A Diminishing Practice: The Future of Fine Dining

Although it may be hard to imagine a world without restaurants, they are a relatively contemporary innovation, dating back to less than 300 years ago. The first restaurants are said to have been established in the 1760s in Paris as bouillon shops. From there, other options were added to the menus, thus becoming some of the first Parisian restaurants. However, it was not until after the French Revolution that restaurants really began to take off. Professional chefs of aristocratic households were left without jobs, turning to newly opened restaurants (coming from the French work "restaurer", meaning to "restore"), they laid the foundation for modern-day restaurants.

"Above all, keep it simple" - Auguste Escoffier

French chef, restaurateur, and culinary writer, Auguste Escoffier transformed restaurants into the well-respected establishments that we know them to be today. Escoffier began his career in restaurants at the young age of 13 as an apprentice in his uncle's restaurant, he quickly rose up the ladder and became known as "The Chef of Kings and The King of Chefs". At the height of his career in 1890, Escoffier partnered with Swiss hotelier César Ritz at the Grand Hotel of Monte Carlo to offer gourmet dining and luxury accommodations all in one place. This partnership along with his time as chef at the Savoy Hotel in London solidified Escoffier as a top contributor to the restaurant industry.

Escoffier is also credited as the Father of Haute Cuisine. Prior to his contributions, haute cuisine (also known as grande cuisine) recipes were often covered with an excess amount of sauces and garnishes which overpowered the dish's main ingredients. Escoffier's motto of "above all, keep it simple" called for the simplification of French cuisine; this meant lighter sauces, less dishes served during a meal, and an emphasis on seasonal ingredients.

However, his innovations did not stop there. In 1899, Escoffier introduced a new menu concept which is now used in fine dining restaurants all across the world: a la carte. Instead of choosing from a pre-made list of courses, this new approach to menuing allowed diners to select their choice of individual dishes. During that same year, Escoffier created the Brigade system of kitchen organization which established different work stations, each station was responsible for a specific part of the menu or a specific type of food in order to increase efficiency in the kitchen. This is where terms such as Saucier (sauces) and Poissonier (fish) were first created.

Escoffier's revolutionary contributions to the culinary field are endless and can continue to be seen in the top fine dining restaurants across the globe.

Restaurants like those found in France were quickly established in other countries around the world during the nineteenth century. Known as "ristorante" in Italy and the English name "restaurant" in Great Britain and the United States, restaurants were created tailored to the customer needs specific to each location. Fine dining restaurants in particular took well to large urban populations who had the disposable income necessary to dine at these establishments. With that in mind, it is no surprise that the first fine dining restaurant in the United States was established in New York City, the most populous city in the country.

Delmonico's Steak House opened in NYC in 1837 near Wall Street, nearly 200 years later it remains in the same location. What began as a small shop which sold pastries, chocolate, coffee, bonbons, wines, and liquors, is now Wall Street's premiere fine dining restaurant known for inventing the Delmonico steak, Eggs Benedict, Baked Alaska, Lobster Newburg, and Chicken A la Keene.

There are many factors that distinguish a regular restaurant from a fine dining establishment. From the ambiance to the high quality multi-course meals designed to not only taste spectacular but to be pleasing to the eyes as well, fine dining is an all around luxury experience. But how do we decide which fine dining restaurants are amongst the best of the best?

In 1900, the first Michelin Guide which included a list of restaurant recommendations was published in France by the Michelin brand as a way to get people traveling further distances by car so that there would be a reason for them to buy Michelin tires. Starting in 1926, the guide began to include Michelin star ratings which awarded a single star to restaurants in France for being a fine dining eatery. This rating system later developed into a three star system with one star meaning "High quality cooking, worth a stop!", two stars meaning "Excellent cooking, worth a detour!", and finally the highest honor, three stars meaning "Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey!".

The Michelin Guide rating system has become a highly competitive award for the world's top chefs. Although stars are not easy to receive and are based on a number of critiques, with a star comes great prestige, exposure, and authenticity as one of the best fine dining establishments in the world.

The restaurant industry is slowly but surely coming back up, however, with unemployment at an all-time low, reduced consumer spending, and continuous safety concerns, professionals worry that this could mean the end of fine-dining. The question of: what will fine dining look like with COVID-19? continues to be up in the air. For long-time industry professionals, like co-owner of Canlis (one of Seattle's top fine-dining restaurants) Mark Canlis, the answer seems obvious, "fine dining is not what people need right now". However, current findings prove otherwise.

Although restaurant dining may look a bit different due to COVID-19 guidelines, fine-dining establishments which have already reopened their doors with limited capacity reported that reservations have been filling up quickly. Whether this can be attributed to wealthy consumers looking to spend their money or simply due to customers' eagerness to get out of their homes, it does not seem like fine-dining will become obsolete anytime soon.

As restaurants continue to find new ways to reimagine their operations to make the most out of our current situation, fine-dining has the opportunity to revamp its image and make itself more attractive to younger generations.

While restaurants with pre-established systems for delivery and take-out continued to prosper, developing these systems for fine dining restaurants proved to be a challenge. Fine-dining relies on its intimate atmosphere, multi-course meals, and artistic plating, how can the same experience be delivered through take-out options?

Top fine-dining restaurant across the country have reimagined their operations in a number of ways to offer the best fine-dining experience possible while living in a pandemic world. From park-and-dine experiences to "drive-throughs" created in parking lots, restaurateurs are committed to keeping fine-dining alive. One way fine dining establishments have changed their usual operations to accommodate for take-out and delivery is by scaling down their menus to incorporate dishes that are more portable. A large concern for fine-dining chefs is transporting orders from the restaurant to customers' homes without ruining the quality of the food, which is why take-out and delivery were previously not an option at most luxury restaurants. However, by redesigning their menus to include less complex dishes, chefs have been able to overcome this obstacle.

Check out below how one restaurant has adapted to COVID-19 guidelines.

While fine dining post-covid will surely look different, this restaurant sector is far from becoming outdated. Innovations continue to be made to the fine-dining experience by top chefs around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced fine dining restaurants to either reimagine their brands and operations or to be driven out of business. Those who have taken on the challenge have been able to successfully establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the fine-dining world. As the pandemic continues to present new obstacles for the fine-dining industry, the best restaurants can do is be flexible with their operations and be ready (and willing) to adapt to any new changes that may come up.