Date of Conferral

2-4-2026

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Carol-Anne Faint

Abstract

Independent restaurant owners often face challenges in achieving a sustainable competitive advantage, resulting in poor business performance and loss of profitability. Identifying practical competitive advantage strategies is essential for independent restaurant owners to surpass five years of business operations. Grounded in resource-based view theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore effective competitive advantage strategies independent restaurant owners used to sustain operations beyond five years. Purposeful sampling was used to select four independent restaurant owners located in Wichita, Kansas, who sustained operations beyond five years through competitive advantage strategies. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and from archival sources, including publicly accessible websites, social media platforms, and internal documents. Through thematic analysis, six themes were identified: consistency of menu items, use of locally sourced ingredients, quality customer service, effective social media marketing, location selection, and entrepreneurial and culinary expert partnership. A key recommendation for small, independent restaurant owners is to acquire, maintain, and strategically leverage resources that are unique, rare, and valuable in order to develop a sustainable competitive advantage. The implications for positive social change include the potential for independent restaurant owners to implement competitive advantage strategies that promote business sustainability, thereby supporting local suppliers, enhancing employment stability, and generating tax revenues that fund community programs.

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