Material management in themed restaurants : Inspiring the experience economy / Farah Adibah Che Ishak, Philip Crang and Muhammad Shahrim Ab Karim

• Main Authors: Che Ishak, Farah Adibah (Author), Crang, Philip (Author), Ab Karim, Muhammad Shahrim (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Puncak Alam Campus, 2017-09.
• Subjects: Article; PeerReviewed
• Online Access: Link Metadata
• Notes: https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/19480/7/AJ_FARAH%20ADIBAH%20CHE%20ISHAK%20JTHCA%20B%2017.pdf
• Keywords: Travel and the state. Tourism; Food industry and trade. Halal food industry. Certification

In tune with wider ideas of an experience economy, the hospitality industry has increasingly focused less on giving a service to its customers and more on offering them memorable, sensory experiences. This paper looks at one facet of this provision of experiences: the material engineering and management of the 'affective atmosphere' or 'ambiance' of a venue. It unfolds the exploration of theme restaurants in practicing the material management as an inspiration to stage an experience. This paper illustrates its arguments through one case study: the Indonesian theming of the Pondok Malindo restaurant, Selangor. Practically, the findings suggest that creating the desired ambiance needs proper planning and careful attention to a wide range of material elements. More broadly, the paper suggests that accounts of the experience economy should consider the powers and agencies of materials and objects.