From Hamburger Alley to Hedgerose Heights: Toward a Model of Restaurant Location Dynamics

Abstract The distribution of restaurants is the product of a complex interaction of traditional and non-traditional location factors. Much of the obvious locational disorder may be reduced by categorizing restaurants into those which feed the body, meals consumed for nourishment, and those which feed the soul, meals planned for aesthetic or social reasons. Accessibility, locational ambience, and demographic character of the population served are the primary locational considerations, although a variety of perceptual, psychological, and spatial elements are significant for particular types of restaurants and situations in Atlanta, GA. Key Words: restaurantsretail locationambiancecompetitive linagesjourney-to-dineeating experience