A Conversation Analytic Study of Constructing the Meaning of Time during a Service Encounter in a Sushi Bar

Abstract

This study explores how the meaning of time in a service encounter is constructed through interactions between service providers and customers. The meaning of time in a service encounter, like for example, a relaxing time in a café or fun time in a bar, can be seen as a component of the value of the service. We invoked recent developments in service-dominant logic studies to reveal how the value of a service is co-created among actors, exploring how the meaning of time is constructed through interaction between service providers and customers. We conducted a detailed examination of service interactions in a sushi bar, and identified the practice by which service providers and customers construct the meaning of time. By engaging in routine tasks like washing his knife or wiping down the counter after taking a customer’s order, the sushi chef implicitly tells customers that they have time to think. This practice gives customers ample time to make choices in their order. In sum, we identified the chefs’ practice as one that constructs the meaning of time by which the value of the service in a sushi-bar is created.