Shorter menus, denser cooking
Fourteen-course marathons have largely gone. Kitchens found that seven well-built courses hold attention better and waste far less food, and guests stopped treating length as a measure of value.
Sourcing became the story
Imported scallops stopped being impressive. Menus now name the farm, the fisherman or the village, partly out of conviction and partly because supply chains taught everyone what happens when you depend on airfreight.
The dress code quietly died
Jackets went first, then the idea that a dining room should be silent. Rooms are louder, lighting is warmer, and service has dropped most of the choreography that used to signal expense.
What it costs now
Prices did not fall. The money moved from imported produce and large front-of-house teams into better ingredients and fewer, better-paid staff.
