Displaying of religious images in restaurants and cafes in Malaysia: A case of double-edged sword

As halal certification is costly for small businesses, images and symbols identifiable to Muslims may create the impression that the food is halal, creating an opportunity for restaurant and cafes owners. The study examines this issue. We employed a structured observations method over a three-year period to investigate the atmosphere and interior design of restaurants and cafes and to identify their owners. Based on trips to 65 restaurants and cafes in Malaysia's capital city where we observed Muslims dining, we discovered that Muslims are indifferent about the owners, although there are similar aspects of the environment and interior. As we divided the interior decoration into three levels, we found that the interior decorations of restaurants owned by multinationals and non-Muslims are religion neutral and do not convey any signals related to any religion whatsoever. However, more than half of restaurants owned by Muslims display Islamic images and symbols on their walls, particularly Indian-Muslim-owned restaurants, whereas Malay-Muslim-owned restaurants are less likely to do so. In Malaysia, halal certification is not required, but our findings suggest that halal restaurants and cafes can be perceived by offering Islamically compliant menus, using either religiously neutral or Islamic-themed decoration and other Islamic cues. We find that the businesses' behaviour is consistent with social identity theory in that they adhere to inter-group relations to avoid conflicts with the Muslim majority. It also implies that the display of religious images and symbols is not a trivial matter, as it could be used to mislead Muslim customers.