Dining Out (Of The Box)

From chem lab kitchens to underground dining, we often think we’ve seen it all when it comes to innovation in the restaurant industry – that is, until a new round of change agents make their way onto the scene to surprise us. These days, choosing where to dine out can be about much more than what kind of food you’re craving. That’s because the most buzzworthy new restaurants are throwing conventions out the window, creating unique experiences beyond what’s on the plate.

Next: Many restaurants try to transport you to another time and place, but the forthcoming venture from the creative team behind Chicago’s Alinea, called Next, will take diners on a trip through culinary history with four menus a year focusing on specific eras and locations, including imagined future moments. (Placedropping may never be the same once Next diners add Hong Kong 2052 to their list of dining experiences.) Rather than offering standard menu pricing, the restaurant will sell tickets to seatings – a completely revolutionary approach to the reservation system. Chicagoans can buy an annual ‘subscription’ in order to partake in all of the menus. We might have to give Next a try ourselves, if only to one day use that classic Golden Girls line, “Picture it, Sicily, 1912,” when recounting our meal.

Instructables: Calling itself “the first open source restaurant in the world,” Amsterdam’s Instructables makes every meal a potential learning experience by posting instructions on recreating everything from its food to its furniture on its website. In fact, everything in the pop-up restaurant is inspired by skill sharing submissions on the DIY lifestyle Instructables website, where you can even find instructions for developing your own restaurant. Applying the concept of crowdsourcing to the food industry in a way that’s never been seen before, the project gives public credit to everyone whose ideas and recipes are used.

Exchange: For everyone who struggles to make the perfect menu choice, there is another who will simply turn to the waitstaff and inquire, “What’s most popular?” At NYC’s newly opened Exchange Bar & Grill, the answer could affect how much diners will be shelling out. Though it looks like a regular Gramercy joint, a giant ticker screen behind the bar broadcasts fluctuating prices of each menu item. The more an item is ordered, the pricier it becomes – and “Market Crashes” can result in cheap eats (or drinks) until the “stock” goes back up. Though some call it a gimmick, it certainly brings an element of life gaming to what would otherwise be a typical restaurant visit. Plus, it’s way less risky than actually playing the market in times like these. * References to products and services in trendcentral do not imply our endorsement, but rather are intended to provide objective insights into emerging trends and examples of those trends. trendcentral is published by The Intelligence Group, a trend research and consumer insights company focusing on youth culture. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated Cassandra Report studies, please contact Noelle Weaver at 212-277-5244 or via email at nweaver@intelg.com.