New Media:Tools and Practices in the Field of Catering

With the introduction of Internet technologies into the everyday life of mankind, the methods and forms of communication are being transformed. The global network is modifying mass communications, developing virtual and augmented realities as part of a new metaverse of various organizations. The catering industry, which actively uses new digital communication tools, is no exception. The reason for this trend is high competition for the client, who, when choosing between establishments, primarily interacts with the restaurant's digital communications. The development of new digital technologies leads to changes in the organization's communication system with the consumer. With the widespread introduction of the concept of the experience economy, the service industry becomes hostage to the requirements of the client, who now chooses not only the product, but also additional functional characteristics. The catering sector is changing especially dramatically, from simple food outlets to new creative gastro-courts and retro pubs. The purpose of the work is to identify and systematize new media tools in the field of public catering, as well as describe and analyze the most successful practices of new media, assess the possibility of replication. Public catering enterprises of the Siberian Federal District (Novosibirsk, Barnaul, Kemerovo), as well as Moscow and St. Petersburg, were taken as the basis for empirical material. The main tools of new media were identified, a statistical analysis of their application was carried out, and a qualitative assessment of various usage practices was carried out (including through the analysis of consumer reviews). Additionally, an analysis of consumer preferences in the field of public catering was carried out regarding the choice and further interaction with food outlets. Digital transformation has led to changes in traditional communication tools. New media make it possible to improve and more effectively organize the interaction of restaurants with the audience, as well as significantly expand their customer base.