THE FACE OF THE RESTAURANT

The following article was my contribution to the Design Times publication, issue #47

THE FACE OF THE RESTAURANT

  As common knowledge would have it, man has four basic needs, of them all; food has, arguably, been the laggard when it comes to creative advancement. Over centuries food presentation has seen little changes and it is only recently that terms such as ‘’food art’’ and ‘’food design’’ came to parlance. Thereabout, the 1950’s were a pivotal decade where cuisine met with creative culture. And if you fast track to 2013, we’re now referring titles such as foodies, food bloggers, food markets and food curators, amongst others. Take it a step further, the Berlin Film Festival 2013 introduced to their program a Cuisine Film segment and Amsterdam just held their Food Film Festival. In light of the mentioned, creative culture and cuisine are having a rather bohemian kinship.

 On the opposite end of the scale the item food has transformed from mere sustenance to affecting so many other aspects of society, namely; economics, politics (via food aid) and in lesser instances influenced fashion. And to the discerning few, food also relays a subtle message about the area in which it is set. To elaborate, the study of a population’s food consumption tells the psychology of that people. For example as Europe reverts to basics by supporting the local farmer, Asia’s importing of high end food commodities shows their openness to the Western world while Africa is targeted to be the destination for fast food franchises of the West. These posits form a narrative of the psychology of these societies.  

 

However, amidst these rather severe themes you will find lighter yet integral elements that also contribute to food culture, one of these items being design. Parallel to this robust evolution in gastronomique and nutrition, consideration is now being given to smaller aspects such as user-friendliness of the menu, food presentation, provenance of the ingredients and the ever-important face of the restaurant, and it is these design issues that this article seeks to probe.   

The face of the restaurant is a dual idiom. The first is the sincere confidence and charm of the building. In other words, it’s the tangible and visual whereas the other ‘’face of the restaurant’’ refers to a more psychological and resonant aspect. It’s that reassurance that you’re at the right dining hall. The quintessential diner likes to identify with his eatery of choice and wants to know that they share the same set of principles. From the moment he walks in, he’s taken by the music selection and that’s it not some playlist compiled for the sake of ‘’sound’’ in the room. This diner also expects that the smile on the manager or waiter to be genuine and one that stimulates conversation. And on a bad day, the waiter can rely on his/ her patron to improve the day. 

Off course, there’s something telling about the choices of the chairs and tables at a restaurant. The same goes for the cutlery, crockery and even so, the napkins. Are they’re off the mill items or do they have a stroke of creative verve about them? Like all public spaces, it is the people that make the vibe, so the patrons actually greet each other, strangers actually meet here, rather than focus on their meal all to busy to say ‘’hi’’ to the other. Perhaps, the modern restaurant should have an element of home away from home where the waiters make the guests an extension of the restaurant as opposed to treating them as just another patron. 

In design functionality and detail are resonant points. And so the well -considered face of the restaurant only gets more attractive as you peruse the detail. Following this is the understanding that waiters are not servants but they form an integral connection between your chef, your meal and ultimately your experience. They are the bedrock of the eatery, perhaps more important than the manager and owner. Also part of this ‘’face’’ is the menu. The menu is generally a few page booklet which you are handed and supposed to swim through. However, the menu is that one document where you, the owner and chef communicate. It’s a manifesto of sort as apposed to a catalogue. Well, the wine list is printed onto an empty wine bottle instead of the back of the food menu. One cannot help but feel that some dishes are just put onto a menu to fill the space, vegetarians would know about this, they are generally at odds with most menus as they dominated by meat options. Take the liberty to ask for special additions to your meal, give the chef a reason to play around with your dish. And from time to time, the head chef will walk about the restaurant and get first hand feedback from the diners. Perhaps this is too much to ask, but perhaps some restauranters strive to meet this expectation.