Restaurants and venison marketing: a South African experience

Wild deer, antelope and other exotic animals have been hunted and their meat consumed for centuries. Although the game industry is the fastest growing agricultural industry in South Africa, the sale of venison constitutes a mere 2% of the estimated annual gross income of the wildlife industry. This is surprising, since, apart from its nutritional value, South African venison is free of diseases and originates from animals in their natural habitat, without human intervention in genetic selection, the use of growth hormones, insecticides, or pesticides. The perceived prejudice of South African consumers against venison could stem from bad taste experiences as a result of ignorance concerning the meat's preparation. The question arises whether away-from-home consumption in restaurants, hotels and coffee shops could play a role in introducing consumers to the taste of well-prepared venison. This exploratory study investigates the supply of and demand for venison at restaurants in the metropolitan areas of the Eastern Cape, the top hunting region of South Africa. It also deals with the management of menus and restaurant owners’ perceptions about consumers’ interest in venison, since it is argued that away-from-home consumption can only play a role if restaurant owners or chefs include venison on their menus.