Bringing Food Culture from Archipelagic Area to Land-Based area: Case of a Restaurant in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

The restaurant industry in the city of Bandung is experiencing rapid growth, with a variety of culinary offerings, some are Nusantara archipelagic cuisine that mainly provide archipelagic food types and culture contexts. This paper aims at analyzing the lessons learned brought by food businessman with the background of experiencing most of Indonesian areas or  also well-known called Nusantara archipelagic areas’ cuisines to open food business in Bandung, a land-based city in West Java. The approach used is qualitative method with an in-depth interview and case study approach for a restaurant located in a mall in Bandung. The research results show that the management of a restaurant providing Nusantara archipelagic-based  cuisines business in Bandung in introducing the cuisines has considered several important aspects, namely location selection, restaurant design and concept, human resource management, marketing strategy, and financial management. Restaurant owners face challenges related to introducing various Nusantara Archipelagic food taste and adaptability, competition with local food, fluctuations in raw material prices, supply freshness and seasonality, and changes in consumer preferences, resilience and creativity, customer engagement and communication. However, they implement various strategies to maintain and develop their business, such as menu differentiation, the use of digital media, and innovation in the processing of typical Nusantara Archipelagic cuisine. This paper sheds light on knowledge transfer dynamics in archipelagic country like Indonesia, emphasizing practical strategies for enhancing food business/restaurant management across diverse settings