High-End Chefs Discover the Upside of Downscale
Seeking to get closer to guests, high-end chefs are creating more-intimate concepts. Is this the end of traditional fine dining?
By Wendy Wollenberg, Special to R&I -- Restaurants & Institutions, 4/1/2008
Takashi Yagihashi understands fine dining. From turns at Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ Ambria in Chicago to Tribute in Farmington Hills, Mich., and Okada at Wynn Las Vegas, he has first-hand appreciation for the quality of food, service and ambience that consumers expect from high-end restaurants.
Yagihashi also has a good grasp on casual dining, having created Noodles by Takashi in the food court at Macy’s in Chicago.
Now, with the December 2007 opening of Takashi in Chicago, the first restaurant where he is the owner as well as the executive chef, Yagihashi is bringing together high-end food and casual atmosphere. With two intimate dining rooms that seat a total of 55 people and an open kitchen in full view of diners, Yagihashi hopes he is bridging the fine- and casual-dining segments and breaking down barriers between chef and patron.
"There is nowhere to hide," he says of the restaurant’s cozy layout. "I’ve worked in beautiful restaurants, but I always felt distanced from the customers."
Yagihashi is quick to point out that he doesn’t think of his restaurant—where entrées range from $21 to $28—as fine dining, but quality standards are definitely high-end. "The restaurant is for get-togethers with friends or for dinner any night of the week," he says. "But the food and service has to be of a certain level to keep the customer challenged."
Yagihashi is among many chefs who are acting on a similar desire to redefine upscale dining and make it more approachable and less austere without compromising food and service quality.
From BLT Steak creator Laurent Tourondel’s shift to downscale concepts such as BLT Burger and BLT Fish Shack in New York City to the $20 million overhaul of Dallas grande dame Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, which eliminated white tablecloths in favor of a less-formal feel, the restaurant industry is in a reflective, relaxed phase.
A New Wave
Where the trend is heading is up for debate. Do consumers, no matter their financial background, really want restaurants that are more like bars and less like dining rooms? Do diners feel they have a more rewarding experience when restaurants strip away pretense and create a more personal, intimate and memorable atmosphere?
"I don’t think that fine dining is waning," says Peter Karpinski, senior vice president of Sage Restaurant Group. "I think that the interpretation is changing." Karpinski offers as an example Wolfgang Puck’s opening of CUT at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Calif., in 2006.
"Wolfgang Puck redid the former dining room into something just as nice as any fine-dining restaurant," Karpinski says, noting the restaurant’s contemporary look and menu. "But I would classify it as the new wave of fine dining."
Bob Boulogne, chief operating officer of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, agrees that consumers’ tastes have changed. "The definition of luxury is choice," he says.
"In the last five to 10 years, wealth has created an empowerment," Boulogne adds. Referring to the recently revamped Mansion Restaurant and Bar in Dallas, he says, "We always have been known for our highly personal service, and now more than ever our customers want to be recognized and have that feeling of a small, intimate dinner party."
Nouveau Riche
In an increasingly competitive marketplace, finding and delivering to a new customer base is essential. "We’re not about turning away customers because they might be wearing jeans," says Boulogne. "We’re about providing a beautiful restaurant, great food and a wonderful experience."
The Mansion’s modernization has incorporated four distinct dining options: the white-tablecloth-free dining room, the Chef’s Room (a 20-seat formal dining room with a tasting menu), the Chef’s Table (offering a completely personalized menu) and the Mansion Bar (serving upscale comfort cuisine), giving guests a customizable experience each time they visit.
"Customers are dictating the change in the marketplace," Karpinski says. "They want the basics—great food, service and ambience—plus dynamic, progressive design, emotional connection to a restaurant and a place that makes them feel special."
He finds that the high-end customer base is more educated, more traveled and more open to new experiences. "Different influences from [regions] like Asia, Latin America and Africa are now accepted in the mainstream," he says. "Our consumers expect these choices to be available to them."
Less-Formal Food
The more-casual and personalized approach to dining is being reflected in menus as well. Chefs are focusing on more-basic dishes, accessible preparations and local, organic and/or sustainable ingredients when possible.
Mansion Executive Chef John Tesar echoes the revitalized vision of the Rosewood property in his cooking. When former Executive Chef Dean Fearing left last year to open his own Dallas restaurant, Fearing’s, "it gave us the opportunity to reinvent ourselves," Tesar says. "It coincided with the hotel renovation, so we decided to go more contemporary and reflect the sense of place."
Tesar uses fresh ingredients from local suppliers in his dishes. "With the Chef’s Room and dining room, I get to create two menus at different levels and price points," he says. "But with quality ingredients and service, we’re not dumbing it down."
Laurent Tourondel’s BLT empire, which includes upmarket BLT Steak and BLT Prime along with decidedly laid-back BLT Burger and BLT Fish Shack, uses the same formula: Quality ingredients and service make up the heart of satisfying dining experiences, no matter the menu prices.
"I think that there will always be a formal fine-dining presence, but now more than ever diners and chefs are seeing that quality food is certainly not confined to high-end restaurants," Tourondel says. "The quality of our beef is as essential to our success as is our staff. I spend a lot of time assembling an effective and personable team trained in the beliefs that have carried me to this point."
Tourondel also maintains that finding new ways to present his creative vision is an integral part of owning several restaurants. "As a chef, I am always looking for different environments to take my cooking. I try to bring a personal touch to each restaurant, especially because customers vary from place to place. Restaurants like BLT Burger and BLT Fish Shack are a great way for customers to experience my food in a more-casual atmosphere while maintaining the same personal philosophy I apply to all of my restaurants."
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