Style vs. Great Food

Great food > hip spaces

Stop.  Please.  Just stop already.  Stop with this maddening idea that to successfully open and operate a restaurant, the foremost focus must be the space. It must be new but old, shiny but dim, expensive but a little worn.  It needs to show as though effort has been made to make the guest feel exclusive, but not too much effort.  The primary objective is that anyone and everyone should feel fashionable and fortunate to have snagged a reservation.  Fancy cocktail glasses, distressed mirrors behind the bar, velvet booths, Ella Fitzgerald mixed with Dua Lipa in the background.  Basically, anything to secure Instagram worthy status.  Have yourself a feature wall, a live-edged table and an Old Fashioned that has been fucked with way too much and the restaurant will be a winner.  But really?  Is it?

              The number of restaurants that feel like they’re following a space first, food second (or third, or, heaven forbid, even lower) concept appears to be growing throughout this part of the country.  Maybe all over the country.  In a restauranter’s defense, this is a social media dominated society, so is it any wonder that aesthetics may be the highest priority on a restauranter’s mind?  Or more importantly, on an investor’s mind?  The masses LOVE snapping a great photo with a trendy tag line that captures attention and the investors love the traffic the attention brings.  *Side note: It is not lost on me that the link to this IS posted via social media….I know* How can a restaurant be blamed for giving the public what they think they want, what will bring people in the door early in the game?

              Well, the problem is this.  In these polished and sought-after spaces, the food feels like an afterthought when it should be paramount.  The food is what will keep a restaurant in the forefront of the public’s mind for the long haul.  When given the attention it deserves, the food is what people will obsess over for much longer than the 24 hours a post will be hearted.  There are many places that have forgotten, or have been indifferent to, the fact that delicious, innovative, beautifully prepared food is vital, and it is what people really want.  It is exceedingly more difficult to find a “new” restaurant that makes their number one focus on the food.  Won’t people eventually get tired of going to the hippest spot only to find that inferior food and bizarre, restyled drinks accompany the beautiful backdrops?  Why not just go to your local diner?  Seriously.  There is no question about what will be served when walking into a greasy spoon.  There is value in knowing the quality of food when choosing a restaurant.  Like the decor or not, at least the food won’t fall short of expectations.   

              Dating all the way back to the creation of restaurants, food was the entire point.  Feeding dense and growing populations, restaurants quickly developed into a relevant part of society and stature.  As the population and ideas about food evolved, details aside from the quality of the food became an integral part of the equation.  Being comfortable and accessible became a must as the idea of restaurants matured, and that relevance still stands. And, to broadly categorize all “new” restaurants as having subpar food would be wildly unfair and inaccurate.  There are countless places that have opened in the past five years that are both dazzling and delicious.  Consider Frida Southwest in the Paseo Arts District in Oklahoma City, for example.  This is an unexpectedly stunning space in a city that isn’t the most recognized when it comes to exceptional cuisine (although it should be), and it completely delivers on flavor.  The portions are ample, the drinks are imaginative, but the quality and taste of food and drinks are what keep the restaurant at the top of the locals’ list.  The food and drinks are the conversation of the restaurant, and that’s how it should be. 

Of course, the design of a restaurant is significant and very important.  Absolutely.  No one is arguing that.  As it has been written a zillion times, people eat with their eyes first.  This applies to the food, location, and ambiance.  But should everything be as crucial as the quality of the food?  No.  The establishments that have stood the test of time all have a central priority, they produce damn good food consistently.  Cattleman's Steakhouse?  Ridiculously good food.  Coney I-Lander in Tulsa? Chili dog heaven.  Jimmy's Round Up Cafe & Fried Pies on SW 59th?  Good luck finding a better chicken fried steak.  Rusty Barrell Supper Club in Ponca City?  Steaks are bomb.  I love a new restaurant as much as anyone, but perhaps supporting the places, both new and seasoned, that take the time and thought to giving their guests a memorable experience based on flavor first is something to keep in mind next time you’re looking for a dinner spot….that and deciding what angle works best for the IG picture 😊