Bence CSAPODY, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary
Melinda JÁSZBERÉNYI, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary
Katalin ÁSVÁNYI, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary
Recent pandemic has shaken consumer’s confidence in multinational value chains, which may further increase the interest in local products in the short to medium term. As Covid-19 has led consumers to buy local ingredients, the supply of local food to restaurants has also become an important factor in sustainability practices (Alsetoohy et al., 2021).
Due to the crisis, restaurants have had to face several challenges, operational flexibility of the establishments has become an essential aspect – one of the most important means of the sector's survival. The period of post-crisis recovery often results in opening of new directions in management practices (Lancefield, 2021), including hospitality management, too. Observing previous patterns (Van Til, 2020), we can say that such a new direction could be the promotion of sustainable operating models and, as part of this, the spread of local products in gastronomy.
Green practices and sustainable food (including food from local sources) are essential elements for consumers, according to the literature, and providing green cuisine to health-conscious people boosts restaurants' sustainable image. Local products can operate as an attraction in the context of tourism, and their impact can be interpreted both directly and indirectly, on the one hand bolstering the local economy and, on the other hand, motivating local tourism service providers to innovate.
Hence, with the practical and theoretical aim, several interviews with Hungarian restaurant managers, producers and representatives of professional bodies have been carried out in terms of local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients’ criteria. In the course of our present research, we are about to explore the greatest opportunities and challenges of short supply chains and green restaurant concepts. Our aim is to detect problems, thus helping hospitality professionals and producers in order to reach a more sustainable hospitality ecosystem.
Mots clés : short supply chains|small producers|green restaurants|sustainability|local products
A104026BC