We love eating out and searching for restaurants that attract people like us who, with friends or family, like to raise their glasses to the enjoyment of life.
There are too many places that still only offer tired and often tasteless meals. But we don’t go there. It’s not easy to run a profitable and truly enjoyable restaurant. When you find one, and it is affordable, go there and go often.
Hi Mark. When I originally published the article last summer on France in Between, a number of comments leaned in your direction. There are a certain number of establishments that probably deserve to go. I’m thinking particularly, but not only, of those strings of beachside establishments dishing out over-priced, vacuum-packed or frozen dishes.
I do think also some restaurants have long needed to be more flexible. I remember a time when sharing starters or desserts was frowned on, but I find this is becoming quite acceptable in mid-level restaurants — I’m of course not talking high-end experiences.
In Rodez we are lucky to have a number of high quality, home-cooked food restaurants, and the ones that do the best job are often packed. But sometimes I wonder if there isn’t too much on offer — time will tell.
Back in the 1990s in Minnesota, I had a good friend who ran the top three restaurants in the Twin Cities. Excellent and simply prepared Tuscan food and service without a lot of fluff. Lines were long. He asked me to create some ads that would be tongue-in-cheek about how hard it was to get a table, but first he asked me to come and join the wait staff for a few weeks to see how it all worked, from the kitchen to the daily accounting of food costs, waste, and what not. I learned that anyone who goes into the restaurant business needs a steady hand, a big heart, and a fearless demeanor while still coming out of the kitchen late in the evening to share stories with clients and staff alike. He has retired and spends time with family in the States and in Italy. But he loved good food. “Mark, reviews are OK but when you walk into a restaurant for the first time, what do you smell and how many people are happily eating their food? Look at the faces of the servers and the clients. Then decide to turn around or go in.”
Betty, I just read your article again, and I kept thinking of quiet evenings in small French bistros, the clatter of cutlery, the slow unfolding of meals—the rituals that make dining here feel almost sacred. In France, these changes (that may be happening elsewhere in some way) feel especially powerful because of how deeply tradition and ritual are woven into eating. I really feel for the restaurateurs navigating this, and I keep wondering where we’ll go from here.
I don’t think all of this is going to disappear, but there is readjustment going on. I just recently read an article saying that everything quick/informal/takeaway oriented is gaining ground, but high-end gourmet dining is holding its own. It’s the mid-scale places where people used to go out to lunch daily that are suffering the most, although I definitely go to places that are still packed daily. I think in that positioning, quality is going to win out.
This is such a relevant and important topic Betty.
I do love good food, want to support local artisan producers and cooks and will travel and pay for authentic, honestly prepared, skilfully cooked food made with good quality local ingredients.
But I don’t think restaurant owners can afford to have a sense of entitlement. In France or anywhere.
I have definitely noticed a drop in the quality of food cooked and served in my local French village in the 22 years I have lived there. Matched by almost 100% rise in prices.
The number of “Fait Maison” dishes has dropped significantly. Some hotels/restaurants buy in pre cooked sous vide dishes - therefore we avoid.
Interesting. I find the opposite to be true here in Rodez — it seems like the vast majority of restaurants serve “fait maison” dishes, or at least mainly so. Some of the big brasseries don’t, but you can guess this in advance from the number of items on the menu.
I do think a lot of restaurants that mainly attract, or attracted, vacationers do what you say, though—serving ready-made dishes at high prices. I suspect these are some of the places suffering the most.
I’ve found the places with the most attractive terraces are often not the places with the best food; many of those are better for just a drink.
We love eating out and searching for restaurants that attract people like us who, with friends or family, like to raise their glasses to the enjoyment of life.
There are too many places that still only offer tired and often tasteless meals. But we don’t go there. It’s not easy to run a profitable and truly enjoyable restaurant. When you find one, and it is affordable, go there and go often.
Hi Mark. When I originally published the article last summer on France in Between, a number of comments leaned in your direction. There are a certain number of establishments that probably deserve to go. I’m thinking particularly, but not only, of those strings of beachside establishments dishing out over-priced, vacuum-packed or frozen dishes.
I do think also some restaurants have long needed to be more flexible. I remember a time when sharing starters or desserts was frowned on, but I find this is becoming quite acceptable in mid-level restaurants — I’m of course not talking high-end experiences.
In Rodez we are lucky to have a number of high quality, home-cooked food restaurants, and the ones that do the best job are often packed. But sometimes I wonder if there isn’t too much on offer — time will tell.
Back in the 1990s in Minnesota, I had a good friend who ran the top three restaurants in the Twin Cities. Excellent and simply prepared Tuscan food and service without a lot of fluff. Lines were long. He asked me to create some ads that would be tongue-in-cheek about how hard it was to get a table, but first he asked me to come and join the wait staff for a few weeks to see how it all worked, from the kitchen to the daily accounting of food costs, waste, and what not. I learned that anyone who goes into the restaurant business needs a steady hand, a big heart, and a fearless demeanor while still coming out of the kitchen late in the evening to share stories with clients and staff alike. He has retired and spends time with family in the States and in Italy. But he loved good food. “Mark, reviews are OK but when you walk into a restaurant for the first time, what do you smell and how many people are happily eating their food? Look at the faces of the servers and the clients. Then decide to turn around or go in.”
...and I would have loved to have seen the adverts you produced!
https://www.twincities.com/2008/07/07/ciao-giorgio/
same. Are you noticing the concerning trends that Betty addresses here, MArk?
Judy
Betty, I just read your article again, and I kept thinking of quiet evenings in small French bistros, the clatter of cutlery, the slow unfolding of meals—the rituals that make dining here feel almost sacred. In France, these changes (that may be happening elsewhere in some way) feel especially powerful because of how deeply tradition and ritual are woven into eating. I really feel for the restaurateurs navigating this, and I keep wondering where we’ll go from here.
Jx
I don’t think all of this is going to disappear, but there is readjustment going on. I just recently read an article saying that everything quick/informal/takeaway oriented is gaining ground, but high-end gourmet dining is holding its own. It’s the mid-scale places where people used to go out to lunch daily that are suffering the most, although I definitely go to places that are still packed daily. I think in that positioning, quality is going to win out.
Yes generalizing, but quality usually wins in the end. There are many examples but the change process is no doubt painful for many.
Thanks Betty
Judy
The inteenaosituation is unfortunately not going to help things out at all just now...
Indeed, what a mess…
This is such a relevant and important topic Betty.
I do love good food, want to support local artisan producers and cooks and will travel and pay for authentic, honestly prepared, skilfully cooked food made with good quality local ingredients.
But I don’t think restaurant owners can afford to have a sense of entitlement. In France or anywhere.
I have definitely noticed a drop in the quality of food cooked and served in my local French village in the 22 years I have lived there. Matched by almost 100% rise in prices.
The number of “Fait Maison” dishes has dropped significantly. Some hotels/restaurants buy in pre cooked sous vide dishes - therefore we avoid.
Interesting. I find the opposite to be true here in Rodez — it seems like the vast majority of restaurants serve “fait maison” dishes, or at least mainly so. Some of the big brasseries don’t, but you can guess this in advance from the number of items on the menu.
I do think a lot of restaurants that mainly attract, or attracted, vacationers do what you say, though—serving ready-made dishes at high prices. I suspect these are some of the places suffering the most.
I’ve found the places with the most attractive terraces are often not the places with the best food; many of those are better for just a drink.