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Eat Your Food and Get the Hell Out
American hospitality increasingly follows the soup kitchen model
These days, going out to eat in many American cities — LA and San Francisco, specifically — feels more like lining up at a soup kitchen than settling into a restaurant for a fun and welcoming social/culinary experience.
You’re rushed in, shuffled through, and dropped with a bill — fast. It’s not about hospitality anymore. It’s people serving you like you’re a problem, going through meaningless motions with not even an ounce of soul.
It wasn’t always like this.
I remember a time when more people cared about the details — when structure and pride in the craft made hospitality something to aspire to.
When I worked in bars and restaurants in Los Angeles, there was a push to bring fine dining structure and systems — kitchen discipline and front-of-house service protocols — to behind the bar.
It was a cool thing to be part of.
I learned a lot about this while working at the old NoMad in Downtown Los Angeles. I summarize some of my hospitality experience here and here.
I saw how a fine-dining restaurant (the former NoMad sister establishment, Eleven Madison Park) operated. I was lucky enough to help implement…
