GFAweb, the problem that's being solved is not a dire one. Nonetheless, people who crave a highly specific dish, catered to their exact tastes really cannot get that experience on demand unless they cook it themselves, or have a chef. And in the scenario where they cook it, it might lack the touch of a professional chef.
True "problems" aren't always necessary. Take, for instance, a very popular establishment in Nashville called Sips N Strokes, where customers can drink wine while they learn how to paint. People not being able to drink wine and paint is certainly not really a problem either, but it still has become a major hit with over 50,000 likes on facebook.
I think the experience of getting a meal made to a customers exact demands has appeal. It represents an amount of control not possible in any other restaurant setting. It's definitely something that's very easy to sneer at though, I understand that.
LisaShock, all of that is incredibly insightful (thank you!); however, I think with increased speed comes less control. Millenials who don't have money definitely love the cheaper option. But what I really think about millennials is that they love control. Saving money on dining is actually a form of control because more money in the pocket means more freedom. Once millennials grow up a bit and get jobs, I think they'll develop a sense of patience for the amount of control this concept offers. With that said, the concept needs a lot of ironing out. It would definitely be considered a high end product possibly with private dining rooms, and perhaps with a more causal parlor room for the fixed menu as you suggested.
But here's another angle that I think could work. If you make the relationship between the customer and the chef more personal, then you kind of have something. Say on the website there were chef pages, featuring their specialities, where they were trained, etc, so people know who's cooking their food and thus know what to request/expect. That is something not very common in today's restaurant culture, excluding of course very high end restaurants where the chef is the draw.
Bottom line, upon reading the responses thus far, this service would probably not suite the demands of the culinary elite. Rather, it would maybe be more for your average unmarried guy who has some money in his pocket, and who I will now use as a hypothetical example. His mom might have always made him a flank steak seasoned with old bay because he's from Louisiana and thats how he likes it, with mashed potatoes and peas. Not wanting to track down a restaurant that serves that specific cut of steak prepared with old bay (not gonna happen), with those specific sides, or go to the grocery store because he's very busy, this service would help this very regular guy from Louisiana get his favorite childhood meal prepared with restaurant quality aesthetics. I think there's something very comforting about that.
Thanks again to all who have responded. Y'all have been super insightful.
