LET ME BE CLEAR
Bayless and the Bear
How ‘The Bear’ is truer to the industry than the old heads would like to admit
Someday I hope to open a restaurant.
Maybe after I retire. Nothing fancy. A younger, less wise iteration of this dream included white table clothes, wine glasses for water, and all the accoutrements — and drama — that comes with fine dining. I say “less wise” as nearly two decades of thankless service in the service industry has gifted me with profound knowledge. That is, knowing all I need to succeed in caring for people through food and hospitality is a counter and a deli slicer. Screw 90% of the bullshit that is the restaurant industry.
But I envy the visionaries who crack through this jaded shell and execute their lofty concepts. Whether in spite of their experience or bolstered by naive optimism that they won’t fall victim to the churn, it is understood without question that the food industry is brutal. As brutal as depicted in FX’s The Bear. So it’s a shame to hear a restaurant luminary like Rick Bayless cry foul at the show for the crime of being brutally honest.
Bayless asserts that the toxicity, the grime, and the grit aren’t accurate. What’s more he fears the show will turn off prospective talent and labor. By showcasing the “ugliness” of the…
