Changes in the Front

[RyneSchraw]

Chef Achatz,

Thanks for taking the time to do this (and the last) Q&A session!

You have already talked a bit about how the new cuisine forces changes upon both the kitchen and the guest. The lines between savory and sweet are being dissolved, and with this the kitchen starts to function more in unison, rather than as seperate groups of "specialists." On the diner's end, it becomes hard to make the distinction between this being dinner or entertainment.

What I am curious about, is whether you see a similar sort of change with the way the waitstaff have to function? Being a main link between the chef and the guest (other than the actual food itself), it seems as though they are now doing much more than just bringing food to the table. There's pressure for them to think along the same lines as the kitchen, and have almost as great an understanding of the food. And with that knowledge of the food, and the advantage of being the ones to actually watch it being eaten by the diners (something the Chef usually lacks), it seems they would be able to provide some unique input to the kitchen. Do you think this may cause some of the lines between the front-of-the-house and the back-of-the-house to become blurred, as well?

[chefg]

Ryne:

We often speak of the changes in cuisine taking place throughout the world but service is evolving as well, keeping pace with the food. I mentioned in a previous post how important food discriptions, explanations, and instructions have become at Trio. It ranges from informative (where the lamb is from) to crucial as in the case with a black truffle explosion. These advances in service bridge the gap from kitchen to dinning room, and make the experience of eating more entertaining, and enjoyable. We go through intensive tastings and meetings with staff to insure knowledge of the food and style of the service we provide. The front staff is vocal about guest reaction to preticular dishes and this open approach makes us stronger.