Restaurant brand management in wartime

Abstract

Full-scale military operations taking place since 2022 in Ukraine have had a negative impact on all sectors of the economy, including the restaurant business. An important factor that helps Ukrainian restaurants to work and develop is the brand. Therefore, the issues of restaurant brand management taking into account wartime conditions are gaining relevance. The purpose of the research is to determine the characteristic features of branding of restaurant business entities in the context of military operations. The article used such scientific methods as: bibliographic analysis, analysis and synthesis, grouping and comparison. Data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine were used to analyse the food and beverage sector. The data cover the period from late 2014 to early 2023. The Ukrainian food and beverage sector has been analysed (including an assessment of changes in business situation, analysis of the level of employment and fluctuations in demand in this sector) to determine the peculiarities of functioning and prospects for the development of restaurant business. The problems faced by Ukrainian restaurant enterprises during 2022-2023 are outlined. It is substantiated that management of the restaurant brand is important to ensure its operation in the conditions of military operations and further for post-war recovery. The features and functions of the restaurant brand are determined, and the factors affecting the restaurant brand in crisis conditions are systematized. The implementation of foreign experience in promoting the restaurant brand, including the promotion of services in social networks and other online channels, has been proposed. The results of the research are of practical importance for Ukrainian restaurants as they can use them to adjust their overall strategy of development and their brand promotion measures.