Food hall fatigue: Are consumers over them?

We're talking climate change's impact on independent restaurants and the fall of food halls. But first: Is a chaotic tasting menu meal narrated by AI-generated videos the future of fine dining? Find a spot away from the bots for the latest edition of The Prep. 

On the menu:
💠 Keeping the political peace in your restaurant
💠 Fine dining inspires rap album michelinman
💠 Chili crips (and Malört) go mainstream
💠 Are delivery discounts effective?

What we’re keeping an eye on: The National Restaurant Association’s policy wish list for the incoming administration. 

What’s on our radar: The Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance’s tips on how to maintain the peace when restaurant employees disagree politically with each other and with customers.

What we’re watching: Junya Yamasaki, the head chef at Yess in Los Angeles, breaking down a 137-pound tuna. Nothing goes to waste. It is a work of art. 

What we’re listening to: Chef Michael Mina on the Andrew Talks to Chefs podcast. He discusses how expanding can help retain staff and why it took him so long to open a restaurant in New York City.🎧

Plus: Have you heard Blvck Svm’s new album michelinman, which is inspired by meals at fine dining restaurants around the country? “People who’ve experienced fine dining understand it to be art,” Ben Glover, aka Blvck Svm, told Eater. “But I don’t think that same esteem is given to rap music in any shape — even in its more intellectual, high-brow forms. I want to illuminate the intersection of both respective art forms because they share so much.”

Restaurants (and patrons) pay the price of climate change

The restaurants wiped out by Hurricane Helene and Milton are the latest examples of the impact climate change and extreme weather can have on the restaurant industry. But climate change is having impacts on the industry in small ways, too. Rising temperatures are creating an inconsistent supply chain, and that’s if you can even grow the produce you need for your kitchen.

Organizations like the James Beard Foundation are working to build awareness about how climate change impacts restaurants. But it is challenging to get diners on board with the cause.

“Diners don’t want to think about climate change when they’re going out for dinner,” says Anne McBride, vice president of programs at the James Beard Foundation. “They really don’t, so it’s very hard for them to understand why they’re suddenly paying a lot more for their dinner. They think chefs are lining their pockets. We know that’s anything but the truth.” (Restaurant Business) 

Is food hall fatigue coming to a city near you?

Food halls were all the rage across the country a few years back. Diners were excited to sample various restaurant concepts under one roof. Restaurant and food brands liked that they could open a food hall stall cheaply, at least compared to traditional locations. But it seems the food hall bubble has burst. 

Multiple food halls in New York have closed over the past year, as have others in Salt Lake City, Colorado Springs, Orlando, and Las Vegas.  At the same time, it's still boom time for food halls in many cities, which were later to the trend. Take Columbus, Ohio, which has sprouted six food halls over the past four years.

Check out Noah Verrier's oil painting, "Uncrustable & Whiskey." The comfort food painter recently sold this painting of an Uncrustable sandwich for $5,000. 

💠 Chili crisps are everywhere: Have you tried them?

💠 Malört has gone mainstream but will it stick?

💠 Fla. restaurants face closure following hurricanes

7 in 10

adults look for deals when ordering takeout, delivery or dining in a restaurant. (National Restaurant Association)

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