Organizational Resilience in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Crisis Management and Strategic Adaptation of Catering Businesses in Cities in Lower Saxony

Catering operations during the Covid-19 pandemic
© Philip Völlers
Project management:

 Prof. Dr. Martin Franz

 Dr. Thomas Neise

 Dr. Phillip Verfürth

Project collaborators:

 Isabelle Dachs

Project Description

This research project investigates the coping strategies and strategic adaptations of companies during the COVID-19 crisis, with a particular focus on catering businesses in urban areas of Lower Saxony. Beyond contributing valuable insights to the field of organizational resilience, the project aims to develop context-sensitive recommendations to support gastronomy enterprises and the (non-)state actors that assist them.

Structural changes in the bar and restaurant industry and the closure of restaurants impact not only the businesses themselves but also the cities where they operate. The temporary shutdown of restaurants and the enforcement of social distancing measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered a profound crisis in the bar and restaurant industry, presenting numerous medium- to long-term challenges for affected businesses. Many establishments have experienced significant revenue losses, putting their future viability at risk. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated and intensified ongoing processes of structural and format change within the food service industry.

The concept of organizational resilience is commonly used to analyze how companies respond to crises, with a primary focus on internal factors within the company. However, external influences—such as political and regional economic conditions, as well as social networks—are often overlooked. This research project addresses this gap by examining how such contextual factors impact the coping strategies and adaptive measures of gastronomy businesses during crises. By integrating a spatial perspective, the project expands and refines the traditional organizational resilience framework, which originates from organizational and business management. Ultimately, the goal is to develop context-specific recommendations for hospitality businesses, support organizations, and public institutions—including policymakers, economic development agencies, and city marketing bodies—based on the research findings.

This research project examines the coping measures and strategic adjustments of companies during the COVID-19 crisis. The empirical analysis focuses on hospitality businesses in cities in Lower Saxony and considers the following three questions:

  1. Which internal and external factors influence the resilience of bars and restaurants in Lower Saxony?
  2. What influence does embedding have on the coping measures and strategic adjustments of bars and restaurants in Lower Saxony's cities in the context of the COVID-19 crisis?
  3. How can the resilience of bars and restaurants in Lower Saxony be strengthened?

10/2022 - 09/2025

Pro*Niedersachsen - Research projects in the humanities, cultural and social sciences

Publications

Völlers, P., Franz, M., Verfürth, P. (2024). Gestärkt aus den Krisen: Bewältigungs- und Anpassungsmaßnahmen von Gastronomiebetrieben in Niedersachsen. Standort, online first.   https://doi.org/10.1007/s00548-024-00954-6 

Franz, M., Neise, T., Verfürth, P. (2023). Gastronomie zwischen Strukturwandel und COVID-19-Krise. Handlungsmöglichkeiten für Wirtschaftsförderung und Stadtmarketing. In: Korn, T.; Lempp, J.; van der Beek, G. (Hrsg.): Wirtschaftsförderung in der Krise. Konzepte zur Krisenbewältigung und Chancennutzung. Springer Gabler: Wiesbaden.   doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-41390-3_4 

 

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