Skip Mother's Day Brunch: 4 Better Alternatives From a Chef
Mother's Day brunch is a chaotic ordeal. I worked dozens of them, and sat through more than a few. Here's why to skip it, and four better alternatives.
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#restaurants
Articles tagged 'restaurants'.
I Took New York City's Food Scene for Granted
I grew up in New York City and trained as a chef there. I didn't see what made NYC's food scene special until I left, and most American cities aren't even close.
Why I Still Walk Into Bars, Even Though I Barely Drink
My drinking years are behind me. I still walk into bars. Here's what survives the alcohol, and why some cities have a real bar culture and others don't.
The Best Time to Arrive at a Restaurant Is Before the Rush
I cooked the line for years. The best time to eat out isn't peak hour, and it isn't late — it's the hour before the rush, when the kitchen and floor are ready for you.
Why a Table for Two Is the Best Dining Experience
Big group dinners are great for unity. They're not great for the food. Here's why a table for two is the best dining experience you can have at a restaurant.
How Restaurants Set Menu Prices
Food cost percentage, anchor pricing, the math behind a $35 entrée — and what diners are actually paying for when they pay restaurant prices.
The Real Reason Restaurants Charge for Bread
Bread used to be free. Now it's $6 a basket at the table. The labor, ingredient, and operational economics that turned bread from a courtesy into a billable line item.
What 'Bistro,' 'Brasserie,' and 'Restaurant' Actually Mean in France
The actual differences between French dining-room types — what to expect at each, how to read the menu, and where the lines have blurred.
The Economics of Wine Markups
Why restaurants charge three to four times retail for wine, what diners are actually paying for, and where the value sits on a typical wine list.
How to Spot a Restaurant That's Past Its Prime
The visible signs — menu shrinkage, staff turnover, lighting changes, music shifts — that a restaurant is declining before the closing announcement makes it official.
Why Most Restaurants Don't Take Reservations Anymore
The walk-only model is spreading across casual and mid-tier restaurants. The math behind it, what operators gain from it, and what diners lose.
Tips Are Going Away. What Comes Next?
Service charges, hospitality fees, automatic gratuity, and built-in pricing — the math behind the menu changes that are quietly ending tipping in American restaurants.
The Real Difference Between a Café and a Restaurant
What separates a café from a restaurant — across cultures, across price points, and where the line has gotten increasingly blurred.
The Hidden Economics of Tipping Pools
How tip income is actually distributed in modern restaurants — the legal framework, the accounting, and who wins or loses depending on the pool structure.
Why Mexico City's Restaurants Got So Loud
Mexico City's restaurant boom has produced a generation of dining rooms calibrated for energy and Instagram, not conversation. A look at what changed — and the design choices that produce a room you can hear in.
The Lease Is the Recipe
Most restaurants don't fail because of the food. They fail because of the rent — and the lease terms that locked in their fate before the doors opened. A primer for diners and operators alike.
Why Every New Restaurant Looks the Same
Subway tile, brass fixtures, bentwood chairs, Edison bulbs. A short field guide to the global sameness epidemic in restaurant design — and what it costs.
Why Restaurants Keep Closing in Their Second Year
Year one is the honeymoon. Year two is the bill. A look at the structural reasons independent restaurants disproportionately fail in their second year — and what the survivors do differently.