Changes in food-beverage businesses after COVID-19: Gaziantep province example

This study aims to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the food and beverage sector and the changes that have occurred in businesses operating in Gaziantep province in the post-pandemic period. The research explores the challenges posed by the pandemic to the sector, the measures and adaptation strategies taken by businesses, and the detailed analysis of Gaziantep province, an important destination for gastronomic tourism. The phenomenological research design, a qualitative research method, was adopted to achieve this goal. Phenomenological analysis aims to understand participants' experiences in depth, and this method facilitates an unbiased interpretation of business experiences. Within the scope of the study, in-depth interviews were conducted with the managers of 11 different food and beverage businesses between 20.07.2023 and 31.07.07 2023. The obtained data were subjected to content analysis, and the themes and codes emerging from the participants' experiences were examined. The study used convenience sampling, resulting in interviews with eleven consenting managers. The study's findings provide a comprehensive picture of the impact of the pandemic on organizations. According to the findings, there were significant changes in businesses' guest capacity, staff employment, income structures and business image in the pre-and post-pandemic periods. As a result of the pandemic, businesses' guest capacity decreased, and they had to accept fewer guests due to social distancing measures and capacity limitations. This situation has affected the companies' operational strategies and income structures. Reductions in employment were also observed in the post-pandemic period. Enterprises reduced the number of employees to compensate for the loss of income. Changes in income structures led companies to look for alternative sources of income, resulting in the development of innovative solutions in areas such as delivery services and online ordering. However, negative effects on customer satisfaction within businesses were observed during this period.