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What Would Your Ideal Restaurant Look Like?
Last week, I told you about a New York Times story that said QR menu codes were disappearing from restaurants. The piece led to a lively debate on Facebook, where people vented their feelings over using their phone to read what had previously been provided in printed form. I honestly had no idea people disliked them so much - or at least those commenting on FB did.
On the heels of that discussion, Washington Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema asked readers to tell him what they would like to see restaurants offer. It was a smart question to ask, and you can divide the responses into some categories.
Atmosphere
Readers told Tom that they would like to see quiet hours in restaurants, with no cell phones or loud music. Some also suggested there should be “grown ups only” hours, when the clientele is all adults.
Conversely, some readers asked for family hours, when they could bring their rambunctious youngsters without worrying that they would disturb other diners.
Menu features
Readers requested “medium plates” - larger than tapas, smaller than the generous portions that have become a signature of many places. They said appetizer sizes weren’t enough, but big plates led to food waste. I think what they mean are half portions, which some restaurants offer and others will provide if asked.
Another request: more vegetarian dishes beyond the ordinary. “A plate of pasta sans meat doesn’t cut it anymore, nor do a bunch of vegetable side dishes posing as an entree,” Tom wrote. “Chefs at mainstream restaurants need to be more creative when it comes to vegetarian choices.”
Service
Tom’s readers want restaurants to start staffing reservation lines again, rather than channel reservation responsibility to mobile apps. “How nice it would be for restaurants to offer dedicated times — even an hour or two — during which patrons could get answers to questions that might not be addressed on the establishments’ websites.”
They also would appreciate smoother pacing of the food they order. Many restaurants have shifted to delivering dishes to a table as soon as they are ready in the kitchen. This apparently bugs readers, and Tom, who has sent back dishes that he was not ready to eat.
“Servers need to think like air traffic controllers. Incoming traffic requires clear runways,” he wrote.
Tipping transparency
The pandemic and supply chain issues prompted some restaurants to add new surcharges to menus. Some included tips in the bill, but didn’t properly inform diners, who tipped on top of the pre-determined tip. I once inadvertently left a 38 percent tip (18 percent was included, and I left my usual 20 percent because I did not know a tip had been pre-added).
“Diners hate having to do math after a meal. And they really dislike it when they’ve tipped double because they weren’t reminded that the gratuity is included,” Tom wrote.
My two cents
I definitely agree on the vegetarian point. Classic American restaurants lean way too heavily on the meat as the center of the plate concept. Those of us who like veggies often have to hunt for them on a menu, like the asparagus I found ticked away as a side dish last week. Damn, girl, it’s asparagus season. Make it a star!
Of course, there are veggie centric restaurants like Sweetgreen, and I am a big fan of the Flower Child chain started by Sam Fox. But given all the farms putting top ingredients within our reach, and with people shifting focus for health and environmental reasons, vegetable centric food needs more every day appreciation.
I also want restaurants to offer far more zero alcohol choices and banish the condescending term “mocktail” once and for all. The packaged beverage market is far ahead of many restaurants in selling tasty mixed drinks, beer and wine, as you read here last week.
But, you’re often lucky if you can find one or two choices, compared with long lists of traditional alcoholic choices. When I went to a trivia night recently, my selection was limited to Guinness Zero (above) and Heineken AF.
I can’t tell if it’s a distribution issue, or that restaurants think zero alcohol drinks aren’t as profitable as booze. The latter won’t be true for long. Those of us who order them regularly are starting to see AF drinks at the same price points as alcoholic ones, especially if they are individually crafted.
What would your ideal restaurant be like? I’d love to hear from you.
Great News For Bagel Lovers
I discovered H&H Bagels as a student at Columbia University. When I had money, I would take the bus down Broadway, get off at Zabar’s, do some shopping, and then cross the street to H&H. At the time, their bagels were 75 cents each and the flavor selection was relatively limited (I don’t think Everything bagels were a thing yet).
When I subsequently lived in Japan, I was surprised to see that a coffee shop around the corner from my lodgings in Roppongi offered H&H bagels, at the then-stratospheric price of $3 each. The bagels were shipped frozen from NYC and baked in Tokyo, so the cost of air freight logically bumped up the price.
The original H&H stores went out of business for a while, but one was revived in 2012 on Manhattan’s east side, followed by others. During the pandemic, H&H picked up national wholesale business when many bagel shops had trouble operating. By last year, H&H had re-opened a west side store, as well as three others in New York. It is now it is planning a significant national growth push.
H&H Bagels has signed deals to open 25 restaurants in Florida, California, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Illinois and Connecticut. The first franchise location is expected to open in Boca Raton, Florida, sometime this fall. A company-owned store is set for Chicago’s Fulton Market, and a sixth H&H location in NYC will open in Penn Station.
Needless to say, it’s important to support your independent bagel places whenever possible. But H&H makes a good bagel (I have some in my freezer) and the more good bagels around, the better for us bagel lovers.
Plus, H&H always reminds me of that classic scene in You’ve Got Mail, pictured above.
Iowa Will Let Kids Work Longer Hours
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Friday to loosen some of the state’s child labor laws, according to Iowa Public Radio.
Starting July 1, 14- and 15-year-olds in Iowa will be able to work later at night and longer shifts.
The new law allows 16- and 17-year-olds to serve alcohol in restaurants. There are some restrictions: they must have permission from a parent, two adult employees must be present, any harassment of minors must be reported to the parents and the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, and workers must attend workplace harassment prevention training.
The law also lets minors do other tasks that are currently illegal, like use microwaves, work in walk-in freezers and meat coolers, and sell fireworks. And it removes the state requirement for employers hiring children to get child labor permits.
On a recent episode of Iowa Press on Iowa PBS, Reynolds was asked if the legislation is about giving kids more opportunities to work, or if it’s about filling open jobs.
“Well, it’s probably a little bit of both,” Reynolds said. “I mean, honestly, it helps fill a need, and it allows kids to earn a little bit of extra money, maybe start saving for college or to buy that first vehicle.”
How does all that sit with you? Even if restaurants are having trouble hiring, is this the right direction to go? Weigh in.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
Appearances: on Thursday, I’ll be speaking about Satisfaction Guaranteed at the Tecumseh, Mich,, District Library. The program is free and starts at 7 pm. Books will be available for purchase.
Email: you can reach me at culinarywoman (@) gmail dot com.
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I’ll see our paid subscribers tomorrow with Red Beans & Advice, and everyone else next week. Stay well.
QR codes need to go away. Not only are they annoying, but I suspect they're bad for a restaurant's business. The menu's function isn't just to present the various dishes available to order, but to entice a guest. Menus are marketing tools. Peering at menus on our phones turns into a hunt for an item. When we look at a menu, we are able to examine everything on offer. I'd love to see an analysis of whether menus result in more people ordering more items, perhaps more expensive bottles of wine, or both.
The new policies in Iowa infuriate me. Allowing 16 year olds to serve alcohol? Letting young children sell fireworks? How many journalists and news editors are drafting copy now for the first child to get stuck or locked in a meal locker, or harassed (or worse) while working late hours? This is a selfish, self-serving policy that should alarm parents and all adults with a sense of decency.