Understanding Chinese diners in an overseas context: A cultural perspective

Abstract

With increasing numbers of Chinese tourists dining overseas, understanding the cultural perspective of Chinese diners would appear essential to international restaurateurs. Thus, this study identifies a set of core Chinese values that is salient in the overseas dining context. Phenomenological in-depth interviews were used to collect data from a convenience sample of 20 Chinese diners. Face, trustworthiness, and harmony were identified as the three core values. In addition, group membership was found to interact with face and trustworthiness in this context. These findings provide a deeper understanding of Chinese diners in overseas dining contexts and hold significance for both practitioners and theorists. Recommendations are made to enhance the dining service encounter for Chinese tourists in overseas dining contexts.