How can restaurants hospitably give the boot?

How do you get disorderly patrons out the door? And are non-alcoholic bars here to stay? But first: Take a peak inside the new Louis Vuitton cafe in New York City, where diners can order monogram waffles. Pull up a chair for the latest edition of The Prep. 

On the menu:

💠 Wonder's latest move
💠 Michelin loves Texas BBQ
💠 A restaurant tech roundup
💠 Immigrants' impact on the industry

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What we’re following: Wonder’s decision to buy Grubhub. The move may help Wonder, a digital food hall delivery startup, achieve its ambitious goals of becoming a “super app for meal time" and "re-envisioning the future of food delivery.” The acquisition follows Wonder’s purchase of the meal-kit company Blue Apron. 

What’s on our radar: The first Michelin Guide Texas selections, announced last week, including stars for four barbecue joints. 

What we’re reading: Mango: A Global History by Constance L. Kirker and Mary Newman, which explores the rich and messy history of the fruit. 

What we're cheering on: Restaurants welcoming breastfeeding guests. The Lactation Network’s new initiative, Room at the Table, offers training and support to restaurants and their employees on how to make their dining rooms more welcoming to both children and people who are breastfeeding.

What we're following: After an extended quiet period in restaurant tech investment, things are picking back up. Three recent examples: AI, drive-thru and ordering solution Checkmate secured $10 million in Series B funding in late October. Around the same time, pizza automation startup Picnic raised $5 million. And earlier this month, kitchen automation and guest management service QSR Automations announced a majority-growth investment.  

Non-alcoholic bars raise the bar

As Americans aim to consume less alcohol and the non-alcoholic drinks market steadily grows, a handful of NA bars are answering the call for a gathering space that can offer the same connections and hospitality of a typical bar, sans alcohol. “When we opened, a lot of people just scratched their heads at the idea of a bar without alcohol,” says Chris Marshall, founder of Austin’s aptly named Sans Bar. “But the need for a third space that’s focused on connection is something that’s trending.” (The Pour)

Hospitality in the face of hostility 

In the name of hospitality, restaurant workers put up with a lot of rude customers. But when food writer Timothy DePeugh witnessed the worst diner behavior at Chicago's Alinea, arguably one of the best fine-dining establishments in America, he was impressed by the restaurant’s response — a speeding up of the tasting menu time and pushing the guests out the door by way of a kitchen tour. While the restaurant wouldn’t officially comment on its policy on handling rude guests, Depugh says, “Based on observation, the obvious speeding up of the menu progression to quickly get the customers causing the conflict out the door, plus give them the unscheduled kitchen tour, hinted at a well-orchestrated system in place behind the scenes to handle unruly customers — one that’s aligned with the overall experience that Alinea and restaurants like it set out to provide.” (Eater)

"The restaurant industry is powered by immigrants. There is just no denying that. And a lot of them, very likely, are illegal. So, if Trump makes good on his promise to deport illegal immigrants … this could have a huge impact on the restaurant industry."

- Sam Oches, Nation's Restaurant News editor-in-chief and editorial director 
(🎧 Extra Serving)

💠 The most powerful people in fine dining
💠 What food policy looks like in a Trump administration
💠 Elon Musk’s brother has opened a new restaurant

20

Number of months in a row, including October, during which restaurant pricing outpaced grocery/supermarket pricing. (Kalinowski Equity Research) 

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