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Top 5 food & beverage trends influencing restaurant design today By Paul Heretakis
Food and beverage trends come and go , influenced by market conditions , labor , food costs or hopefully the desire to be unique and different .
Las Vegas once defined dining trends and food programs ; there was no hotter market . Restaurant design , ultra lounges and menus were all redefined and changed the way we ate across the globe . Las Vegas influenced the world . Our current trends are not as ambitious , but they ’ re still relevant .
Fast Casual Everything
The labor market influences dining more than any other factor today . Labor shortages and union costs both affect how food is cooked and presented . Fortunately this has brought us the food hall , which is far preferable to the food court that existed for so many decades .
Food halls can take on the look of fresh markets , food trucks or mini-restaurants that bring the cooking out front to the people , with ingredients prepared in a healthy manner right before your eyes , cooked to order . These areas tend to be very active and exciting — think Block 16 at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas or Eataly ( above ) in New York . They are totally visually stimulating — you want to be there and be part of the excitement . They don ’ t come off as low-cost dining options , but feel much more upscale and appealing .
Localized upscale food trucks have taught people that great food can come from little places , and that ’ s translated well to the food halls . Exciting food served in exciting environments ! It ’ s a win for everyone .
The Hidden Restaurant
Beauty and Essex at the Cosmopolitan as well as Greene St . Kitchen at the Palms are great examples of the “ hidden restaurant .” Beauty and Essex is concealed behind an anonymous back door in a pawn shop , while Greene St . is accessed through a graffiti-decorated arcade . They both set the mood that you ’ re about to enter a new and different dining experience .
The design and concept carry through to the dining rooms , so you get caught up in the experience . What would it be like to dine in a former pawn shop ? Or an arcade from yesteryear that a graffiti artist friend helped to redeco- rate ? These are fun and unexpected ways to dine . The concepts can skew either high-end or more approachable .
These offerings also give marketing departments great opportunities , since they aren ’ t your typical dining establishments . Because they ’ re somewhat hidden , the message needs to get out . Otherwise you ’ ll never find them , and miss out on a special evening .
Dinner and a Show
Once again , we ’ ll mention the highly influential Cosmopolitan , which is often on the cutting edge of trends . Rose . Rabbit . Lie . is a great example of an experiential supper club that perfectly balances entertainment and dining . The food is great , and everyone walks away entertained and feeling good about the evening .
A new supper club will open at the Bellagio shortly , called the Mayfair . Supper-club entertainment can vary , including tableside magicians , trapeze artists , dance vignettes and acrobats . The activities can take place in cages , overhead or built into the wall ; the key is to have multiple focal points scattered about the dining room . It ’ s great fun for couples and larger groups , and really makes for a more open and social dinner .
The design of such interiors can be moody , with purple lighting and misting smoke , or more upscale and traditional like the Rabbit . At times the show events change the room ’ s appearance and everyone is expected to stop and watch . Other times , they ’ re just background visuals . A DJ usually accompanies the effects and helps the evening flow with highs and lows of energy .
Rose . Rabbit . Lie . is an experiential supper club that combines entertainment with great food
26 CASINO STYLE 2019