Meal Experiences at fine dining venues in Norway: A TripAdvisor case study

Purpose: Guest experience and feedback play a crucial role in ameliorating the quality of restaurant businesses. Despite their importance in the service sector, there has been little research on customer satisfaction in the restaurant industry in Norway. This study was conducted to identify the key attributes of the best restaurant experiences in Norway. Methods: A total of 714 online reviews of eight Norwegian luxury restaurants on TripAdvisor were used for data analysis in this study. A mixed methods approach was adopted to identify and determine the key quality attributes that influence diners’ experiences. Dominant themes for data analysis were identified and analyzed using Leximancer 5.0. Results: Nine themes (respectively in descending order of their influence): food, restaurant, experience, price, table (allocation), recommended, dessert, sea (food), and return were identified as the most important factors affecting guests’ dining experience. Concepts such as gourmet cuisine, courteous service, and memorable experience were frequently mentioned by satisfied guests, whereas pricing, service quality, and a perceived lack of innovation were the major factors among dissatisfied groups. Gastronomic components such as food, menu, and cuisine were the main factors affecting men's satisfaction, while evening, experience, and dishes were strongly associated with women's narratives. Similarly, the geographical origin and travel persona of the guests were attributable to the difference in their narratives and concepts. Originality/Value: The findings of this study highlight the overall satisfaction among visitors to the restaurants studied. The impressions and narratives of the guests are decisive for the overall success of the business. Therefore, restaurants should acknowledge their differences (in choices) and strive to achieve a higher level of satisfaction. Keywords: Meal Experience; Fine Dining; Online Reviews; Content Analysis; Leximancer

Earthquake Risk Reduction Efforts in Nepal: NSET’s Experience

This chapter describes earthquake risk reduction efforts in Nepal from NSET’s perspective and is co-authored by a team of researchers who have been with NSET since its inception. NSET was established in 1994 with the objective to reduce earthquake risk in Nepal. The usefulness and innovativeness of NSET’s long-term efforts were tested by the Gorkha earthquake, highlighting positive impacts of the risk management efforts in Nepal in the past 22 years. This chapter provides a brief history of NSET’s earthquake risk management efforts in Nepal and sheds light on some of the innovative postulations and methodologies used