ABSTRACT

The purpose of the current study is to identify the response of restaurants to COVID-19. Findings were derived from a qualitative approach by conducting thirty-nine interviews at the managerial level of thirty-five independent restaurants in Cairo. During March and April 2020, open-ended interviews were performed, and then analyzed using NVivo 9.0 software. This study successfully documents the decisions and activities related to four aspects (leadership practices, managing stakeholders’ cooperation, operational procedures, and marketing the reputation) used in adapting restaurants in response to COVID-19. It also identifies the barriers to applying the mitigation measures. Though this paper concentrates on Cairo restaurants, the value of this paper lies in being the first managerial-level analytical study documenting the responses to COVID-19 in the restaurant industry. It strengthens the existing literature by highlighting COVID-19’s impact on the restaurant industry and introducing a holistic view of decisions and the actual pandemic’ adopted responses, faced difficulties, and recovery practices within the restaurant industry.

摘要

当前研究的目的是确定餐馆对 COVID-19 的反应。通过对开罗 35 家独立餐厅的管理层进行了 39 次访谈，从定性方法得出了调查结果。在 2020 年 3 月和 2020 年 4 月期间，进行了开放式访谈，然后使用 NVivo 9.0 软件进行了分析。本研究成功记录了与四个方面（领导实践、管理利益相关者合作、运营程序和营销声誉）相关的决策和活动，这些决策和活动用于调整餐厅以应对 COVID-19。它还确定了应用缓解措施的障碍。虽然本文主要关注开罗餐馆，本文的价值在于成为第一个记录餐饮业对 COVID-19 反应的管理级分析研究。它通过强调 COVID-19 对餐饮业的影响并引入对决策的整体观点以及实际大流行采取的应对措施、面临的困难和餐饮业的恢复实践来加强现有文献。