February 1, 2009
Michael Sanson
Photography: Food Collection
Hotel and restaurant operators are taking advantage of strategic partnerships with everyone from beverage vendors to charities to extend outreach and share costs.
Restaurants and hotels are developing personalities on social networking sites and will be using e-mail marketing, yelping, blogging and other methods to spread the word.
Green is not going anywhere, and what was once a trend is now the standard. Hotels and restaurants are riding the green wave by recycling, conserving energy and sourcing sustainable foods.
Hotels and restaurants will be more likely to comply with guest requests as loyalty becomes increasingly important, and service needs to be stellar. Guests will be dictating and getting the side dish, wine glass size and other offerings they want.
Finger foods and foods you can eat with your hands proliferate as guests look for comforting, easy and approachable menu items.
New restaurants focus on a casual environment offering carafes of wine and dishes that your mother might have made in family-style settings, creating a place where guests feel at home even when they go out.
From “Head to Tail” dinners, to whole-roasted fish, eating the entire animal has become an event. Now you can meet your meat, and often the guy who raised it.
Restaurants forgo tables for counter seating overlooking the kitchen. Diners like the casual option of no-reservation seating and social dining.
Restaurants are constantly adopting their menu choices to keep in line with government regulations influencing cooking methods like sous vide, calorie posting and ingredients like foie gras and trans fats.
Flexible lounges blur the line between the dining room and the bar allowing guests a comfortable and relaxed place to drink, people watch and order in increments as the evening progresses.
Small space, short menu, hot concept! Tiny restaurants with only a few items on the menu are big news.
Sparkling wine cocktails are light, re-freshing and flavorful and popping up on menus all around.
From tapioca pearls to spherical orbs of Cointreau, cocktail garniture gets creative.
They say it's a wine bar, but really it's a serious restaurant. Restaurants forgo the name for more casual monikers — it's happening here and in Europe.
Growing methods and farming practices were once confined to the menu, but now wine lists designate sustainable selections, adding green to the list of reds and whites.
Bartenders are adding egg white and shaking hard to create frothy cocktails of yore done today. We're flipping over these edgy delights.
Chefs and farmers develop personal and profitable relations as chefs request custom-grown vegetables and farmers unload a glut of produce for a profit when chefs find a creative use.
Restaurants are opening for additional meal periods and offering limited menus during off-peak hours.
Restaurants will be reaching out to local neighborhoods with casualized weekly specials designed to draw regular guests.
Restaurants and bars boast an exclusive club atmosphere: reservations essential and special members-only areas — they'll even let you store your stash for your next visit.
You May Also Like
