Consumer preference reasons for ethnic restaurants in Ankara

The competition experienced in food and beverage enterprises has enabled the emergence of enterprises offering different services. Enterprises that have added innovations to the service elements have come to the forefront in the field of competition. One of the enterprises that stand out Decently among the food and beverage enterprises is ethnic restaurants. Ethnic restaurants are expressed as businesses where different cultures are miniaturized and presented to the consumer. Ethnic restaurant enterprises also have to take into account the factors affecting consumers' restaurant choices in order to maintain their existence in a competitive environment. In this study, it was tried to understand the factors that play a role in the ethnic restaurant preference behaviors of individuals living in Ankara and whether these factors differ according to the demographic characteristics of consumers. For the purpose of the study, a questionnaire was applied to 405 people. 389 questionnaires that were eligible for the study were considered valid and included in the study. The data collected within the scope of the study were analyzed with statistical package programs. In the evaluation of the data and hypotheses; t test, one-way analysis of variance, chi-square test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test and post hoc Tukey were used. As a result of the research, a significant difference was found only in the age variable from spatial triggering factors such as restaurant atmosphere, menu variety, originality and authenticity. It has been found that mostly young people and people with high educational level tend to go to ethnic restaurants. It has been understood that curiosity and desire to achieve prestige/status are effective for individuals to go to ethnic restaurants. It was found that the respondents were interested in experiencing new foods and learning about the traditions of different cultures, therefore, they attached importance to authentic elements reflecting ethnic culture and the authenticity of the food. In general, it has been observed that the effective factors in ethnic restaurant preference bear similarities despite the different participant characteristics. Keywords: Restaurant, Gastronomy, Ethnic