To Örebro University

oru.seÖrebro University Publications
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Constructing the hospitality superstar in restaurant dining rooms
Örebro University, School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts & Meal Science.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1636-9059
Örebro University, School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts & Meal Science.
Örebro University, School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts & Meal Science.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3875-6300
Örebro University, School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts & Meal Science.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9820-9800
2023 (English)In: Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, ISSN 1502-2250, E-ISSN 1502-2269, Vol. 23, no 2-3, p. 264-281Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The need for competent hospitality workers is significant for the sustainable development of the restaurant industry. However, with the recurring challenges of recruiting and retaining a competent workforce, there is a need to understand how employers portray and communicate hospitality work in the recruitment process. Therefore, this study examines how employers construct the image of the hospitality worker, by analyzing what job advertisements signal and communicate to the applicants. Through thematic analysis of 100 job advertisements in Sweden, we found that the ideal hospitality worker is an individualized team player with occupational passion. This means that social capacities and commitment to hospitality and gastronomy, factors that are difficult to measure, are of relevance to gaining employment. Additionally, by asking for social capacities, the distance between work and leisure is diminished and the employee is constructed as a commodity for the purpose of improving service. In contrast to the common image that hospitality work is work that anyone could do, we conclude that the qualifications for becoming a hospitality worker in the restaurant industry are fairly complex.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Oslo: Taylor & Francis, 2023. Vol. 23, no 2-3, p. 264-281
Keywords [en]
recruitment, job advertisement, restaurant work
National Category
Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Research subject
Culinary Arts and Meal Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-109448DOI: 10.1080/15022250.2023.2272167ISI: 001085784300001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85174264941OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-109448DiVA, id: diva2:1808067
Available from: 2023-10-30 Created: 2023-10-30 Last updated: 2024-10-22Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Hipster Hospitality and Beyond: Exploring dining room professionals in contemporary restaurants
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Hipster Hospitality and Beyond: Exploring dining room professionals in contemporary restaurants
2024 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

In recent years, the line between high and low culinary standards has become blurred, leading to a transformative shift in restaurant culture. While considerable attention has been paid to consumption, there is a notable research gap concerning the production side within restaurant dining rooms. This thesis explores the meaning and practice of dining room professionals’ work in restaurants and expands the interpretation of hospitality as a dynamic and multifaceted practice within the restaurant. Drawing on interviews, observations, and autoethnography in contemporary casual restaurants and critically examining the portrayal of the dining room professional as communicated through recruitment, this thesis illustrates how dining room professionals incorporate personal values and self-fulfillment into their professional roles and abstract from traditional hospitality traits. The findings indicate that these professionals are not primarily driven by an ambition to advance their careers in traditional fine dining settings. Instead, they are seeking workplaces that foster the growth of their culinary skills and personal interests in collaboration with like-minded individuals, including guests as well as colleagues. This shift marks a departure from conventional hospitality norms, as these professionals express a desire for more autonomy and flexibility in their work, as well as enacting a shift away from the predictability of service manuals, the constraints of scripted interactions, and the limited opportunities for self-expression within the meal experience. Seen in a time of changes within the culinary field, this thesis contributes to the restaurant industry by showing how contemporary dining room professionals experience liberation when guided by personal beliefs, social tastes and identities, rather than guest demands or business directives, allowing them freedom to provide the work. In turn, this impacts their motivations for being in, and navigating through the restaurant industry.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Örebro: Örebro University, 2024. p. 108
Series
Örebro Studies in Culinary Arts and Meal Science, ISSN 1652-2974 ; 18
Keywords
Contemporary Dining, Ethnography, Hipster, Hospitality, Restaurant Professionals
National Category
Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Research subject
Culinary Arts and Meal Science
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-115674 (URN)9789175295886 (ISBN)9789175295893 (ISBN)
Public defence
2024-11-15, Måltidens Hus, Gastronomiska Teatern, Sörälgsvägen 2, Grythyttan, 13:00 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2024-08-28 Created: 2024-08-28 Last updated: 2024-11-01Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full textScopus

Authority records

Hult, KajsaLainpelto, JackWalter, UteJonsson, Inger M.

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Hult, KajsaLainpelto, JackWalter, UteJonsson, Inger M.
By organisation
School of Hospitality, Culinary Arts & Meal Science
In the same journal
Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism
Social Sciences Interdisciplinary

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 153 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf