Consumer sense-making in socially embedded food venues: evidence from tshisanyamas in Zimbabwe

Tshisanyama venues are popular leisure places in Zimbabwean towns and cities. Yet the motivations that drive venue choice remain little understood. This study explored consumer patronage behaviour at tshisanyama and braai venues in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It drew on a small snowball sample whose findings are context specific rather than statistically generalisable. Using an interpretivist qualitative design, data were generated through in-depth interviews with 10 patrons and analysed thematically. The participants revealed that venue choice was informed by social belonging, emotional attachment and atmosphere rather than just eating. Temporal, spatial, economic and safety contexts also shaped patrons’ venue choice. Visit frequency followed the patrons’ income cycles and venue selection reflected cultural familiarity. The role of affordability positions tshisanyamas as a primary leisure option in a constrained economic environment. Female participants mentioned feeling unsafe at tshisanyamas. This highlighted gendered implications of the open layout, a feature which draws patrons to these venues. The study contributes towards a sense-making-based framework for understanding informal hospitality patronage and offers practical direction for venue operators and urban policymakers in similar African contexts.