La

p

Esdi a I

Best Of Everything

face down on the table without asking
if you want more coffee, dessert or an
after-dinner drink?
Does your waitperson say the
restaurant only serves iced tea in the
summer or will he or she make a little
extra effort to provide it off-season?
When you ask for more coffee,
does the waitperson whose attention
you get say, "Sorry, not my table"?
When you ask if a particular dish is
good, does the waitperson respond, "I
don't know, I never eat here"? Do you
have to ask more than once for water
and still not get it? Does your coffee
get cold while you're waiting for the
cream or artificial sweetener?

Restaurants are
difficult
businesses.

We've been through a period of
self-indulgence and excess and, like
the people in the Atka Seltzer ads, we
now have indigestion. We have a deep
longing for quiet, to become insulated
from hectic pressures screeching out at
us from TV or newspaper headlines,
frustrating us as we try to make our
budgets cover necessities and on and
on. There's a mood for nostalgia, to
escape.
Future music trends will be more
reminiscent of the early '40s. Softer,
slower music is right in step with the
nostalgia that is a natural reaction to
psychological indigestion. We'll seek
quiet, low-pressure atmospheres and,
if possible, service by the fireplace.
Restaurant dining rooms will become
more atmospheric.
A generation of precooked, prepre-
pared, frozen food will give way to
high-quality food service operations.
No longer will it be enough to plaster
the name of a celebrity on the sign out
in front or use gimmicky containers
that make portions look larger than
they really are. The trend will be
toward more attractively prepared, fla-
vorful food offerings with a wider
variety of choice served in a non-
offensive atmosphere.
If you still want to own a restaurant,
good luck. You'll need it. But utill'z-e
that common sense you've got and
chances for success will be a lot better.
It's about the top requisite needed in
running a good operation.

❑

10/31

1997

102

4

cJ