Very interesting article in the NYTimes, „The Menu trends that define dining right now“.
Quite interesting that caviar is en vogue. I rarely eat caviar, as the best comes from Iran&Russia based on my limited experience. In addition is very expensive. Also interesting that a trend I discovered in Germany in the last 12 months is also a trend in the USA, non-alcoholic beverage.
Paywall
Sorry
You can read it through this link: Restaurant Menu Trends - The New York Times
Worked, thanks!
“What is this, a restaurant for ants!?” 
Instead of telling us you add a 20% surcharge to the bill to take better care of your staff why don’t you simply raise your prices 20% and take care of your staff? Tell us you pay well and tipping is not necessary but not forbidden instead of telling us you don’t pay a living wage but you’ll surcharge one out of us after the fact.
Small fonts suck.
Steak Frittes without naming the cut of beef? Steak is steak right?
Ceasar Salad does not contain soft cooked eggs, olives, tomatoes, sesame seeds, Pepito peppers, Frisee, kale, lavendar, puffed rice croutons etc, call it something else.
Your servers pronoun of the month should not be the diners concern. Tell us your name or what you want us to refer to you as and leave it at that.
Just went to Metropolitan Grill in Seattle… and they had the 20% service fee. I can actually live with that, even though the “steak for two” was $205. What I can’t live with is the encouragement to leave an additional tip that goes “straight to the waiter.” Pick one, stick with it.
This is neat. Thanks for sharing!
DANKE for the gift link. I have no subscription of NTimes, so I couldn’t provide the link.
I also got the article via gift link.
Seattle is at a real inflection point for restaurants between rent, interest rates, inflation of food costs, min. wage. This along with no staff being able to afford rent/homes in Seattle and needing to commute in, it’s a real conundrum as the 20% allows you to offset insurance at a set %, which Jim provides for employees at Met/Elliott’s vs. changing the food prices up every week.
Met/Elliotts have always had good loyal, long-term staff that provide better than average Seattle service.
Ultimately, I don’t have an answer for what to do, add surcharge or constantly increasing food prices that discourage frequency of visit.
Seattle is terrible. I’d comment more, but they’d move this thread to politics. So, will leave you with “I go to Seattle once a month for a Beast and Cleaver run and swing by Bottleworks on the way out.”
It’s better to have a restaurant in Burien, Renton, Bellevue, or Issaquah…or frankly in Tacoma.
I always try to support Met, Canlis (usually sit at bar), Bangbar, Carmine’s and a few others, but it’s easier to go to Jak’s, Melrose Grill, Buddha Ruksa, Monsoon, Japonessa, DTF…so many places.
I’ll see your Seattle and raise by Portland. Downtown PDX is a zombie wasteland at night.
PDX is bad because the spread of the zombie apocalypse is contained in a smaller space boxed in with water. Seattle it is spread across neighborhoods.
I read the thread and then clicked the link to read the article. I was expecting restaurant trends but now know it was literally about trends for the physical menu itself. Kind of a strange article.
Is there a restaurant trends thread? Might make for some fun reading if not.