Behind the Line: Rob Levitt
Topic: State of the Industry/Trends
Dining Trends
Fine dining can be more than just white tablecloths and formalwear. What do you think the tricks are to crafting a fine dining restaurant with less of that high-end stigma?
- Rob Levitt
- Executive Chef/Owner
- The Butcher & Larder
- Chicago, IL
The obvious things are the china and the presentation of the food. Fewer garnishes, less manipulated presentation throwing out the ring mold collection...
The servers can be a little more relaxed and let their personalities out a bit as long as they can keep focused on solid fundamental service. The wine list has to match the menu in quality, but can be focused more on value than label appeal. Casual also makes room for a beer program



