator's perspective

    Authors

    M. Rivera;A. Shani

    Comments

    Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Int. J. Contemp. Hosp. Manag.

    Keywords

    Vegetarianism; Restaurants; Attitudes; Managerial perspective; Menu; choices; Vegetarians; HEALTH; Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism; Management

    Abstract

    Purpose - The current paper aims to explore the attitudes of decision makers in restaurants in Puerto Rico toward vegetarian food, and examine the restaurants' orientation toward vegetarianism and the challenges they face in catering to vegetarian patrons. Design/methodology/approach - A survey instrument was developed to include 21 items representing the various attitudes and views toward vegetarian food; restaurant characteristics; and participant's demographic information. A total of 92 face-to-face structured interviews were conducted among various independent family restaurants located in the metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Findings - The findings suggest that although the participants certainly recognize the value of vegetarian food for their restaurants, they are still unaware or uninformed about many issues related to vegetarianism and vegetarian customers. Moreover, the study also raises some worrying concerns as to the attentiveness of restaurants to the needs of vegetarians. Originality/value - The study raised important practical implications for restaurants in San Juan and, potentially, for restaurants in other destinations that share the same challenges. Perhaps the most important implication that emerges is the need to educate the decision makers in restaurants (i.e. owners, managers and chefs) regarding critical issues related to vegetarians and vegetarian food.

    Journal Title

    International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

    Volume

    25

    Issue/Number

    7

    Publication Date

    1-1-2013

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    1049

    Last Page

    1065

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000325119200005

    ISSN

    0959-6119

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