Fusion cuisine blends ingredients, cooking techniques, and flavours from different cultures, yet little is known about how it is perceived within the context of gastrodiplomacy. This study explores perceptions of fusion cuisine at a multicultural gastrodiplomacy event held in Kosovo, where the participants first sampled Turkish–Kosovar fusion dishes during tasting sessions and subsequently completed an online questionnaire designed to assess their experience. In this event, participants attended structured tasting activities in Prizren and Pristina, where they sampled dishes combining elements of both culinary traditions, and then completed an online structured questionnaire consisting of 5-point Likert-type items evaluating their fusion cuisine preferences. The study was conducted in Kosovo as part of a unilateral gastrodiplomatic initiative. A total of 451 participants responded to an online questionnaire, which included fusion cuisine preference scores and metaphorical descriptions of their culinary experiences. A key contextual characteristic of this study is that data were collected exclusively during a fusion cuisine event held in Kosovo, with participation from a multinational audience who attended the event. Therefore, the sample reflects diverse cultural backgrounds within a single-location setting. The results indicate that younger, highly educated, and higher-income participants exhibited significantly greater openness to culinary diversity. These findings advance the state of knowledge by demonstrating that public reception of gastrodiplomacy is stratified by socioeconomic factors rather than defined solely by national background. Practically, this implies that effective fusion-based diplomacy requires targeted strategies to bridge demographic gaps and ensure broader social inclusivity, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.

The demand for coffeehouses has been growing globally; however, little is known about the psychological factors associated with individuals’ coffeehouse selection. Drawing on a value–motivation–intention framework, this study examines how materialism–coffeehouse as defining success (M-CDS), as an underlying value orientation, relates to snob, bandwagon, hedonic consumption tendency (HCT), and eudaimonic orientations, and how these orientations are associated with customers’ willingness to select coffeehouses. Survey data collected from Türkiye (n = 286) and Italy (n = 315) were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings showed that M-CDS was positively associated with all four psychological orientations, each of which was positively associated with willingness to select coffeehouses. Significant indirect effects were also observed through all four orientations, with the eudaimonic pathway showing the largest specific indirect effect. Multi-group analysis identified several between-country differences: the relationship between eudaimonic motivation and willingness was stronger among Italian participants, whereas the relationship between HCT and willingness was stronger among Turkish participants. These findings indicate that coffeehouse selection is associated not only with functional considerations but also with consumers’ value orientations and social and experiential motivations. The study extends previous research by incorporating the eudaimonic pathway and examining these relationships across Turkish and Italian samples, while offering practical insights for coffeehouse managers operating across different markets.