Top Fifty Indian and Korean Restaurants in the GTA

Rohina Naseer

Abstract:
This research study is an attempt to explore the factors
that determine the spatial distribution of restaurants
serving the same type of cuisine. Sample unit was
Indian and Korean restaurants in the GTA. Sample size
was top fifty Indian and top fifty Korean restaurants.
This research study also looked at other aspects (ex:
prices, alcohol, delivery service etc.) that contribute to
the spatial positioning of these restaurants and allow
them to compete with one another. A research analysis
on all the above factors demonstrates that Korean
restaurants cluster closer in proximity to have access to
the same customer base as their competitors. On the
other hand Indian restaurants do not cluster very close in
proximity and compete based on other features.
Key words: Indian, Korean, Biryani, bibimbap,
clusters
Introduction
This research project stems from the appreciation that
cultural diversity in GTA has afforded the population
with more food diversity. Focus on two types of cuisines
was a way to understand a little bit more about the
cultural and the food diversity present around us. This
research project allowed us to delve into understanding
the spatial positioning of top fifty Indian and Korean
restaurants. Indian and Korean cuisines are different in
their own unique ways, but it was enlightening to
discover that many Indian and Korean restaurants
choose to differentiate from their competitors based on
fusion in their dishes. Yelps algorithm was used to
locate the top fifty restaurants for each category.
Looking at the presence or absence of various other
services in relation to the location of these restaurants
allowed for an understanding of how these restaurants
compete against each other in the same cuisine category.
Finally this report aims to share, in a concise manner the
qualitative research conducted- to determine how these
fifty restaurants in each category are distributed and how
they differentiate themselves from the competition.
Background
First sociological literature was Patterson and Silvers
piece The place of art: Local area characteristics and
arts growth in Canada (2015), which contains the
critical mass hypothesis. This hypothesis argues that art
growth occurs in existing art districts (Patterson,
2015:5). We adopted the above line of inquiry to
hypothesize that restaurants will be present in areas
where restaurant success has already been proven. The
proven success was gleaned from the clustering of
restaurants serving the same cuisine.
Second sociological literature was Hotellings piece
Stability in Competition (1929), which states
Hotellings law. This law argues that similar firms
cluster together with their competitors to have access to
the similar customer base as their competitors
(Hotelling, 1929:54). In light of Hotellings work, it was
hypothesized that similar restaurants will feel the desire
to cluster around their competitors in order to have
access to the same customer base. This hypothesis also
motivated a research into other factors that allow these
restaurants to robustly compete against one another.
Methods
Yelps algorithm was used to generate the top fifty
Indian and Korean restaurants in the GTA. GTA was
divided into six regions Mississauga, Etobicoke,
Toronto, North York, Scarborough, and Markham.
Furthermore all the restaurants were plotted on the map,
to get a clear picture of the spatial distribution of these
restaurants in the Korean and the Indian category.
A code sheet was created to further investigate the
characteristics of individual restaurants. This code sheet
was necessary to gain further understanding into the
competition dynamics of restaurants in the similar
category. Similar code sheet for Indian and Korean
restaurants helped to compare differences and
similarities across these two categories. Codes included;

Culture, Creativity, and Cities Capstone Course | Dept. of Sociology | University of Toronto Scarborough
1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4 Canada
if the restaurant classified themselves as fusion on their
website, if the restaurant had alcohol and delivery
service, and lastly if the restaurant offered A la-carte or
All you can eat options.
The most important code was the price point. To
analyze the price point in relation to location and
ratings for both Indian and Korean category; Firstly,
through personal experience and cultural discourse a
staple dish was determined. For Indian cuisine the
staple dish was biryani and for Korean cuisine the
staple dish was bibimbap. Having a staple dish made it
easier to see how individual restaurants valued the
staple dish. This code also made it possible to compare
price points in the similar category as well as across
categories. Three price brackets of $5-$9.99, $10-
12.99, and $13-$15 were developed to code for price
points.
Findings
Firstly, in regards to the spatial distribution clear
clusters for the Korean restaurants can be observed.
Most of the Korean restaurants are located in the City
of Toronto and North York. This clustering of Korean
restaurants occurs mostly on the Yonge and Steeles,
Bloor and Bathurst intersections. On the other hand
even though most Indian restaurants are located in the
City of Toronto, these restaurants are much more
dispersed across this region and do not display any
observable clustering. The above finding for Korean
restaurants proves the critical mass hypothesis, in
terms of spatial distribution because they are clearly
clustering in areas of proven success for Korean
cuisine.
Coding analysis for Korean and Indian restaurants-
Korean restaurants not only cluster together they also
follow the same trends regarding the Alcohol service.
Most of the Korean restaurants serve Alcohol however
Alcohol service distribution in Indian restaurants is
very uneven. Most Korean restaurants do not offer a
delivery service, whereas more Indian restaurants offer
a delivery service. Most Korean restaurants also do not
offer an all you can eat option either. The above
similarities between Korean restaurants also suggests
Culture, Creativity, and Cities Capstone Course | Dept. of Sociology | University of Toronto Scarborough
1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4 Canada
that they not only cluster in close proximity, they also
follow certain conventions as their competitors to
attract the same customer base. Many of the Korean
fusion restaurants are located with the non-fusion
restaurant, which suggests another strategy employed
by some of these restaurants to attract customers.
Whereas most of the fusion Indian restaurants are
located in a region with less presence of top Indian
restaurants. Fusion code provides an insight into how
Korean restaurants use fusion to compete in an already
successful Korean hub. However Indian restaurants use
fusion as a branding strategy to attract customers in an
area where Indian cuisine success has not been proven.
Coding for price points in Korean category does not
demonstrate any correlation between price and ratings.
On the other hand Indian restaurants with an upper
price points have an average rating of 4. Another
observation for the Indian restaurants in terms of price
points was that higher priced Indian restaurants are
successful in an area that is mostly populated with low
to mid-priced restaurants; this suggests that Indian
restaurants are competing based on price rather than
conventions, compared to Korean restaurants.
Conclusion and Recommendation
This research has shown the qualitative analysis on
how restaurants compete with one another. The
Critical mass and the Hotellings hypotheses were
tested for both Indian and the Korean category. Critical
mass theory was proven for the Korean restaurants,
because they cluster in close proximity to each other in
an area with an already proven success for Korean
cuisine. However, critical mass hypothesis does not
apply for Indian restaurant in the same way as Korean
restaurants. Most Indian restaurants are present in the
City of Toronto but they are not closely located.
Hotellings hypothesis applies to Korean restaurants
because they not only cluster with their competition
they also follow conventions in terms of the food and
services they provide. For Indian restaurants
Hotellings law does not apply because many of them
do not follow conventions in terms of the services they
offer compared to Korean restaurants. More Indian
restaurants serve fusion dishes than Korean restaurants
which suggests that Indian restaurants are not hesitant
to innovate and deviate from the status quo.

For future research on this topic a look at the census

data for specific regions could allow for the
investigation of the relationship between area
population and presence of the said cuisines. Another
recommendation for future research on this topic is
that more than one staple dish could be used during the
coding process, to get a clearer picture of the price
points as well as the fusion that occurs in restaurants.

Bibliography

Hotelling, Harold. (1929). Stability in Competition.

The Economic Journal, 39, 41-57.

Patterson, M., & Silver, D. (2015). The place of art:

Local area characteristics and arts growth in Canada,
20012011. Poetics, 51, 69-87.

Culture, Creativity, and Cities Capstone Course | Dept. of Sociology | University of Toronto Scarborough
1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4 Canada