The effect of kitchen managers' attitudes towards local foods on using local foods in business menus

This study presents of a research on local food preference and cooperation with local suppliers. The demographic characteristics of the participants and their attitudes towards local food were analyzed. According to the findings of the study, the majority of the participants procure fresh produce, meat and dairy products from local sources. However, some respondents do not buy local food due to limited availability of local food, lack of information and other reasons. According to the results of statistical analysis, there is a moderately significant relationship between chefs' intentions to purchase local food and their attitudes towards local food. Chefs' attitudes were found to be the best predictor of their intention to purchase local food. These results suggest that businesses should take measures to increase the supply of local food, expand the variety and increase the level of knowledge of consumers. The analysis results of this study reveal the effectiveness of the model used to predict chefs' local food purchase intentions and the most influential variables. According to the results of the analysis, chefs' age, gender, length of time in the profession and length of time in the current position did not have a significant effect on their purchase intentions. Instead, chefs' attitude scores emerged as the most important predictor variable. At the second level, the most important predictor variable for chefs with low attitude scores was education, while for chefs with high attitude scores, the service operations of the establishment was found to be the most important predictor variable. At the third level, the type of establishment was found to be the best predictor of chefs' intention to purchase local food. As a result, the results of this analysis show that an effective model can be used to predict chefs' local food purchase intentions. According to the results of the study, it is recommended that businesses should adopt local styles in production and food presentation, kitchen managers should focus on local products and access should be facilitated. Establishing markets and cultural houses that bring together local product users and kitchen managers, not forgetting local recipes and encouraging cooperation with local people should be supported. The production of local gastronomic products in accordance with quality standards should be encouraged, integrated with touristic products and the promotion of local dishes should be increased. Employing certified personnel in restaurants, establishing connections with local suppliers and emphasizing local dishes are also among the recommended strategies. These recommendations have the potential to contribute to the preservation of local food culture and local economic development.