Is ageism on the menu at your restaurant?

Today we're talking older diners and the end of the "streetery." But first: Take a look inside the "Personal Pan Pizza Hut," a very lonely restaurant. Pull up a chair for the latest edition of The Prep.

On the menu:
💠 Restaurant hiring is normalizing
💠 Martha Stewart is not a fan of Martha
💠 A Top Chef's latest venture
💠 How the Dead Rabbit is tackling expansion

What we’re following: The latest restaurant job news. Restaurant hiring dipped in October, but remains generally positive. “We're starting to see more normalization in the trends of hiring after seeing an early spike of hiring in late summer and into early fall, which was a bit of an odd thing to see,” says Alice Cheng, CEO and founder of Culinary Agents.

What we’re watching: Martha, a new documentary on Netflix that follows the life of the original influencer — Martha Stewart. The subject of the doc is not a fan.

What we’re reading: The rise and fall of BurgerFi, as described by some of the franchisees who poured their life savings into the better-for-you burger chain. 

The restaurant tech on our radar: Marqii, the reviews, menus, and listings platform for restaurants, which just raised $10 million. 

Plus: Top Chef star Stephanie Izard is opening a new restaurant in Silicon Valley. 

3,800

Number of jobs added in U.S. eating and drinking establishments in October. (National Restaurant Association)

Great service at any age 

If your restaurant is relegating older diners to "The Dinosaur Seating Experience," writer Arlene Schindler has a bone to pick with you. In a new essay, she laments the poor treatment she's received at many trendy restaurants, blaming ageism. It is not only rude and the antithesis of hospitality to treat older diners like second-class citizens, but these restaurants also potentially damage their relationship with excellent customers.

"They don't realize what an ordeal it can be for a caregiver or loved one to bring an older or wheelchair-bound patron to a restaurant. What a delight the extra care and VIP kindness would mean to them given a mostly sedentary existence, their only respite from home," she writes. "These are the patrons to be catered to. Great service and good manners mean more to us; they often mean bigger tips, too." (Next Avenue) 

The state of the ‘streetery’

Makeshift outdoor dining structures were a lifeline to restaurants during the pandemic when many operators moved their restaurants outside to hastily built structures on the street. At the height of the pandemic, there was little government oversight from the cities in which these restaurants operated.

Four years later, cities are cracking down on "streeteries," formalizing policies and requiring permits. In New York City, only 3,000 restaurants have applied for the permanent program, down from more than 13,000 participants at the peak. And this winter, due to seasonal rules, New York will have no "streeteries." Some smaller cities, like Cincinnati, though, have been able to continue their "streetery" program with local non-profit support.

“It has not only added vibrancy and vitality to the streets, but there’s a nice aesthetic element as well,” says Joe Rudemiller of 3D3C, an organization that helped build out wooden parklets for businesses in Cincinnati. (Slate) 

"The Dead Rabbit brand is strong, but it’s idiosyncratic and localized to each market that it operates in."

- Jack McGarry, managing partner of The Dead Rabbit, discussing expansion plans on The Meez Podcast. 

💠 Is the Aviation the cilantro of cocktails?

💠 Haitian restaurateurs are educating their communities

💠 Nancy Silverton’s new restaurant has a mozzarella bar 

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