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Restaurants and Their Stories

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Clement N. Tam
Clement N. Tam

This document summarizes the linguistic landscape analysis of three restaurants in the Los Angeles area conducted by Allen Zhou and Clement Tam. They analyzed the name, location, decorations, menu, music/media, and language of staff at a Japanese restaurant in Little Tokyo, a Chinese cafe in Arcadia, and a Chinese seafood restaurant in Alhambra. They found the restaurants conveyed expected perceptions for their cuisines through decor matching cultural expectations. The location analysis also found restaurants in ethnically homogeneous areas could rely on community understanding.

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Allen Zhou & Clement Tam
Introduction Research Question Categories Data Analysis and Conclusions Amuse-bouche: Brief Survey of the Linguistic Landscape of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas.
Restaurants are a huge part of every community. They tell a lot about their surroundings and vice versa. The sheer number of restaurants provides a huge population to study. The restaurants that we chose to study are located around the Berkeley campus. We chose these restaurants because of their popularity with the student body.
How does the linguistic landscape of a restaurants interior, exterior and signage help create a reputation for the restaurant?
Name of the establishment Meaning, etc. Identity of the location Description Decorations Interior/Exterior Menu Language, dishes Music and/or Media Language of the staff Amongst themselves and towards the guests
Our data was collected through observations and photography of the establishments characteristics, as well as, through interviews with restaurant staff or owners.
Korean Restaurant located in Sather Lane Meaning: no particular meaning Decorations Exterior its inside of Sather lane, just the menus and name of the restaurant Interior regular American restaurant, nothing in particular Menu In both Korean, and English Music/Media Plays radio in english channel, but also korean music Language of the staff Korean, English.
Chinese Restaurant in Solano Ave, Berkeley. Meaning: name of a mythical animal, also means giraffe in Korean and Japanese Decorations Exterior very newly decorated, looks very modern, inside looks very dark from outside Interior structured according to Chinese Funshui, along with pictures of Chinese monarchs. Menu In both Chinse, and English Music/Media -plays radio in English channel Language of the waiters Chinese, English.
Mexican food chain restaurant on Telegraph Ave. Meaning: name of a spice Decorations Interior Fast food style, with nicer, industrial style furniture Menu English only Music/Media Plays Spanish language music with occasional English language songs Language of the Staff Spanish amongst themselves English towards customers
Japanese restaurant on Telegraph Ave. Meaning of the name: Kite Decorations Exterior Has plain fa巽ade with English letters and a Japanese character in the O of Tako Interior Many Japanese characters decorate the venue Menu English with Japanese transliterations as well as Berkeley vernacular Music/Media English language radio Language of Staff Korean and English
Japanese Restaurant in Asian Ghetto (Durant Food Court) Meaning: no different meaning Decorations Interior Sushi bar with picture menu; owner will dress in traditional Japanese garb even though he is Korean Exterior Asian Ghetto storefront with pictures of dishes on the windows Menu English with Japanese transliteration Music/Media English language radio Language of Staff Korean and English
Based on the data and the categories that we developed, we were able to determine several things that we thought were important factors in influencing the signage.
Restaurants need to establish an image in a customers mind in a short period of time. This is usually done by the outside signage. We determined that they do this through a variety of tactics
Restaurants and Their Stories
Both of these local restaurants use names that evoke certain images
Restaurants and Their Stories
Restaurants and Their Stories
Restaurants also use interior clues to convey facts about themselves. One of the biggest tools for this is through the menu
Pictures tell patrons, with little or no confusion, what the restaurant serves.
Tend to add some type of legitimacy to the establishment, especially to customers who may not be familiar with the culture.
Restaurants and Their Stories
A Brief Survey of the Linguistic Landscape of Los Angels and the surrounding areas.
During the Thanksgiving Break, Allen and I decided to do a little side project. The project involved using the categories that we established for the Berkeley experiment.
Japanese Restaurant in Little Tokyo District of Los Angeles Meaning (provided translation): Big Boss in Japanese Location Little Tokyo is the traditional center of Japanese cultural life in the Los Angeles area Now the area for Japanese culture has extended to areas like Torrance and Sawtelle Ave. on LA's Westside Area has many small Japanese shops Very few chains except for Supermarkets/Markets Minority of restaurants
Decorations Exterior Japanese style architecture (architecture of the center) Interior Traditional Japanese d辿cor Sushi bar with Japanese style roof Lanterns Wood pieces with Japanese text Small landscape at front window of the restaurant Lots of wood Menu Exclusively in English Japanese dishes American perception?
Music/Media No music or media Japanese and Japanese/English publications were available Free publications Language of the waiters Japanese amongst themselves English towards customers
Chinese Restaurant in Arcadia, CA (suburb of LA) Multiple locations around the San Gabriel Valley and Orange County Located in areas with large Chinese populations Type of Hong Kong Style Caf辿 Meaning (provided translation): Tasty Garden Location Area where this branch is located is in the main town part of a semi affluent suburb of Los Angeles Chinese and Asians make up a large portion of the town's population.
Decorations Nothing special Does try to look like a club with purple velvet furniture Looks well designed, similar to other Chinese restaurants of a similar type Decorative fish tanks Menu Various dishes that are characteristic of Hong Kong Style Cafes Western Influenced Traditional Chinese Chinese and English Language Music/Media No music Has televisions that show: American sports Chinese Soap Opreas Chinese Language newscasts
Language of the Waiters Chinese amongst themselves Cantonese dialect Lots of slang Chinese towards the customers Cantonese or Mandarin depending on customers More clean, less slang, very conversational
Chinese Restaurant in Alhambra, CA Traditional "Seafood Restaurant"/ Formal Dining/ Dim Sum Meaning (provided translation): Chinese Palace Location Difficult to ascertain Restaurant is located far from other dining establishments but is located in a town that is predominately Chinese and Asian populated
Decorations Traditional Chinese "jou lou" restaurant d辿cor Fish tanks with live sea food Table cloths, chair covers etc. Formal place settings Menu Chinese and English Minor mistranslations at times Filled with traditional Chinese dishes and unique creations Restaurant bills itself as being upscale and gourmet Menu reflects this Offerings like Sharks fin Music/Media No music or media present Restaurant is usually quiet except for sounds of other diners
Language of the waiters Chinese (Cantonese) amongst themselves Other dialects amongst themselves Chinese Cantonese or Mandarin towards customers English Used very rarely Not the best mastery
Each of the establishments attempted to give off a certain perception of its type. This was similar to what we found in the main project. The major difference between the two locales are that the three Los Angeles area restaurants surveyed existed in areas with a very homogenous population. They were able to rely on a understanding of the population. The restaurants seemed to do a good job at matching the expectations of the population they courted. For instance, the jou lou had all the trimmings of a the quintessential jou lou
The main thing that helped to show what kind of atmosphere each restaurant was going for was the fact that all the fact that the factors that we looked at, like the d辿cor and signage helped to paint the picture that the owners wanted the patrons to see.

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Restaurants and Their Stories

  • 1. Allen Zhou & Clement Tam
  • 2. Introduction Research Question Categories Data Analysis and Conclusions Amuse-bouche: Brief Survey of the Linguistic Landscape of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas.
  • 3. Restaurants are a huge part of every community. They tell a lot about their surroundings and vice versa. The sheer number of restaurants provides a huge population to study. The restaurants that we chose to study are located around the Berkeley campus. We chose these restaurants because of their popularity with the student body.
  • 4. How does the linguistic landscape of a restaurants interior, exterior and signage help create a reputation for the restaurant?
  • 5. Name of the establishment Meaning, etc. Identity of the location Description Decorations Interior/Exterior Menu Language, dishes Music and/or Media Language of the staff Amongst themselves and towards the guests
  • 6. Our data was collected through observations and photography of the establishments characteristics, as well as, through interviews with restaurant staff or owners.
  • 7. Korean Restaurant located in Sather Lane Meaning: no particular meaning Decorations Exterior its inside of Sather lane, just the menus and name of the restaurant Interior regular American restaurant, nothing in particular Menu In both Korean, and English Music/Media Plays radio in english channel, but also korean music Language of the staff Korean, English.
  • 8. Chinese Restaurant in Solano Ave, Berkeley. Meaning: name of a mythical animal, also means giraffe in Korean and Japanese Decorations Exterior very newly decorated, looks very modern, inside looks very dark from outside Interior structured according to Chinese Funshui, along with pictures of Chinese monarchs. Menu In both Chinse, and English Music/Media -plays radio in English channel Language of the waiters Chinese, English.
  • 9. Mexican food chain restaurant on Telegraph Ave. Meaning: name of a spice Decorations Interior Fast food style, with nicer, industrial style furniture Menu English only Music/Media Plays Spanish language music with occasional English language songs Language of the Staff Spanish amongst themselves English towards customers
  • 10. Japanese restaurant on Telegraph Ave. Meaning of the name: Kite Decorations Exterior Has plain fa巽ade with English letters and a Japanese character in the O of Tako Interior Many Japanese characters decorate the venue Menu English with Japanese transliterations as well as Berkeley vernacular Music/Media English language radio Language of Staff Korean and English
  • 11. Japanese Restaurant in Asian Ghetto (Durant Food Court) Meaning: no different meaning Decorations Interior Sushi bar with picture menu; owner will dress in traditional Japanese garb even though he is Korean Exterior Asian Ghetto storefront with pictures of dishes on the windows Menu English with Japanese transliteration Music/Media English language radio Language of Staff Korean and English
  • 12. Based on the data and the categories that we developed, we were able to determine several things that we thought were important factors in influencing the signage.
  • 13. Restaurants need to establish an image in a customers mind in a short period of time. This is usually done by the outside signage. We determined that they do this through a variety of tactics
  • 15. Both of these local restaurants use names that evoke certain images
  • 18. Restaurants also use interior clues to convey facts about themselves. One of the biggest tools for this is through the menu
  • 19. Pictures tell patrons, with little or no confusion, what the restaurant serves.
  • 20. Tend to add some type of legitimacy to the establishment, especially to customers who may not be familiar with the culture.
  • 22. A Brief Survey of the Linguistic Landscape of Los Angels and the surrounding areas.
  • 23. During the Thanksgiving Break, Allen and I decided to do a little side project. The project involved using the categories that we established for the Berkeley experiment.
  • 24. Japanese Restaurant in Little Tokyo District of Los Angeles Meaning (provided translation): Big Boss in Japanese Location Little Tokyo is the traditional center of Japanese cultural life in the Los Angeles area Now the area for Japanese culture has extended to areas like Torrance and Sawtelle Ave. on LA's Westside Area has many small Japanese shops Very few chains except for Supermarkets/Markets Minority of restaurants
  • 25. Decorations Exterior Japanese style architecture (architecture of the center) Interior Traditional Japanese d辿cor Sushi bar with Japanese style roof Lanterns Wood pieces with Japanese text Small landscape at front window of the restaurant Lots of wood Menu Exclusively in English Japanese dishes American perception?
  • 26. Music/Media No music or media Japanese and Japanese/English publications were available Free publications Language of the waiters Japanese amongst themselves English towards customers
  • 27. Chinese Restaurant in Arcadia, CA (suburb of LA) Multiple locations around the San Gabriel Valley and Orange County Located in areas with large Chinese populations Type of Hong Kong Style Caf辿 Meaning (provided translation): Tasty Garden Location Area where this branch is located is in the main town part of a semi affluent suburb of Los Angeles Chinese and Asians make up a large portion of the town's population.
  • 28. Decorations Nothing special Does try to look like a club with purple velvet furniture Looks well designed, similar to other Chinese restaurants of a similar type Decorative fish tanks Menu Various dishes that are characteristic of Hong Kong Style Cafes Western Influenced Traditional Chinese Chinese and English Language Music/Media No music Has televisions that show: American sports Chinese Soap Opreas Chinese Language newscasts
  • 29. Language of the Waiters Chinese amongst themselves Cantonese dialect Lots of slang Chinese towards the customers Cantonese or Mandarin depending on customers More clean, less slang, very conversational
  • 30. Chinese Restaurant in Alhambra, CA Traditional "Seafood Restaurant"/ Formal Dining/ Dim Sum Meaning (provided translation): Chinese Palace Location Difficult to ascertain Restaurant is located far from other dining establishments but is located in a town that is predominately Chinese and Asian populated
  • 31. Decorations Traditional Chinese "jou lou" restaurant d辿cor Fish tanks with live sea food Table cloths, chair covers etc. Formal place settings Menu Chinese and English Minor mistranslations at times Filled with traditional Chinese dishes and unique creations Restaurant bills itself as being upscale and gourmet Menu reflects this Offerings like Sharks fin Music/Media No music or media present Restaurant is usually quiet except for sounds of other diners
  • 32. Language of the waiters Chinese (Cantonese) amongst themselves Other dialects amongst themselves Chinese Cantonese or Mandarin towards customers English Used very rarely Not the best mastery
  • 33. Each of the establishments attempted to give off a certain perception of its type. This was similar to what we found in the main project. The major difference between the two locales are that the three Los Angeles area restaurants surveyed existed in areas with a very homogenous population. They were able to rely on a understanding of the population. The restaurants seemed to do a good job at matching the expectations of the population they courted. For instance, the jou lou had all the trimmings of a the quintessential jou lou
  • 34. The main thing that helped to show what kind of atmosphere each restaurant was going for was the fact that all the fact that the factors that we looked at, like the d辿cor and signage helped to paint the picture that the owners wanted the patrons to see.

Editor's Notes

  • #6: We used these used these categories to provide a simplified picture of the restaurants we analyzed. It also gave us a large pool of data to look at.