Navigating Authenticity and Adaptation: Crafting Value Propositions in Indian Restaurants in Denmark: Exploring Cultural Translation and Value Co-Creation in Denmark’s Dining Scene
Author
Anjum, Zarin
Term
4. Semester
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-01-14
Pages
48
Abstract
This study explores how a group of Indian restaurants in Denmark compete in the local dining scene by balancing culinary heritage with Danish market expectations. Instead of looking only at customer opinions, it centers on the people who run the restaurants: owners, managers, and chefs, whose daily choices shape how Indian food is presented and experienced. The analysis draws on Service-Dominant (S-D) Logic, a marketing perspective that sees value as co-created in interaction between providers and guests. We gathered material through qualitative, open-ended questionnaires from ten industry professionals across Denmark and complemented these accounts by reviewing the restaurants' digital presence for context. Across this material, authenticity appears not as a fixed recipe but as something negotiated in each setting. Participants described keeping core culinary traditions while making deliberate changes—especially adjusting spice levels and service formats—to fit local preferences. The findings highlight a strategy of blending tradition with adaptation ('strategic hybridity') to manage the tension between heritage and market demands. This ongoing cultural translation produces what participants called 'safe novelty': giving diners a chance to try unfamiliar flavors in a setting that feels trustworthy. Overall, the study offers context-specific insights into the ethnic restaurateur as a cultural intermediary whose choices shape meaningful cross-cultural dining experiences.
Denne undersøgelse ser på, hvordan en gruppe indiske restauranter i Danmark konkurrerer på det lokale restaurantmarked ved at balancere kulinarisk arv med danske markeders forventninger. I stedet for kun at fokusere på kundernes opfattelser sætter den fokus på dem, der driver restauranterne: ejere, ledere og kokke, hvis daglige valg former, hvordan indisk mad præsenteres og opleves. Analysen er inspireret af Service-Dominant (S-D) Logic, en markedsføringsforståelse, der ser værdi som noget, der samskabes i mødet mellem udbydere og gæster. Datamaterialet bygger på kvalitative, åbne spørgeskemaer besvaret af ti branchefolk på tværs af Danmark og er suppleret med en gennemgang af restauranternes digitale tilstedeværelse. I materialet fremstår autenticitet ikke som en fast egenskab, men som noget, der forhandles fra situation til situation. Deltagerne beskrev, hvordan de bevarer centrale kulinariske traditioner, samtidig med at de bevidst tilpasser især krydderistyrke og serviceformater til lokale præferencer. Resultaterne peger på en strategi med at blande tradition og tilpasning ('strategisk hybriditet') som en nøgle til at håndtere spændet mellem arv og markedskrav. Denne løbende kulturelle oversættelse skaber det, deltagerne kaldte 'safe novelty': gæster kan udforske nye smage i rammer, der føles trygge. Samlet giver studiet kontekstspecifik indsigt i den etniske restauratør som kulturel mellemmand, hvis valg former meningsfulde, tværkulturelle madoplevelser.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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