Fourteenth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Food is a key attraction for tourists, and locality has become a significant form of local cultural capital that strengthens a sense of place, place and product differentiation, and place branding for food in a globalised world. In some cases, this may extend to restaurant menus, promotion, and positioning, including with respect to so-called “terroir restaurants”. Destination restaurants, such as Michelin-starred restaurants, are an important component of food tourism because of the significant role they play in attracting tourists by offering exclusive culinary experiences. Previous research on destination restaurants is primarily based in a Western, usually European, context and has claimed that many destination restaurants promote a sense of place or terroir. Although research already conducted as part of this study suggests that such claims may be overstated. Considering that East Asia is a fast-growing area for food tourism and has its own culinary cultures, the study investigates how Michelin restaurants in East Asia promote place. A multi-stage, mixed-method strategy is applied to investigate the locality promoted by Michelin restaurants in East Asia, including online content analysis of Michelin restaurants in East Asia and semi-structured interviews of staff of Michelin restaurants in China, Malaysia, and Singapore. The research provides a comprehensive understanding of the way in which notions of locality and place are used by East Asian destination restaurants and the way in which this may promote not only restaurants but also culinary culture and destination attractiveness, thereby potentially contributing to the local economy, community, and environment.