U2-AB117 The Food Service Industry
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keep_it_casual_restaurant_hospitality.pdf
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that many Americans are trading down on
gg their already less-frequent dining out occasions. Many
upscale owners and chefs are having an identity crisis
trying to figure out how to stay relevant to an ever-
evolving audience.
Today’s increasingly relaxed dining scene is chock
full of contrasts: Michelin-star chefs plying the streets
of Manattan in Kogi-style trucks, Iron Chefs packing ’em
in at burger joints, neighborhood dives bankrolled by
the same folks behind prestigious names. Some chefs
have gutted their now-too-stuffy flagship restaurant and
morphed it into a more approachable offshoot. Still oth-
ers, sticking to their guns, have added cheaper, simpler
menus to their bars to bring in status- but budget-con-
scious patrons. Clearly, there is more than one path.
A New, More Relaxed, You These days, a popular strategy is to take advantage of
an expiring lease to go in a new direction and launch
something very different.
A case in point is Jonathan Eismann, who built his reputation on the highly regarded Pacific Time, a pan-
Asian place that helped jump start Miami Beach’s res-
taurant scene when it opened in the mid-1990s. Last
year, he decided to leave the $500,000 rent bill behind
and moved over to the city’s up-and-
coming Design District. He used the op-
portunity to shed the white tablecloth
style and halve the average check with
a menu of a couple dozen small plates.
Around the corner, he also started
Pizza Volante, a 30-seat Roman-style
pizzeria and mozzarella bar. He did so
originally, he says, because it was something he had
wanted to do for years and the timing was right. But he
was pleasantly surprised with the early results.
“This store has the potential to be cash flow posi-
tive quite easily. That in itself is a revelation,” he says.
“I think due to (lower) operating costs, product, labor,
energy and hard costs that this small box model can be
much more profitable than a larger, more difficult opera-
tion,” he adds. “On top of that, these little box concepts
are much easier to run.” Last month he opened a second
small box concept, a seafood place called Fin, near Pizza
Volante; he also has plans for an additional Pizza Vol-
ante later this year.
Paul Kahan, the brains behind Chicago’s Blackbird, Avec and Publican, recently partnered in a new venture,
Big Star, that pushes the envelope for him. Located in
what once served as a mechanic’s garage, Big Star Ta-
queria and Bar is a down-and-dirty neighborhood joint
with a jukebox, a deep tequila list and $2 tacos. Big Star
recently joined a growing list of wildly popular dives in
the Windy City; Rick Bayless, another prominent chef,
can’t keep up with demand at Xoco, and Kuma’s Cor-
ner, where the specialties include big
burgers and bourbon on tap, attracts
guests willing to stand out in the Chi-
cago cold for 90 minutes or longer.
Big Star took over a space occupied
by a popular neighborhood haunt,
and the partners made sure to avoid
alienating the clients. “We were careful
to keep it very cheap, very divey, but
it’s a bar with great food,” Kahan says.
The response has been palpable.
24 R E S TA U R A N T H O S P I TA L I T Y M A R C H 2 010
White tablecloths might get the attention, but today’s smart money is on laid-back concepts. By Megan Rowe
Keep It Casual
MEAT AND EAT: The reorganized Tabla, above left, stresses shared plates; Cochon Butcher, above right and facing page, is a meat market by day and a meeting place at night; and Bar Annie, below, presents refined comfort foods in a warm, relaxed setting.
“They had me at Coffee-mate®.”
28%
“It’s completely mobbed every night,” Kahan says. “People love
the food, and it’s trouble-free and easy.” Chef de cuisine Justin
Large, who has worked for Kahan’s group for eight years, heads
up the kitchen, which is staffed by less-skilled cooks who put
together the simple tacos and other Mexican street fare, served
on plastic plates. The interior consists of a bar and five booths,
and there is a takeout window. Volume is huge: Some nights Big
Star sells 1,000 tacos. Big Star also sells a ton of adult beverages:
Kahan reckons the alcohol-to-food ratio nears a sweet 80:20.
Scott Carsberg, chef/owner of the four-star Lampreia in Se- attle, also faced a real estate crossroads recently. Carsberg, who
had been looking forward to moving Lampreia into a grand new
space in a mixed-use development, backed out of the deal when
a soft real estate market severely limited willing and able condo
buyers. He closed the 18-year-old restaurant, as planned, in Janu-
ary, but decided to wait out the economy before resurrecting it
in a new location. His backup plan: Bistao, a Venetian-inspired
cicchetti bar that opened a month later in Belltown, a neighbor-
hood popular for diners. With no reservations, counter seating, a
handful of small tables and an appetizer/intermezzo-laden menu,
the new spot is a big departure from Lampreia. The focus is on
comfort foods and cocktails with lower prices ($9-$15 for entrees,
small bites for $2, versus Lampreia’s $28-$35 plates).
“It’s an opportunity for us to have some fun and make it a little
more casual,” he says. It’s also self-financed, because Carsberg
has seen that banks aren’t willing to part with their money these
days. Between the simplicity of the project, and the lack of fi-
nancial red tape, “it was a chance for us to get something online
quickly,” Carsberg explains. When the economy regains its foot-
ing, expect Lampreia to return; meanwhile, this Beard Award win-
ner will be plating cicchettis to keep the cash flowing.
Robert Del Grande helped put Southwestern cuisine on the map almost 30 years ago with Houston’s Café Annie, but last year
he dimmed the lights and relocated to a new space a few blocks
away, which he divided into three concepts under the RDG+Bar
Annie umbrella. The ground floor contains the 30-seat Blvd.
Lounge (a meeting place for light meals, appetizers, drinks and
wines), while the second floor houses Bar Annie (80
seats, burgers, fun food, salads, fried shrimp, nachos)
and the RDG Grill Room (80 seats, steaks and other fa-
miliar regional fare made less formal).
“As I’ve gotten older I’m discovering I like things sim-
pler,” Del Grande says. “In this era I wanted to make
the restaurant more about the conviviality of dinner
than the food itself,” the chef/owner told the Houston
Chronicle.
Michael Symon, an Iron Chef most known for Cleve- land’s high-ticket Lola restaurant, is doing gangbusters
business with two new more cost-conscious casual
concepts, Bar Symon (deli sandwiches, brats, mac &
cheese, fried chicken, snack foods) and B Spot (burgers,
brats and craft beers).
Act Like a Chameleon Sometimes just dropping prices and introducing new
menus aren’t enough to erase the perception that a
restaurant is meant for more than special occasions.
That’s what the owner of Savoy restaurant in Asheville,
NC, found when he experimented with lower prices
and a small-plates menu: “People just stopped com-
ing,” owner Eric Scheffer told the local media. “It was like someone turned the faucet off.” So he closed the
restaurant for two weeks and reopened it as Vinnie’s
Neighborhood Italian, with a family-friendly atmosphere
and entrees averaging $15.
In San Diego, Laurel Restaurant went a step further,
jettisoning the red chandelier, crystal candleholders and
other elements of the French interior and formal vibe.
Owner Tracy Borkum decided to make the switch when she observed bookings at the restaurant were falling off,
while the bar—which featured a more affordable, lighter
menu—was holding its own. She tried dropping menu
prices, but it wasn’t enough of a change. So she shuttered
Laurel and spent $300,000 reconfiguring it into Cucina
28 R E S TA U R A N T H O S P I TA L I T Y M A R C H 2 010
Keep It Casual
EASY STREET: Jonathan Eismann (left) likes the business model behind the simple, small concept. So do Rick Bayless, whose Xoco (center) was slammed from the beginning, and Paul Kahan, who teamed with partners to open Big Star (right), a tacos-and-tequila hangout.
Urbana, a casual Italian place that debuted last summer.
“I wanted to create something completely different than Laurel:
a warm, inviting neighborhood restaurant that offered custom-
ers good value and great comfort food,” Borkum says. Customers
quickly warmed up to the eclectic, rustic-chic design and the new
casual menu.
Up Your User-Friendly Score Even if the economy hasn’t trashed your bookings, it might be
time to make yourself more welcoming. Union Square Hospital-
ity Group’s Tabla and Bread Bar, which have shared a space for
the last decade, recently melded into a single concept with a
restructured menu. Guests can try several smaller plates family
style, opt for tasting menus for the entire table or order a more
traditional multicourse meal.
“Tabla’s new menu offers the flexibility to dine the way you
want to—experiencing as many or as few dishes as our guests
would like—and spending as much or as little time and money
as fits the occasion,” explains Danny Meyer, USHG’s c.e.o. “This
is increasingly the way we’ve come to enjoy dining out with our
family and friends.”
If prices are a sticking point, promos promising a clear depar-
ture from the norm might be a way to attract interest. Craft in
New York City hosts Damon: Frugal Fridays featuring market-
driven menus of items costing $10 or less.
Even Joël Robuchon, whose L’Atelier restaurant at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is a high-roller’s heaven, has caved in slightly to
the downturn with L’Unique, a pre-theater express menu that pack-kk
ages an appetizer, main course and dessert, bento-box style, for $39.
Available until 6:45 p.m., the new offering is presented in 15 minutes
or less—a taste of luxury, without the leisure.
Multipurpose Spaces Donald Link, who carved out his reputation with a New Orleans big-ticket spot, Herbsaint, decided he wanted to let his hair down
a bit with his most recent creation, Cochon Butcher. The latter is
a butcher shop by day, what Link calls a “swine bar” at night. The
lights are dimmed, and patrons sit at tables sipping cocktails and
sharing plates of salumi and cheese sandwiches.
Daniel Boulud, one of the top French chefs working in the U.S. and known for his chic spots, last year opened
a decidedly downscale concept, DBGB Kitchen and Bar,
in New York’s Bowery. There, he serves charcuterie and
home-style dishes from his native Lyon: head cheese,
pig’s feet, rillette, tripe, ham hock and other delicacies,
on small plates. Specialty burgers round out the menu.
Many operators are elevating bar fare to accommodate
increased demand for that style of eating. At Craftsteak in
New York, the bar area is called Halfsteak, and nothing on
the menu tops $15. Ming Tsai’s Blue Ginger near Boston has check averages of $55-$60, but a 50-seat lounge fea-
tures street food and checks average about half that.
Finally, lest anyone think fine dining is dead, Danny
Meyer is betting it will remains a viable niche. “Human
nature doesn’t change,” he told the Wall Street Journal
recently. “When enough people are comfortable enough
financially there is going to be human nature that wants
to spend more money on better quality and to some
degree status symbols as well.” <RH
30 R E S TA U R A N T H O S P I TA L I T Y M A R C H 2 010
Keep It Casual
How to Rev Up Starter Orders One way many diners have cut back on restaurant spending is by eliminating “extras” like appetizers and desserts. In a series of reports, “Left Side of the Menu,” the experts at Technomic suggest a variety of ways to encourage orders on these items. Those tips include:
Stretch the appeal of appetizers to different mealparts and dayparts. Consider, for example, bundling appetizers, salads and soups with entrees and sometimes even desserts as combo meals.
Bundle. Three out of five consumers polled said they would be encouraged to order soup if it were offered as an add-on to an entrée. And 52 percent said they would be more likely to order soup as part of a combo.
Menu unique flavors, offer specials and promotions, update frequently and put new spins on traditional choices.
REINVENTED: The traditional, formal Laurel Restaurant morphed into the funky Italian Cucina Urbana; meanwhile, the new philosophy at Tabla (right) encourages sharing.
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