Sustainable Development Practices of Restaurants in Romania and Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Codruta Baltescu (), Nicoleta Andreea Neacșu, Anca Madar, Dana Boșcor and Alexandra Zamfirache
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Nicoleta Andreea Neacșu: Department of Marketing, Tourism, Services and International Affairs, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500084 Brasov, Romania
Anca Madar: Department of Marketing, Tourism, Services and International Affairs, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500084 Brasov, Romania
Dana Boșcor: Department of Marketing, Tourism, Services and International Affairs, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500084 Brasov, Romania
Alexandra Zamfirache: Department of Management and Economic Informatics, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500084 Brasov, Romania

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-24

Abstract: Sustainable development is a constant and a necessity of daily life in the restaurant industry. The restaurant industry has high consumptions of energy, water, detergents, and consumables, together with tremendous food waste. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted many acute sustainable development problems. In this context, this article analyzes the practices identified by restaurant managers that define their responsible behavior, and the significant changes made towards sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article presents the results obtained through qualitative research, carried out by semi-directive in-depth interviews, conducted with 56 restaurant managers from Romania. The answers obtained are based on five topics of discussion highlighting the managers’ growing interest in finding solutions to counteract negative effects on the environment, to ensure the wellbeing of customers and employees, and to increase the profitability of their company. The results obtained from the research reflect the thoughts and actions of restaurant managers in Romania, contributing to the body of knowledge in the understanding of sustainability practices in the foodservice sector.

Keywords: sustainable development practices; restaurants; green restaurants; COVID-19 pandemic; qualitative research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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