The potential role of good agricultural practices and obstacles in the sustainability of local gastronomy: The case of 7 Mehmet

In recent years, sustainability and local approaches in the food and beverage sector have provided significant benefits to both businesses and the destinations where they operate based on good agricultural practices. Good agricultural practices provide basic competencies based on environmental and socio-economic gains, increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, and enhance product quality and food safety. In this study, it is revealed on the basis of sustainable local gastronomy to what extent and on what factors businesses that pioneer the sustainable restaurant concept in line with good agricultural practices can position this in the minds of consumers. In this context, on the basis of a single case study approach, the restaurant named "7 Mehmet", which has been operating in Antalya since 1940, managed to receive the first 'Green Key' certificate in Turkey in 2022, and pioneered as the only independent food and beverage establishment among 65 facilities (64 of which are hotels) with this certificate in Antalya as of 2024, and stands out with its local agricultural practices, was examined. For the purpose of the study, 953 Turkish comments (without translation) from a total of 1578 consumer comments on TripAdvisor platform regarding 7 Mehmet in April 2024 and before (June 2011) were subjected to content analysis. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the comments were gathered around the themes of 'taste', 'location', 'restaurant design', 'price', 'service', 'experience' and 'satisfaction'. The study determined that the reflections of local agricultural practices in the construction of an integrated consumer perception in line with the identified themes were insufficient. In line with the results of the research, suggestions were developed for the stakeholders of the sector.