Kültürlerarası Bir Etkileşim Alanı Olarak Etnik Restoranlar: Müşteri Yorumları Gözünden Londra'daki Bir Türk Restoranında Gastronomik Deneyim ve Misafirperverlik Temsili (Ethnic Restaurants as Spaces of Intercultural Interaction: Gastronomic Experience and Hospitality in a Turkish Restaurant in London Through the Lens of Customer Reviews)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63556/jotags.2026.1900Keywords:
Ethnic restaurants, Gastronomic experience hospitality, Authenticity, Online customer reviewsAbstract
This study aims to examine how ethnic restaurants are perceived in terms of intercultural interaction, gastronomic experience, and hospitality practices through online customer reviews. TripAdvisor reviews of Sofra Restaurant, operating in London, were analyzed using document analysis; after data cleaning, 1,013 usable customer reviews were evaluated using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the ethnic restaurant experience is shaped not only by food quality or service performance, but also by multilayered factors such as authenticity, cultural representation, staff interaction, complimentary offerings, and emotional bonds. Gastronomic experience and perceived authenticity are evident particularly through product variety, taste, atmosphere, and cultural associations with Turkish cuisine, while commercial and social hospitality emerge as key determinants of customer satisfaction. The prominence of staff quality, product/menu, and complimentary food culture reveals that customers evaluate the restaurant experience not only in terms of “what they eat” but also “how they are welcomed” and “how they are hosted.” By addressing the relationship between gastronomic experience, authenticity, and hospitality from an intercultural perspective in the context of Turkish restaurants in London, this study contributes to the literature on ethnic restaurants.
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