Sociology of eating out - Fitness diets in Helsinki restaurant scene
Puhakka, Tiia (2016)
Lataukset:
Puhakka, Tiia
Haaga-Helia ammattikorkeakoulu
2016
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201605239327
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201605239327
Tiivistelmä
This thesis aims to find out why there aren’t any restaurants in Finland designed for people eating according to fitness diets. There are some restaurants advertising themselves as healthy restaurants but they are still not the same as fitness restaurants that can be seen for example in America. In this thesis the subject will be studied from a sociological point of view because in fitness scene people mostly live around and with people in that scene. Question is, does this affect people’s choices when they choose a restaurant and how do they feel about eating out.
This thesis concentrates on Helsinki area because Finland is a small country and this is where the biggest demand and possible target group is to be found. The problem will be studied from a fitness lifestyle perspective because their diets are very strict and also their raw materials are carefully selected which means their options are more limited in food products and also amounts.
Qualitative approach was chosen since it suited well for and in depth interviews and since the aim is to know where the problem lies from the restaurant industry perspective. There also isn’t any answers to why there isn’t these kinds of restaurants.
In the theoretical part I go through the historical facts of eating out in Finland and in Helsinki, the social side of eating out and future trends in this sector. The words and terminology used is also defined. The empirical part includes the analysis of the methods used, the ob-jective, the interviews and a summary. Theme interviews were conducted with the profes-sionals of both industries on March, April and May 2016. The interview questions were not included because everybody had mostly different questions depending on their status and field. All the interviews were transcribed and analysed in the empirical part.
In the discussion part the conflict between the previous thesis and the interview results are discussed. The interviewees mostly didn’t agree that this kind of restaurant would be need-ed nor that it would last. They felt that the demand wouldn’t be big enough and that the costs would be too much. Many said that this could work but only if it would be combined with another concept. Also what was strongly present in the interviews was that the social factor is key in the restaurant experiences and this is something worth studying for as an individual subject. Either from Finland perspective or maybe comparing Finnish and other nationalities social aspects of eating out.
This thesis concentrates on Helsinki area because Finland is a small country and this is where the biggest demand and possible target group is to be found. The problem will be studied from a fitness lifestyle perspective because their diets are very strict and also their raw materials are carefully selected which means their options are more limited in food products and also amounts.
Qualitative approach was chosen since it suited well for and in depth interviews and since the aim is to know where the problem lies from the restaurant industry perspective. There also isn’t any answers to why there isn’t these kinds of restaurants.
In the theoretical part I go through the historical facts of eating out in Finland and in Helsinki, the social side of eating out and future trends in this sector. The words and terminology used is also defined. The empirical part includes the analysis of the methods used, the ob-jective, the interviews and a summary. Theme interviews were conducted with the profes-sionals of both industries on March, April and May 2016. The interview questions were not included because everybody had mostly different questions depending on their status and field. All the interviews were transcribed and analysed in the empirical part.
In the discussion part the conflict between the previous thesis and the interview results are discussed. The interviewees mostly didn’t agree that this kind of restaurant would be need-ed nor that it would last. They felt that the demand wouldn’t be big enough and that the costs would be too much. Many said that this could work but only if it would be combined with another concept. Also what was strongly present in the interviews was that the social factor is key in the restaurant experiences and this is something worth studying for as an individual subject. Either from Finland perspective or maybe comparing Finnish and other nationalities social aspects of eating out.