The gastronomic heritage of tradesmen's restaurants: The case of Ankara

This thesis explores tradesmen's restaurants (esnaf lokantaları) in Ankara within the context of gastronomic heritage, aiming to uncover their historical, cultural and socio-economic significance from past to present. More than simple dining establishments, these restaurants serve as key actors in preserving traditional cuisine, transferring urban memory, and sustaining social solidarity. A qualitative research design was employed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with owners of various tradesmen's restaurants across different districts of Ankara. The findings reveal insights into menu construction prosecces, customer profiles, spatial features, contemporary challenges and proposed solutions. Results indicate that while tradesmen's restaurants face issues suchs as rising operational costs, shifting consumer habits and increased institutional competition, they contionue to demonstrate resilience in maintaining local gastronomic identity. The study higlights the crucial role these restaurants play in safeguarding both tangible anda intangible culinary heritage in Ankara's urban lanscaple and recommends enchanced cultural, economic and administrative support to ensure their sustainability.