An Introduction to Restaurant

Design
Eating has always been a sociable event, from primitive campfire cooking to
reclining on lectuli at lavish Greek and Roman banquets. However, although
taverns and inns had always existed, the restaurant as an institution didnt
fully emerge until the 17th century. The word restaurant initially appeared
in the 16th century, meaning a restorative broth, but by 1771 the term had
mutated to refer to an establishment specializing in the sale of restorative
foods as well. Like so much in culinary history, the Parisians owned the
sophisticated version of the concept as American and British visitors
marveled at the phenomenon.

Photo details
NEXT ARTICLE
Words You Should Know for Restaurants
Listed below are some useful words for the experienced diner.
July 19, 2011
<
>

We have the aspirational middle classes of post-revolutionary France to

thank for the restaurant we recognize today. As the popularity of dining out
grew, top French chefs like Marie-Antoine Carme and Auguste Escoffier took
their talents to London and raised the restaurant game in grand hotels and
dapper gentlemens clubs. Taste, whether of the palate or the eye, began to
matter.
The sheer proliferation and glossy sheen of hospitality environments today
bring earlier times to mind, particularly in the baroque leanings of
contemporary Dutch designer Marcel Wanders and his ilk. In the 19th
century, interiors followed the French and Viennese belle-epoque style; decor
exuding prosperity and a theatrical grandness was the fashion. Mega-dining
complexes like Delmonicos in New York and the Trocadero in London reigned,
replete with Corinthian columns, chandeliers, red velvet swags, and lavish
gilding.
The 1930s saw some movement toward the simplification of restaurant
design, but it was the iconoclastic 1960s that signaled the true
democratization of dining out. With a diversity of eating venues and socially
mobile patrons hungry for new experiences, design was a powerful tool to
distinguish between the new bistros, brasseries, cafes, diners, and casual
dining chains that emerged.
The late 20th century saw the return of power-dining: Mega-restaurants like
Quaglinos in London and Tao in New York came to the fore with the
unstoppable rise of superstar chefs operating in league with big-name
designers such as Philippe Starck, Christian Liaigre, Adam Tihany, and David
Rockwell.
But sure as bust follows boom, evolution has been on the menu.
Ostentatious, big-budget productions havent disappeared, but the major
players are adapting to the times: Global brands are giving way to locavore
concerns. Many of the cooler-than-thou venues in urban centers are
egalitarian, chef-proprietor neighborhood joints that embrace a new farm-to-
table simplicity showcasing their foodstuffs with open, canteenlike kitchens
and deli-style food displays.
Today, its not just about what or where you eat, but also the how and the
who that is fetishized. In progressive quarters there is less attention paid to
staggering wine towers, faddish color-changing lighting, and Vegas-hotel-
lobby-style interiors: Splashy design has been upstaged by the food and its
provenancewhich, naturally, is a design aesthetic in and of itself.
Words You Should Know for Restaurants
Listed below are some useful words for the experienced diner.
July 19, 2011

Food Court Gourmet

No need to brave the teeming throngs only to score a slice at Sbarro: These
hopping food malls are as haute as can be.
July 19, 2011

Sound Advice
Successful restaurants offer the holy trinity of good food, good service, and
good ambience.
July 19, 2011
Cultivating Good Taste
Grown, harvested, prepped, and cooked all in the same place, farm-to-table
fare is coming to a city near you.
July 19, 2011

Tomorrows Specials
Slide into that booth or belly up the bar to learn whats next for restaurant
design. Youll know before the matre d does.

An Introduction to Restaurant
Design
written by:
Bethan Ryder
illustrated by:
Dan Williams
July 19, 2011
Originally published in A New Slant on Family Fun

Eating has always been a sociable event, from primitive campfire cooking to
reclining on lectuli at lavish Greek and Roman banquets. However, although
taverns and inns had always existed, the restaurant as an institution didnt
fully emerge until the 17th century. The word restaurant initially appeared
in the 16th century, meaning a restorative broth, but by 1771 the term had
mutated to refer to an establishment specializing in the sale of restorative
foods as well. Like so much in culinary history, the Parisians owned the
sophisticated version of the concept as American and British visitors
marveled at the phenomenon.
Photo details
NEXT ARTICLE
Words You Should Know for Restaurants
Listed below are some useful words for the experienced diner.
July 19, 2011
<
>
We have the aspirational middle classes of post-revolutionary France to
thank for the restaurant we recognize today. As the popularity of dining out
grew, top French chefs like Marie-Antoine Carme and Auguste Escoffier took
their talents to London and raised the restaurant game in grand hotels and
dapper gentlemens clubs. Taste, whether of the palate or the eye, began to
matter.
The sheer proliferation and glossy sheen of hospitality environments today
bring earlier times to mind, particularly in the baroque leanings of
contemporary Dutch designer Marcel Wanders and his ilk. In the 19th
century, interiors followed the French and Viennese belle-epoque style; decor
exuding prosperity and a theatrical grandness was the fashion. Mega-dining
complexes like Delmonicos in New York and the Trocadero in London reigned,
replete with Corinthian columns, chandeliers, red velvet swags, and lavish
gilding.
The 1930s saw some movement toward the simplification of restaurant
design, but it was the iconoclastic 1960s that signaled the true
democratization of dining out. With a diversity of eating venues and socially
mobile patrons hungry for new experiences, design was a powerful tool to
distinguish between the new bistros, brasseries, cafes, diners, and casual
dining chains that emerged.
The late 20th century saw the return of power-dining: Mega-restaurants like
Quaglinos in London and Tao in New York came to the fore with the
unstoppable rise of superstar chefs operating in league with big-name
designers such as Philippe Starck, Christian Liaigre, Adam Tihany, and David
Rockwell.
But sure as bust follows boom, evolution has been on the menu.
Ostentatious, big-budget productions havent disappeared, but the major
players are adapting to the times: Global brands are giving way to locavore
concerns. Many of the cooler-than-thou venues in urban centers are
egalitarian, chef-proprietor neighborhood joints that embrace a new farm-to-
table simplicity showcasing their foodstuffs with open, canteenlike kitchens
and deli-style food displays.
Today, its not just about what or where you eat, but also the how and the
who that is fetishized. In progressive quarters there is less attention paid to
staggering wine towers, faddish color-changing lighting, and Vegas-hotel-
lobby-style interiors: Splashy design has been upstaged by the food and its
provenancewhich, naturally, is a design aesthetic in and of itself.

Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes,
friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!
Words You Should Know for Restaurants
Listed below are some useful words for the experienced diner.
July 19, 2011

Food Court Gourmet

No need to brave the teeming throngs only to score a slice at Sbarro: These
hopping food malls are as haute as can be.
July 19, 2011
Sound Advice
Successful restaurants offer the holy trinity of good food, good service, and
good ambience.
July 19, 2011

Cultivating Good Taste

Grown, harvested, prepped, and cooked all in the same place, farm-to-table
fare is coming to a city near you.
July 19, 2011
Tomorrows Specials
Slide into that booth or belly up the bar to learn whats next for restaurant
design. Youll know before the matre d does.

An Introduction to Restaurant
Design
written by:
Bethan Ryder
illustrated by:
Dan Williams
July 19, 2011
Originally published in A New Slant on Family Fun

Eating has always been a sociable event, from primitive campfire cooking to
reclining on lectuli at lavish Greek and Roman banquets. However, although
taverns and inns had always existed, the restaurant as an institution didnt
fully emerge until the 17th century. The word restaurant initially appeared
in the 16th century, meaning a restorative broth, but by 1771 the term had
mutated to refer to an establishment specializing in the sale of restorative
foods as well. Like so much in culinary history, the Parisians owned the
sophisticated version of the concept as American and British visitors
marveled at the phenomenon.
Photo details
NEXT ARTICLE
Words You Should Know for Restaurants
Listed below are some useful words for the experienced diner.
July 19, 2011
<
>
We have the aspirational middle classes of post-revolutionary France to
thank for the restaurant we recognize today. As the popularity of dining out
grew, top French chefs like Marie-Antoine Carme and Auguste Escoffier took
their talents to London and raised the restaurant game in grand hotels and
dapper gentlemens clubs. Taste, whether of the palate or the eye, began to
matter.
The sheer proliferation and glossy sheen of hospitality environments today
bring earlier times to mind, particularly in the baroque leanings of
contemporary Dutch designer Marcel Wanders and his ilk. In the 19th
century, interiors followed the French and Viennese belle-epoque style; decor
exuding prosperity and a theatrical grandness was the fashion. Mega-dining
complexes like Delmonicos in New York and the Trocadero in London reigned,
replete with Corinthian columns, chandeliers, red velvet swags, and lavish
gilding.
The 1930s saw some movement toward the simplification of restaurant
design, but it was the iconoclastic 1960s that signaled the true
democratization of dining out. With a diversity of eating venues and socially
mobile patrons hungry for new experiences, design was a powerful tool to
distinguish between the new bistros, brasseries, cafes, diners, and casual
dining chains that emerged.
The late 20th century saw the return of power-dining: Mega-restaurants like
Quaglinos in London and Tao in New York came to the fore with the
unstoppable rise of superstar chefs operating in league with big-name
designers such as Philippe Starck, Christian Liaigre, Adam Tihany, and David
Rockwell.
But sure as bust follows boom, evolution has been on the menu.
Ostentatious, big-budget productions havent disappeared, but the major
players are adapting to the times: Global brands are giving way to locavore
concerns. Many of the cooler-than-thou venues in urban centers are
egalitarian, chef-proprietor neighborhood joints that embrace a new farm-to-
table simplicity showcasing their foodstuffs with open, canteenlike kitchens
and deli-style food displays.
Today, its not just about what or where you eat, but also the how and the
who that is fetishized. In progressive quarters there is less attention paid to
staggering wine towers, faddish color-changing lighting, and Vegas-hotel-
lobby-style interiors: Splashy design has been upstaged by the food and its
provenancewhich, naturally, is a design aesthetic in and of itself.

Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes,
friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!
Words You Should Know for Restaurants
Listed below are some useful words for the experienced diner.
July 19, 2011

Food Court Gourmet

No need to brave the teeming throngs only to score a slice at Sbarro: These
hopping food malls are as haute as can be.
July 19, 2011
Sound Advice
Successful restaurants offer the holy trinity of good food, good service, and
good ambience.
July 19, 2011

Cultivating Good Taste

Grown, harvested, prepped, and cooked all in the same place, farm-to-table
fare is coming to a city near you.
July 19, 2011
Tomorrows Specials
Slide into that booth or belly up the bar to learn whats next for restaurant
design. Youll know before the matre d does.