Crisis management during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Street food vendors' perspectives from Bangkok

Abstract

In times of pandemic, today's informal sector's survival depends on the substantial implication of crisis management to reduce unforeseen barriers. This study explores deeper into street food vendors' crisis management practices, moving beyond the crisis's consequences by probing learning experiences throughout the COVID‐19 pandemic. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) with 15 street food vendors from Bangkok city, this study identifies internal and external capabilities and internal migration factors in the initial survival stage while productive customer relationships, government guidance, and assistance along with community influence to develop the resilience with the aim of continuing business of street food vending during the crisis. Our findings highlight some predominant factors that can contribute to a theoretical understanding of crisis management for informal microenterprise street food vending, which can advance our conceptual understanding of future crisis preparedness during emergencies with practical implications.