Customer perceptions of service and food familiarity at a Bengali restaurant in Helsinki : a comparative study of Bengali and Finnish locals

Abstract

This study examines the perception and understanding of local customers regarding Bengali and Finnish in a Bengali restaurant in Helsinki, in relation to the authenticity, satisfaction and desire to revisit the restaurant. The study focuses on one case restaurant, Ravintola Palki and asks questions about how Bengali and Finnish locals experience counter service and communication, how they perceive food familiarity and authenticity and how these experiences connect to satisfaction, revisit intentions and improvement suggestions. The theoretical framework is based on the social servicescape, food familiarity and food neophobia, and authenticity, and is presented in the stimulus-organism-response model. The empirical material is ten semi-structured interviews, five with Bengali and five with Finnish local customers, which were analysed with thematic analysis with a comparative matrix. The results show that both groups consider the counter service friendly, polite and helpful and the multilingual use of Finnish, English and Bangla as valuable. Food familiarity is clearly a factor separating the groups because Bengali customers are more likely to consider many dishes as everyday, whereas Finnish customers are more dependent on explanations and hybrid choices on the menu. Perceived authenticity is constructed from different but overlapping cues, with Finnish guests saying that possible cues are decor and atmosphere and for the Bengalis, symbolic signs and culinary signals, but both groups say their satisfaction scores are high and they are prepared to return. The study concludes that a multilingual and culturally sensitive social servicescape and a clear and hybrid menu can contribute to supporting both ethnic and non-ethnic locals inclusively and authentically. Limitations include the small purposive sample, single case setting, self-reported data and cross-sectional design.