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"Fine and casual" catering is a growing trend in urban areas like San Francisco.
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A growing culinary trend is sweeping urban areas and letting customers act as their own waiters in upscale restaurants.
This "fine and casual" trend, as it is often called, is a blend of fine cuisine and fast food. People line up to order their meal and pay at the counter, then often receive a number to return to their place while they wait for their meal, eliminating the need for service personnel.
Food, however, is usually made from scratch, with healthy ingredients, by chefs with gourmet backgrounds, and drink menus do not fear beer, wine, and craft cocktails.
"This is a new type of dining room," said Marko Sotto, owner of Barzotto, a beautiful, casual San Francisco venue. "Fifteen years ago, people were used to fast food or full service, and there was nothing in between. I think it will be just a matter of time for people.
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At Media Noche, a Cuban sandwich shop that opened in March, the dining experience is higher than that of a typical countertop outlet, but the casual style concept still prevails.
"We wanted to make the experience of Media Noche different. That means having real wine glasses for wine, communal but not plastic silverware, and beautiful bowls and plates," Bon Appétit said. the owner Jessie Barker, who opened Media Noche with Madelyn Markoe.
Apparently, the concept works because the demand for this type of spot is increasing. According to a survey conducted by market research firm Mintel, 69% of consumers want to see more fine restaurants where they can eat quality food in a casual environment, reports Skift Table.
"They want to eat out three or four times a week … at the same time, they do not necessarily want all the buzz," Sotto said.
And while many of these beautiful casual places are relatively affordable, restaurant owners note that customers do not see the inconvenience of paying a higher price for quality food.
"In San Francisco, you have a lot of young professionals who are making a lot of money, but they are still working," said Evan Rich, who opened RT Rotisserie with his wife, Sarah, at Bon Appétit. "They have the money to go out to classy restaurants, but during the week they want something that tastes good but does not require a four-course meal and that they can take home to them." They want it.
The popular Souvla spot in San Francisco, which serves Greek food at three restaurants in the Bay Area, has been so successful with its casual format that other restaurants consider it a model of how to do it. .
"The little card is so appealing and the place itself so charming that you almost forget, as a diner, that you have to do a lot of the dining work yourself." You scrutinize your own table. go get it and fill your own glass of water, and if you want another glass of wine, you come back to the counter, "wrote Emily Badger, a New York Times reporter, on the west coast hotspot.
Badger also notes that Souvla, which opened in 2014 by Charles Bililies, has become the Uber of the restaurant industry, with all those who want to replicate their success.
"Souvla was the start of all this new onslaught of things that, in all respects, look like a full-service restaurant – a nice decor, good wine list, tasty, healthy food … it's much more focused on chefs and ingredients, "said Gwyneth Borden, general manager of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, at the Times." But it's "take a number and go to a table."
By eliminating traditional waiters, animators and sommeliers, these restaurants can serve more people per day than traditional seats and operate at lower cost, which is increasingly difficult in a city where the minimum wage is $ 15. l & # 39; hour. from here 2022.
RT Rotisserie can accommodate 49 guests at a time, but Rich told Bon Appétit that he often serves 300 to 350 meals a day. Souvla, which occupies only 40 people, serves even more impressive 900 meals a day, according to the Times.
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"Gastronomy as an economic model is fundamentally flawed," Bililies told Bon Appétit. "There are so many line items when you operate an upscale restaurant, the higher you are in the spectrum, the less there is at the end of the month.
"The work is incredibly expensive and incredibly difficult to find," said Madelyn Markoe, who opened Cuban Media Noche in March with Jessie Barker at Bon Appétit.
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