Restaurant Inspirations from the NRA Show
Robert Gallicano of the Hotelschool The Hague in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, shares an overview of interesting, timely, ground-breaking and, in some cases, over-the-top restaurant concepts from around the world.
Jeff Weinstein, Editor-in-Chief, HOTELS -- Restaurants & Institutions, May 17, 2009
The next great restaurant is waiting to be born. It happens all the time—and will again soon—even during difficult economic times such as these when just the thought of trying to open a new restaurant seems daunting. While a lot of restaurateurs are experiencing serious slumps, others are tasting success because they have created—or recreated—and delivered the right concept, at the right time, the right place and with the help of the right people.
On May 16 during the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago, Robert Gallicano, lecturer on food and beverage at Hotelschool The Hague in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, delivered an exceptional and fast-paced overview of interesting, timely, ground-breaking and, in some cases, over-the-top restaurant concepts from around the world. They served as inspirations, fuel for the imagination and maybe even the germ of an idea for that next great restaurant.
What appears quite clear is that it is hard to create a restaurant concept from scratch. During the session entitled, “Translating International Trends into Restaurant Concepts,” Gallicano took the audience on a tour of some of the hot, independent restaurant concepts to provide food for thought. He offered, “Don’t forget to look globally as today Spain is hatching some of the most successful concepts in the world—with some experts calling the restaurant scene there hotter than what you will find in France.
Let this article serve to identify some of the trends and provide hypertext links to some of the coolest concepts of the day.
Sustainability Matters
Gallicano first talked about the sustainability trend and referenced restaurants like Henrietta’s Table in Cambridge, Mass., which gives guests “baseball cards” about the farmers who grew the food.
Broadway East in New York City has a 73-meter vertical garden on site and gives guests on their way out the door seed packs for planting. 
At Bras, Laguloie, France, the 40-vegetable salad foraged from the surrounding landscape is a customer favorite and signature dish.
Iglu Bar & Bistro in Edinburgh, Scotland, has an animal welfare theme for consumers who need to know the animals were well looked after before landing on their plates.
“You must be sincere and make sure guest-facing staff can explain the concept with enthusiasm,” Gallicano said.
Experiential Marketing
A few years back, when Aureole restaurant at The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas introduced a wine tower in the center of the dining room with “wine angels” who raced up and down the tower on cables like acrobats to retrieve orders, several restaurants copied the idea. It not only added to the guest experience, it created another up-sell opportunity. More recently, Cocoon Club in Frankfurt is a copy of some of the original “dine-in-bed” concepts that were the rage last year. Let’s call the dine-in-bed concept a fad.
Taking the dining “experience” to max are concepts like Restaurant Ninja in New York City, where diners have the option of navigating a maze of ninjas before reaching their seats.
Kobe Club in New York City has 2,000 swords hanging from the ceiling and a restaurant catch-phrase, “Are you scared?” 
At Zauo, the Fishing Boat Café, a chain across Japan, diners first catch their own fish before eating it.
Perhaps the wildest presentation came from a restaurant in Taiwan called Marton, where diners eat things like soup entrees out of miniature toilet bowls. Yes, that’s right—a toilet themed restaurant concept that is a big success. I am only sorry I don’t have the link to offer to this one!
Experience with Value
Not every restaurant experience has to be over-the-top or overly expensive. Gallicano cited ChikaLicious Dessert Bar in New York City, where the kitchen is open and chefs roam around explaining what guests have ordered. “It is simple and not costly like a wine tower,” Gallicano said.
Inamo in London has tabletop surfaces embedded with technology for guests to interact with. Above each seat is a beam that changes the theme and look of the tabletop throughout the dining experience.
Then there is mini bar restaurant in Amsterdam. Guests go online and place their “mini bar” order. Upon arrival at the restaurant, a custom “mini-bar” along with a key to open the bar is delivered to guests to enjoy.
Experience In Cuisine
Take the FEBO automat concept, which today is red hot in Holland, according to Gallicano. A similar concept, one that actually was most popular in the 1950s, also has been created in New York City at a restaurant called Bamn.
Gallicano likes el Bulli in San Sebastian, Spain, where molecular gastronomy is being practiced by the chef. Similar restaurants such as Moto and Alinea in Chicago are doing the same, but it appears no one likes the name, “molecular gastronomy, according to Gallicano. As a result, Gallicano said “technoemotional cooking” appears to be the new buzzword, if that sounds any better. “Make is emotional and add some humor to the experience,” Gallicano said.
Taking the “experience“ even further is a restaurant like El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, where the chef takes ingredients in perfume to recreate his dishes. “Even potato chip manufacturers are working on accentuating the crunch sound the chip makes so consumers enjoy it more,” Gallicano said.
Again, Gallicano suggested restaurateurs will need more trained people in the front-of-the-house to explain exaggerated concepts like these. “The traditional maitre d’ is more important again,” he said.
The Authenticity Trend
For authenticity, Gallicano cited Arzak restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain, where the “ingredient flavor bank” houses more than 1,000 spices.
Papabubble candy shops, now with five locations, shows up close just how the candy is made and serves items such as warm lollipops. He wondered aloud, though, “How much do consumers really want to know; and how much do you want to tell them?”
Your Responsibility
The last trend cited by Gallicano was corporate social responsibility (CSR). “You need to have it,” he said. Examples he cited included Chef Jamie Oliver, who has a concept that surrounds having disadvantaged youth on staff.
Restaurant Freud in Amsterdam hires staff living with psychiatric issues that actually play themselves out while working in the restaurant.
Examples of what Gallicano cited as the human side of CSR included a restaurant in London called Double Club, which aims to bring together to distinct cultures in a dining environment to share food and conversation.
In all, Gallicano had a list of 80-plus intriguing, new and thoughtful restaurant concepts from around the world to serve as inspiration for future successes. Here they are. Find your inspiration.
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