Producing authenticity in restaurant experiences: interrelationships between the consumer, the provider, and the experience

ABSTRACT

In the context of the advent of the experience economy, conceptualisations of authenticity are often both perplexing and uncertain. This paper argues for a nuanced understanding of the multi-dimensional nature of authenticity of restaurant experiences from the production perspective. It does this by proposing a framework to produce authenticity using the interrelationships of three fundamental elements of a restaurant experience, the Consumer, the Provider, and the Experience, and by discussing the consumers’ experiential outcomes resulting from such interrelationships. By applying the interrelationships to reconceptualise the existing authenticity approaches in tourism and hospitality contexts, this paper suggests that direct interaction between the provider and the consumer can enhance authenticity of restaurant experiences. As a result, incorporating such direct interaction supports the multi-dimensional approach to authenticity in restaurants. The three outcomes resulting from the interrelationships can further strengthen perceptions of authenticity in restaurant experiences. The paper offers both theoretical and practical insights which advance the production of authenticity in restaurants.

KEYWORDS:

• Authenticity
• production
• experience economy
• multi-dimensionality
• dining experiences

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Truc H. Le

Truc Le is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management at Griffith University, Australia. Her research focus includes risks and risk perceptions, authenticity, experience co-creation, user-generated content analytics, and machine learning.

Charles Arcodia

Charles Arcodia is Professor and the Deputy Head of the Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management at Griffith University, Australia. His primary areas of teaching and research interest are in event management, tourism and hospitality education, and various tourism and related cultural issues.

Margarida Abreu Novais

Margarida Abreu Novais is a Lecturer at the Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management at Griffith University, Australia. Her main areas of research include destination competitiveness, tourism spatiotemporal behaviour and experiential learning in tourism and hospitality education.

Anna Kralj

Anna Kralj is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Tourism Sport and Hotel Management in the Griffith Business School at Griffith University. Her research interest is the tourism and hospitality workforce, with a particular interest in service management, organisational behaviour and human resources management.