Hybrid game theory and multi-criteria decision-making in fine dining: A conceptual synthesis

Abstract

Fine dining can no longer be understood solely through culinary excellence, aesthetic presentation, or service quality, because decisions in this field emerge from complex strategic interactions among multiple actors and from the need to balance conflicting criteria such as prestige, creativity, economic viability and long-term reputation. However, existing studies tend to address these dynamics in a fragmented way, either focusing on competitive strategy, or on decision-making tools separately. In response, this study aims to redefine fine dining as a strategic decision-making arena by integrating hybrid game theory with multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM). Conceptually designed as a synthesis study, the research develops a holistic analytical framework by combining game-theoretical reasoning, strategic gastronomy and the logic of multi-criteria evaluation. The study argues that decision processes in fine dining simultaneously involve competitive, co-operative, signalling, repeated and evolutionary game structures, while also requiring actors to make implicit trade-offs among multiple objectives. By bringing these perspectives together, the article offers an integrative conceptual perspective that helps reconceptualise fine dining as a multi-actor, multi-game and multi-criteria environment, and provides a theoretical basis for future empirical research.