The Guest Is the Boss Again
For years, fine dining seemed to move in one direction: longer tasting menus, more rules, more explanation and less choice. You arrived at 7pm, ate what the chef had decided, in the order the chef had decided, and three or four hours later you were allowed to leave.
But perhaps the pendulum is swinging back. ## After 32 years, a completely different direction
A fascinating example comes from the Netherlands. Patrick van Zuiden opened Restaurant Savarin in Rijswijk in 1994 and built it into a well-known fine-dining restaurant. Now, after 32 years, he has changed course completely.
Savarin has become Bistro JEAN.
Not because good food is disappearing. Quite the opposite. Van Zuiden wants to keep the quality, professional service and beautiful surroundings, but remove some of the rules surrounding them.
His philosophy is wonderfully simple: stop telling the guest what to do.
Want a long dinner? Fine. Want two dishes and a good glass of wine? Also fine. Want to share some plates? Why not? The restaurant adapts to the guest, instead of expecting the guest to adapt to the restaurant. ## Fine dining without the handcuffs
I like this development.
I love fine dining and admire chefs who create extraordinary tasting menus. But sometimes I don't want 12 courses. I don't want to be told that the only available menu takes three and a half hours. And I certainly don't always want an expensive wine pairing.
Sometimes you simply want excellent food, a good bottle or glass of wine, friendly people around you and the freedom to decide yourself how big or small your evening will be.
Bistro JEAN now offers around 47 dishes instead of one dominant tasting-menu experience, while the extensive wine cellar remains. More wines are available by the glass and the idea is to make wine more accessible too. ## What do the guests think?
The first reactions are encouraging.
One guest describes it as “a little different from the luxury restaurant that was here before”, but says the professional and friendly service remains. Most interestingly, they say the fine-dining feeling is still there, but now combined with the generous portions of a bistro.
Another recent guest praises the delicious food and “super friendly, attentive and professional” service and says they will definitely return.
Perhaps that is exactly the sweet spot. ## The new luxury is freedom
We are seeing more bistros, gastro bars and relaxed fine-dining concepts appear across Europe. Maybe people haven't fallen out of love with beautiful restaurants at all. Maybe they've simply become tired of being told how they are supposed to enjoy them.
Good ingredients. Great cooking. Knowledgeable service. Beautiful wines.
But you decide whether you stay for 45 minutes or four hours.
The chef can still be the star in the kitchen. But in the restaurant, the guest is the boss again…
