The restaurant industry is experiencing a trend toward "authentic" ethnic restaurants that promise not only authentic food from a specific culture, but also an authentic dining experience and decor. ...For many consumers, these ethnic dining experiences constitute their sole contact with foreign cultures. This paper explores the importance of authenticity in ethnicthemed restaurants. It considers the methods employed and the frames of reference used to create these themed environments, consumers' abilities to delineate the real from the fake and the importance of authenticity as a component of the consumption experience. This exploratory study used qualitative research methods to report emerging themes derived from one type of ethnic restaurant, Irish pubs in Savannah, Georgia during St. Patrick's Day festivities. Managerial and research implications are offered.
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BFBNIB, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
