Ethnographic Fieldwork in Geography of Food
Posted: August 25th, 2021
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Ethnographic Fieldwork in Geography of Food
- Background: Place of Study
Rogers, Minnesota, is among the cities that have grown fast. According to the 2016 Census Bureau, it is estimated that the city has a population of over 12 748. Currently, the community is expected to have increased. As a result, the city provides an excellent market to sustain a profitable food business. Besides, the cosmopolitan nature of the townoffers a vast market for the prosperity of restaurant businesses. The study focused on Linda’s Café, located just off Highway 102 within Rogers. The following figure shows the study area;
Figure 1: Study area, Linda Café.’
- Interview on staff and owner of the café.’
- What is your mission as a café.’
The café’s staff stated that their mission is to offer their customers with good food and high-quality service.
- How did the café’ come into existence
Linda Grady and her daughter established the business. They were looking for a place to rent, and they identified several areas on the West and East side of Highway 101. They decided to count cars and people on either side of the road to establish where the traffic was high. They finally settled on Westside since it was the busiest. The building was initially operating video gaming. The Gradys then renovated and repainted the building to appear as colorful as it is now. The café’ has fifteen (15) staff who operate in shifts during the night and the day.
- What is your typical daily menu?
The café’ has one of the most enticing and mouthwatering menus. Country Fried Steak, the “Royal” Rogers,istypical for breakfast while a variety of delicious meals characterizes lunch and dinner. The list reflects different cultures that visit the restaurant.
- Observations
The observations were supposed to begin early in the morning. I woke up on time to ensure that I could catch up with the immediate impression of the café’ in the early hours of the day. Although it was not my first time to visit Rogers, the anxiety that engulfed the day’s activity was overwhelming. Maybe, I could not afford to be late. Finally, I managed to be at the café’ just on time before the staff began trickling in to start the day.
The café’ relies on shared parking across a building stretch that is similar to strip mall. Within the area, businesses were identical, with block-faced walls and a green striped overhang. The café’ is strategically located along the highway and there is no need for flash signs to help alert the customers. The café’ relies on a stream of loyal customers to ensure a constant flow of revenues.
Inside the café’ is a reflection of simplicity, which replicates its outside. It has a cabin feel that is accented with candy machines and cash register. It appears to attach high value to oldfashions. The walled toy cover gave a warm welcome to visitors while at the same time providing sufficient distraction on the kids accompanying their parents.
After a while, I got into interaction with several clients. One of them, a common client, seemed to enjoy the meal. Several clients kept trickling in and it all appeared that they had a familiar spot at the restaurant. The waiters were always jovial to welcome their clients. They even understood their favorite meals. Another unique thing I found out is that several clients were served on special utensils that were not similar to others. Besides, in interaction with one of the clients revealed that in addition to the foodservice, the café’ helped encourage interaction among clients, which helped build good relationships and trust.
- Conclusion
From the study, I realized that the café’ allowed its customers to experience a refreshing, simple life outside the complex nature that is often exhibited in social media. The service providers encouraged positivism and managed to influence one or two individuals’ lives based on their daily activities. Thus, in this case, the complex nature of running a business was watered down and upheld the simplicity of it by focusing on value and respect for customers. Key concepts obtained from the study include an appreciation of culture, customer value, respect for customers and quality of service.
Appendix: Lind Café’ Restaurant Layout
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