The importance of personal values and hospitableness in small foodservice businesses’ social responsibility

This paper investigates the relationship between personal values, hospitableness and social responsibility in small, independent foodservice businesses. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 owner-managers of these businesses located in Sheffield, United Kingdom (UK). The results established that hospitableness is expressed through the way in which these small businesses engage in social responsibility. In lifestyle and family businesses, personal values, such as altruism, friendliness and a passion for food, influence the hospitableness and social responsibility of the small foodservice business. In the long term, social responsibility actions expressing hospitableness add value to the business itself. This research contributes to the hospitality literature, by empirically demonstrating how hospitableness can be expressed through small business social responsibility, which can provide, in the long term, a competitive advantage for small, independent foodservice businesses.