ABSTRACT
This chapter considers restaurateurs' identity in relation to authenticity and quality aspects. Especially in the ethnic food sector, Greek restaurateurs tend to judge food authenticity according to indexical authenticity rather than other types, while actors of a different identity tend to believe in existential authenticity. Concerning the quality concept, the existing literature suggests specific influential factors according to which consumers judge quality, such as reliability, responsiveness, access, courtesy, security, credibility, communication and understanding of the customer. Instead, consumers of different ethnicities choose a restaurant for a new dining experience, driven by eclecticism or pursuit of pleasure. These mutually exclusive identities lead to mutually exclusive authenticity perceptions: indexical and existential authenticity respectively. Therefore, the relations and communication among actors enable them to judge and categorise restaurants based on their perceptions of quality and authenticity.
