Research Topic - California's Cuisine

Relevant ethnic restaurants in Canada and in Southern Ontario

Examine the ethnic restaurants which prepare the cuisine of your subject group, both in Canada AND in Southern Ontario. Begin your analysis with actual figures. How many restaurants are there? Where are they located geographically and why? Are these locations ethnic enclaves? Cultural hubs? Commercial hubs? High income areas? Lower income areas? Student campuses? What conclusions can you derive about their target market from this analysis?

Deliver a commentary about the authenticity of the cuisine. For example, early Chinese-Canadian restaurants modified their cuisine significantly to accommodate several circumstantial parameters, such as customer preferences and ingredient availability. Is your subject ethnic cuisine well accepted in its full authenticity or have restaurants had to compromise? If so, why? This is a complex question, and you should avoid generalizing while examining the nuances.

Is this a cuisine relegated to the cheap eats category of food guides or is this ethnic cuisine associated with fine dining? (For example, French and Japanese cuisines) Explain how you arrived at this conclusion. Do you think the market is ready for an upscale version of this cuisine? Why/why not?

4. The Customers

Who patronizes this ethnic restaurant segment and why? What is the demographic of the target market for the average restaurant? Why? (IMPORTANT: Be careful with this question. Resist the urge to merely state that they are targeting all market segments. This lack of targeted strategy is dangerous and bad for business. Successful restaurants may target multiple groups but cannot successfully target all groups. Identify clearly which groups are targeted, then show the evidence for your claims.

How long has this ethnic segment of restaurants been in Canada and what has been their pattern of popularity? Why? Has their cuisine ever been trendy? When? If that trend has passed, how and why did the surviving restaurants remain in business? How did they continue to meet the needs of their customers?