Understanding Motivations in Ethnic Food Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Analysis

Food is more than a biological need; it is a powerful symbol of identity, culture, and belonging. For ethnic minorities, immigrants, and individuals outside the majority population, food serves as a means of preserving cultural memory, expressing identity, and sustaining community ties. In this context, ethnic food businesses function not only as sources of livelihood but also as spaces of cultural representation and social interaction. This study examines the relationship between ethnic identity and entrepreneurship through the lens of food. Using a semi-systematic integrative review approach, it conceptually analyses entrepreneurial motivations in ethnic food businesses by focusing on three actor groups: ethnic foodpreneurs, co-ethnic consumers, and non-co-ethnic consumers. The findings are synthesized through resource-and opportunity-based entrepreneurial perspectives. Ethnic foodpreneurs are mainly motivated by economic independence, opportunity recognition, cultural preservation, social integration, and family or community networks. Co-ethnic consumers are motivated by belonging, nostalgia, authenticity, trust, religious or cultural fit, and community solidarity. Non-co-ethnic consumers are motivated by novelty seeking, gastronomic curiosity, cultural discovery, authentic experience, quality, price, and service. This study contributes to ethnic entrepreneurship literature and cultural sustainability debates by highlighting ethnic food businesses as economic ventures, cultural spaces, and intercultural meeting points.