Gastronomy: Globalization, Homogenization, Heterogenization, and Food Business

This article discusses the concept of gastronomy and its impact on tourism and culture. It explores the globalization of food and drink consumption and its effects on cultural identity. It also critically discusses the factors to consider when planning to open and operate a food business. The article provides insights into menu planning, location selection, competition analysis, and marketing strategies.

Gastronomy

Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
SECTION A...............................................................................................................................................3
Critically discuss the globalization and key underpinning aspects of homogenization and
heterogenization in relation to food and drink consumption and cultural identity, using examples.........3
SECTION B...............................................................................................................................................5
Critically discuss the factors that you need to consider when planning to open and operate a food
business...................................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Gastronomy can be defined as the study of relationship between food and culture, the art
of preparing and serving food that is rich and appetizing (Frost and et. al., 2016). One of the
advantages of studying gastronomy is that a person can enhance his/her knowledge about
different cultures. The individual also gets a chance to learn about new ingredients that can be
used in a particular food dish and new/innovative ways of cooking. Gastronomy is an important
concept because it holds a lot of potential to improve the overall tourism of a particular
destination by promoting its cuisines and culture. It also significantly contributes to agriculture
as well as food manufacturing sectors.
SECTION A
Critically discuss the globalization and key underpinning aspects of homogenization and
heterogenization in relation to food and drink consumption and cultural identity, using examples
Globalization can be defined as the worldwide interaction and integration among people,
companies and governments. Some of its major benefits include an increase in international
trade, a greater number of goods and services available at low prices, a higher quality of products
as well as a lower cost of living. Globalization has its own advantages and disadvantages in
relation to food and drink consumption. It has offered numerous benefits to the suppliers as well
as the customers. As per the view point of Gerald Hanks, suppliers have a great opportunity to
supply their products to new markets around the globe while on the other had customers get a
chance to try out new products (Globalization of the Food & Beverage Industry, 2020). For
example- McDonald’s and KFC have gained advantage from opening stores in various parts of
the world. Through franchising, food retail chains get a chance to serve customers have not been
previously exposed to their products.
Globalization has impacted the different food systems across the world which have in
turn affected the availability as well as prices of the food products (Gálvez and et. al., 2017). The
distribution systems, procurement and food trade environment across the world have been
impacted by globalization. Globalization has led to a sudden rise in obesity and other chronic
diseases that are related to the diet of people in different parts of the world. When we talk bout
the food supply chain getting affected, it means that the type, quantity, cost as well as desirability

of products also gets affected. It is due to globalization, that people today have an access to both
local as well as international food brands. The competition among different brands of food has
also gone up with domestic companies competing with foreign brands. Lastly, globalization has
also encouraged innovation and creativity because food brands today feel pressured to develop
new, enhanced products and offer the same to customers because their preferences keep on
changing.
Cultural identity can be defined as a feeling of belonging or being a part of a group.
Globalization has impacted culture through transmission of new ideas, thoughts, values around
the world (Okumus, Koseoglu and Ma, 2018). It has led to a complete change in traditional
beliefs among people and has also promoted cultural identity in some sense. People get to know
and enhance their knowledge about a local community as well as its cuisine. A large audience
today has access to different cultures than it was previously. But there are disadvantages as well
as various risks that come associated with globalization in relation to cultural identity like
stereotyping and misrepresentation of a particular culture. Homogenization can be defined as any
of the processes that are used to make a mixture of non-soluble liquid. The process is usually
done in the processing of milk beverages and is basically concerned with reducing the size of fat
globules so as to improve the quality and texture of milk. In relation to cultural identity,
homogenization refers to a reduction in cultural diversity through the diffusion of a variety of
cultural ideas, customs and values.
On the other hand, heterogenization refers to a process which leads to the representation
of a world as a result of intensification of the flow across various cultures. Therefore, as a result
of heterogenization, different cultures experience transformation and reinvention constantly due
to the impact of various global forces as well as factors (Pearson and Pearson, 2016). It is
important to keep a check on these factors so that the cultural identity of a particular place is not
affected negatively. Absence of a check on these factors can lead to the different cultural groups
becoming diversified over a period of time. Thus, heterogenization is important because if one
country treats another country well, they are most likely to share a mutual culture and be friends.
This will in turn help both of them in terms of employment, trade of goods etc.

SECTION B
Critically discuss the factors that you need to consider when planning to open and operate a food
business
When planning to open and operate a food business, a person requires to have proper
knowledge of the location, hours of operation, menu and so on. Also, it is very important to have
a business plan which can help in exploring the competition for the business. Restaurant industry
is a huge industry that is constantly evolving as per the needs and expectations of customers. As
per the view point of Reetika Bose, prior to planning the expenses, it is important to identify the
type of restaurant that that the person wants to build (Factors to Consider While Opening a
Restaurant, 2019). Basically, the major concept of an individual should be to include all the
things that he/she wants to serve in the business, the amount of money that should be invested
etc. Whichever place is decided to set up the food business, it should be visible to the customers
and should be easy to spot by them.
Once the location is decided, it is then important to decide the parking lot so that the
customers can easily park their vehicles (Spence and Youssef, 2018). This is important because
if a person cannot find a place to park his/her vehicle, it can impact the overall business as less
customers will visit the restaurant. Another important factor to consider while planning to set up
a food business is the menu which plays a major role in attracting people. The menu should
contain all the must haves and the prices of the products should also be kept affordable. The
operating hours of the restaurant should also be taken into account. This involves paying the
vendors, working with the staff, talking with customers etc. The person should also have a
concrete plan as to how will the restaurant be marketed among customers and what all
promotional ways will be adopted in order to do so.
The restaurant can take the advantage of carrying out the process of marketing through
various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. It is also important to
apply for proper licenses and permits before the restaurant is open for public (Pearson and
Pearson, 2017). This is important because the restaurant might have to pass through several
inspections. Another important factor that should be considered before opening the restaurant is
to decide the target customers and in order to do so, their level of disposable income, lifestyle,
food preferences etc. should be completely understood. A thorough analysis of the competition

should also be done ad for this, the person who is planning to open a food business should visit
as many restaurants in the locality as possible. This will give him a fair idea of their strengths as
well as weaknesses. The understanding can further be used to develop effective strategies for the
new food business. It is also important that the owner of the business takes into account the
salary of the employees and the kind of workers he/she would like to employ.
Also, if the business is being set up from scratch, it should be ready with the basic
expenses that will be made on the furniture and technology. The restaurant should have latest
technology in its system so that customers can place their orders and also, the employees can
track the status of each order that is being processed (Sormaz and et. al., 2016). This is where
having a detailed business plan comes handy as it can help in carrying out all the processes that
will be involved in setting up of the food business. The plan can also help in finding and
reaching out to potential investors in the market. Besides this, the concept of the restaurant
should also be taken into account because if there is a theme, it will attract and catch the eye of
many customers. As a result, they would like to visit the place which will contribute to the
overall profitability and revenues of the business.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that gastronomy is a concept that has gained
popularity over the last few years. It is beneficial because it can help in improving the overall
tourism of a particular destination by attracting people from different parts of the world. Apart
from this, if a person decides to open and operate a food business, he/she should take in to
account various factors like menu, location, competition, parking facility etc.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Frost, W. and et. al., 2016. Gastronomy, tourism and the media. Channel View Publications.
Gálvez, J. C. P. and et. al., 2017. Local gastronomy, culture and tourism sustainable cities: The
behavior of the American tourist. Sustainable Cities and Society. 32. pp.604-612.
Okumus, B., Koseoglu, M. A. and Ma, F., 2018. Food and gastronomy research in tourism and
hospitality: A bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Hospitality Management.
73. pp.64-74.
Pearson, D. and Pearson, T., 2016. Branding food culture: UNESCO creative cities of
gastronomy. Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing. 28(2). pp.164-
176.
Pearson, D. and Pearson, T., 2017. Branding food culture: UNESCO creative cities of
gastronomy. Journal of Food Products Marketing. 23(3). pp.342-355.
Sormaz, U. and et. al., 2016. Gastronomy in tourism. Procedia Economics and Finance. 39.
pp.725-730.
Spence, C. and Youssef, J., 2018. Assessing the long-term impact of the molecular gastronomy
movement on haute cuisine. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science. 14.
pp.35-44.
Online
Factors to Consider While Opening a Restaurant. 2019. [Online]. Available through:<
https://www.restaurantindia.in/article/factors-to-consider-while-opening-a-
restaurant.11886>.
Globalization of the Food & Beverage Industry. 2020. [Online]. Available through:<
https://bizfluent.com/how-6747391-compare-equity-modes-international-business.html>.