The Response of the Romanian Hospitality Industry to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Focus on the Restaurant Industry

Crîșmariu, O.-D., Tănase, M.-O., Tenie, I., & Abdallah, A. (2022). The Response of the Romanian Hospitality Industry to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Focus on the Restaurant Industry. CACTUS Tourism Journal, 25 (1). doi.org/10.24818/CTS/4/2022/1.08

Based on the official APA guide. Review the full set of examples.

Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Abstract

The pandemic situation that began in 2019 directly affected all industries. The most affected industries are: airlines, cruises, HORECA, entertainment, etc. The restaurant industry, which is part of the HORECA industry, was severely affected throughout the world. The industry faced many restrictions in 2020 and 2021. Among most common, we can mention: temporary suspension of the activity, limited operating hours and available seats, access restrictions (like EU Green Certificate, for indoor activities), etc. As a response to legal regulations in order to avoid the spread of the virus, but also to prevent a further economic downturn, each industry had to take various measures.This article contains a theoretical overview of the evolution of the restaurant industry during the pandemic, from March 2020 to the present day. An analysis, based on qualitative research, of representative restaurants, in their category, for Romania shows how different actions were taken to adapt to the new normal. Furthermore, the research presents an important view of the future of the industry. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the changes produced and the adaptability of the restaurant industry to the current and ever-changing situation. The results revealed many interesting measures that similar companies and hope for better times.

Keywords

Restaurant industry response, COVID-19, Romania

JEL Classification

L83, M19, Z31

References

Aissa, S. (2019). Digitalization in the restaurant sector—The French. In The driving trends of international business in the 21st century (p. 137).

Askew, K. (2020). The Food Navigator podcast: What does coronavirus mean for the future of food? FoodNavigator. https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2020/05/15/The-FoodNavigator-Podcast-What-does-coronavirus-mean-for-the-future-of-food

Blackman, D., & Ritchie, B. W. (2008). Tourism crisis management and organizational learning. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 23(2–4), 45–57.

Björklund, T. A., Mikkonen, M., Mattila, P., & van der Marel, F. (2020). Expanding entrepreneurial solution spaces in times of crisis: Business model experimentation amongst packaged food and beverage ventures. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 14, e00197.

Breier, M., Kallmuenzer, A., Clauss, T., Gast, J., Kraus, S., & Tiberius, V. (2021). The role of business model innovation in the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 crisis. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92, 102723.

Chinn, D., Klier, J., Stern, S., & Tesfu, S. (2020). Safeguarding Europe’s livelihoods: Mitigating the employment impact of COVID-19. McKinsey. Retrieved May 31, 2020, from McKinsey website.

Choo, J. (2020). How Kuala Lumpur’s F&B industry is responding to the COVID-19 crisis. CNA Luxury. Retrieved April 25, 2020, from https://cnaluxury.channelnewsasia.com/experiences/kuala-lumpur-food-beverage-industry-covid-19-12613478

Digby, M. C. (2020). Revealed: Here is how Liath’s €19 Michelin-star takeaway tastes. The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/revealed-here-s-how-liath-s-19-michelin-star-takeaway-tastes-1.4218972

Ding, W., Levine, R., Lin, C., & Xie, W. (2020). Corporate immunity to the COVID-19 pandemic. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w27055/w27055.pdf

Economica. (2020). Cifra de afaceri din industria HoReCa a scăzut cu 70% faţă de anul trecut, iar peste 40% dintre operatori şi-au suspendat activitatea. https://www.economica.net/cifra-de-afaceri-din-industria-horeca-a-scazut-cu-70prc-fata-de-anul-trecut-iar-peste-40prc-dintre-operatori-si-au-suspendat-activitatea_188409.html

Hjalager, A. M. (2010). A review of innovation research in tourism. Tourism Management, 31, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2009.08.012

Ioannides, D., & Gyimóthy, S. (2020). The COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity for escaping the unsustainable global tourism path. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 624–632.

Kuckertz, A., Brändle, L., Gaudig, A., Hinderer, S., Reyes, C. A. M., Prochotta, A., Steinbrink, K., & Berger, E. S. C. (2020). Startups in times of crisis: A rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 13, e00169.

Loh, G. S. (2020). Have a Michelin-starred meal delivered to your home for a good cause. Channel NewsAsia Lifestyle. https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/dining/how-to-get-a-michelin-star-meal-delivered-to-your-home-covid-19-12658188

National Restaurant Association. (2020). Restaurant industry blueprint for recovery. https://www.restaurant.org/Manage-My-Restaurant/Business-Operations/preparedness/Restaurant-Industry-Blueprint-for-Recovery

Neise, T., Verfürth, P., & Franz, M. (2021). Rapid responding to the COVID-19 crisis: Assessing the resilience in the German restaurant and bar industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 96, 102960.

Ou, J., Wong, I. A., & Huang, G. I. (2021). The coevolutionary process of restaurant CSR in the time of mega disruption. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92, 102684.

Pearson, C. M., & Clair, J. A. (1998). Reframing crisis management. Academy of Management Review, 23(1), 59–76.

Pikkemaat, B., Peters, M., & Chan, C.-S. (2018). Needs, drivers and barriers of innovation: The case of an alpine community-model destination. Tourism Management Perspectives, 25, 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.11.004

Pyanikova, E. A., Kovaleva, A. E., Galchenko, S. I., Kobchenko, S. N., Ovchinnikova, E. V., & Pikalova, M. B. (2020). Digitalization of restaurant business as a factor of competitiveness increase. In Russian Conference on Digital Economy and Knowledge Management (RuDEcK 2020) (pp. 546–550). Atlantis Press.

Roux-Dufort, C. (2007). Is crisis management (only) a management of exceptions? Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 15(2), 105–114.

Shtal, T. V., Staverska, T. O., Svitlichna, V. Y., Kravtsova, S. V., Kraynyuk, L. N., & Pokolodna, M. M. (2021). Digitalization as a tool for ensuring innovative development of restaurant business. Studies of Applied Economics, 39(5).

Song, H. J., Yeon, J., & Lee, S. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from the US restaurant industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 92.

The Chef’s Garden. (2020, May 7). Guide to restaurant reopening: Considerations and strategies.

Thorgren, S., & Williams, T. A. (2020). Staying alive during an unfolding crisis: How SMEs ward off impending disaster. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 14, e00187.