Quality and Sophistication on the Rise
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4062656/Scampo_-_Lydia_Shire_.0.jpg)
"I think the future bodes well for the restaurant industry! The quality of American food is on the rise. The quality of the chefs cooking the food gets more and more sophisticated as each year passes. Americans are dining out in droves and leaving the cooking to us, the chefs. Makes me happy! Would someone please stop the press from instilling in people's minds the 'fear of fat'? Just look at Julia Child; she had a little butter on her toast every morning, some cream in her coffee, and she was never fat or unhealthy." —Lydia Shire, chef/owner of Scampo
Image credit: Provided
Higher Quality, More Sharing, Better Coffee
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4062680/Rebecca_Theris.0.jpg)
"The future of dining will involve higher quality food and drink in a casual setting with more professional service at a higher price. The experience of dining in a restaurant could be as casual and convivial as dining in one’s home. Tasting menus, individual plates will continue to be surpassed by shared meals. Dining as a shared experience in the food that you eat, the drinks you enjoy will replace the 'individual dinner.' Rather than just sharing time while having a separate meal, restaurants will grow in the direction of a completely shared experience emulating something closer to visiting a friend’s/family member’s house — large dishes served with bottles of wine all to be shared together. Along with this emulation comes longer meals. Restaurants providing the space for a longer period of time to guests, not looking to just get the table back as quickly as possible. We will see a vast development, almost a revolution of sorts, towards much better coffee and tea service in restaurants. This means better sourcing, higher quality of beans, and increased training for staff (restaurants will be hiring baristas as they do bartenders) will be widespread very soon. As the demand for higher quality food and drink (fresher, sustainable, made in house, local, etc.) continues to increase along with better wages and benefits for skilled restaurant employees, the price of dining in general will be driven up. With this, restaurants are now heavily educating their staff, seeking out those that treat their employment as a career—from cooks and servers to bartenders and baristas. There is a widespread movement, founded on higher quality, that will improve the world of dining for both the diner and the entire service industry itself." —Rebecca Theris, co-owner of Loyal Nine
Image credit: Courtesy of Nora Belal
Local Ingredients and Local Beers
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1220190/DSC_9492.0.jpg)
"I hope the future of food includes more and more local farming and locally brewed beers. Molecular cuisine is lovely but nothing beats the good old fashioned tomato at the right time of year. I hope to see us continue to do good, clean cooking." —Brian Poe, chef/owner of Bukowski Tavern, Cluckit, Poe's Kitchen at the Rattlesnake, and The Tip Tap Room
Image credit: Rachel Leah Blumenthal for Eater
Fine Dining Will Never Disappear
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4063542/Jen_Ziskin_2.0.jpg)
"I feel fortunate to be in an industry that I feel will never become obsolete. Dining is a luxury that I know I could never live without. I think even with the invention of iPads that can take orders, we will always enjoy fine dining and being waited on. I wish electronics could be banned from the table!" —Jennifer Ziskin, co-owner of La Morra and Heritage of Sherborn
Image credit: Provided
Lab-to-Table and Insect Bistros
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4067146/chef-jay.0.jpg)
"In the future, I think we’re going to see technology play a huge role in dining, with more interactive use of apps, tablets, and social media at the table. Table-side guacamole will give way to table-side 3D entree printing, and farm-to-table will turn into lab-to-table. Insect bistros will pop up everywhere, and food’s shock factor will be a new trend. So say I, jatstradamus." —Jay Silva, executive chef at Bambara
Image credit: Official Site
A Growing Relationship Between Restaurant and Producer
"Diners, specifically those located within an urban setting, are much more informed in regards to food and beverage and the establishments that supply them. Due to many contributing factors — social media, the immediacy and increased scope of information gained through internet and phone applications, a saturated market, Yelp, and other blogging devices — diners now have the power to review and challenge establishments to raise the bar in a way that they have never had before. Ten years ago, a diner might visit a bar or restaurant and be blown away by the amount of choices. Now, we see diners coming in who make it a point to know about the ingredients in the food, the types of hops in a certain beer, or the benefits of a certain wine vintage. It challenges the methods of staff education and raises the bar as far as what the staff is required to know, which, in a certain way, redefines the service industry and changes it from being just a fill-in job or a fast way to make money, to an actual profession or life-long career. Likewise, we see a lot of people turning towards building a career on the actual production side, be it brewing, farming, distilling, you name it. 'Hyper-local' and 'farm-to-table' are no longer trends. We are going to see the relationships between restaurant and producer grow and tighten ten-fold over the next number of years." —Sarah Hanson, owner of Five Horses Tavern and Worden Hall
Continued Exploration
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4067340/Michael_Schlow.0.jpg)
"In the foreseeable future, guests will continue to want beautifully presented food with bold flavors served in well-designed atmospheres by passionate hospitality providers. The nation will continue to explore new flavors and cultures of cuisine across the world." —Michael Schlow, chef/owner of Doretta (opening soon), Tico, and Alta Strada
Image credit: Provided
More casual. More jetpacks.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2408284/jason_santos.0.jpg)
"The future of dining continues the trend of becoming more casual. Guests will continue to care and pay attention to where the ingredients are being sourced. Chefs will not only continue to work with local farms and purveyors, but they will also become farmers themselves by growing their own vegetables to use in their restaurants. And in the real distant future, I see servers wearing jetpacks on their backs for even speedier service and aerial valet parking for guests’ hovercrafts." —Jason Santos, chef/owner of Abby Lane and Back Bay Harry's
Image credit: Provided
Expectations of Responsible Sourcing
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4062514/Lulus_20-_20Sarah_20Wade_20-_20Rachel_20Leah_20Blumenthal.0.0.jpg)
"I see the future of dining continuing to trend toward quick(er) service, very high quality, made in-house and healthy(ish). I feel like we as chefs have aided in the diner's need for fast and good food. I feel after being on the East coast for three years that chain restaurants are really not at the top of anyone's list, and that it is a last resort, both in the take-out and the eating out sector. There are so many good, quality establishments coming up, and they are maintaining their high standards due to the guest expectation, and those lovely Yelp reviews. Our guests virtually expect items to be made in-house and to be sourced responsibly, and that will not go away, nor should it. I feel that restaurants will continue to purchase responsibly and do our best to buy local. At the heart of it, people are starting to figure out that the cheapest chicken is not always the best for you. The population is becoming informed on issues such as animal antibiotics and hormones and we are seeing the impact of the usage of such things in our kids and ourselves. The expectation of 'whole' unadulterated food is definitely going to increase, to which i'm pretty sure most chefs will be happy to oblige. I am proud to buy natural beef and chicken that have not had any antibiotics, and it is something that I know we all take pride in on our menus. It is great that the public is also expecting these things. I feel that these days less and less folks cook at home. It is hard with busy schedules, good healthy food readily available, and the new trend of those 'we prep, you cook' delivery services like Blue Apron. On the flip side, I read an article recently which basically stated that there is becoming a shortage of quality cooks and chefs in the business, which I am definitely feeling here. Which makes it very interesting to see how that will impact food. With increased competition, restaurants will have to pay more for staff, which will make food prices increase. How much will that impact the frequency of people dining out? Because they are now eating out less, will their expectations of service and food quality increase even more?" —Sarah Wade, executive chef at Lulu's Allston
Image credit: Rachel Leah Blumenthal for Eater
The Return of Ultra-Fine Dining
"I think the future of dining is exciting. In the short term I see things getting more and more casual. Small plates, large plates, and shared items in neighborhood-style restaurants will continue to grow. Take-out will grow. I also think the supply chain will continue to flatten as farm-to-table becomes a mainstay of the industry. Further off I think there will be a resurgence in ultra-fine dining, which is good because the great restaurants of the '80s and '90s played a huge role in the exciting things happening all over the food world today." —Brian Rae, executive chef at Centre Street Café
Whole Beasts and Traditional Techniques
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4071350/Jeff_Williams.0.jpg)
"I think the future of food is essentially going to be food of the past re-envisioned; food culture is changing with the world. There is a new consciousness of GMOs, people are becoming invested in what they’re eating, and there is a growing concern of sustainability. On top of that, the climate change is affecting crops and animals. Chefs are now being forced to use what’s local and heirloom strains of vegetables, because they will grow with no modification. Also, offal meats are starting to emerge again with the whole beast movement, whereas before, you would never see beef cheeks, liver, or kidneys on a menu, it’s becoming common practice. Invasive species like snake head are popping up on menus too. The funny thing is, with the use of these offal meats and sustainable imperfect veggies, the classic cooking techniques are coming back too, just reimagined, including pickling, braising, fricassee, and tallow frying. We just developed a pork cheek recipe at Chopps where we braise the cheek but use the fat from the pig to make spoon bread with pickled tomato. I guess the quote to summarize my thoughts would be, 'Study the past if you would like to define the future...'" —Jeff Williams, chef at Chopps American Bar and Grill
Image credit: Provided
Less Interaction With Servers
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4067396/head_shot.0.jpg)
"I think as time goes on people will continue to become more educated and care much more about what they put in their bodies. I can picture the paper menu becoming extinct and the iPad style menus becoming the norm. Where orders can be placed without a server. The menus not just listing what’s for dinner, but explaining more about the food. Where it’s from, when it was harvested, health benefits…Servers won’t be there to ramble off specials and take orders, but instead to serve the food and drinks, answer questions and tend to the guest. I see the future of dining becoming just like many other transformations we have seen in the last 10-20 years. More efficient and convenient for the consumer, and much less of a personal interaction between the worker and the customer." —Kenny Schweitzer, executive chef at Ward 8
Image credit: Provided
Robot Staff and 3D Menus
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4063504/Brooke_Barsanti_Headshot.0.jpg)
"I imagine it might look like an episode of the Jetsons. Virtually zero staff — more robots. Menus will be in 3D above each seat at the table; each menu automatically connects and sends diners selections, temperature preferences, allergies, to the bartender and chef. The food may be local, organic, or less processed — but it’s primarily prepped, cooked, and served by machines. For the record, this terrifies me." —Brooke Barsanti, food & wine programmer at Boston Center for Adult Education
Image credit: Provided
More Small Plates, Less Concern for Portion Size
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4063566/Yale_Woodson_2.0.jpg)
"I feel our guests will continue to eat local and want to know more of the history behind their food — hopefully not to the extent featured in Portlandia — but they will continue to be more conscious of where their food is being sourced and harvested. Small plates and dine around will continue to grow; as a country we are moving away from the classic protein, starch, and vegetable entrée and the three-course dinner. Hopefully this develops into more of a concern towards the quality of the food and less focus on the amount of the portion which is dominant issue in how Americans eat vs. the rest of the world." —Yale Woodson, executive chef at Turner’s Seafood
Image credit: Provided
Main Image: Shutterstock/Ociacia